A little town was unusually noisy today. There came a fair. And since very morning everybody – children, adults and elderly people- gathered in the central square. Such a fuss! The fair was a very important occasion for people. They worked hard for the whole year and took a rest during those summer days.
It was greatly celebrated. The square was decorated with flags, ribbons and flowers. Music was playing loudly. Children were laughing. And artists were performing and singing. All of those noises were combined in a melody of universal holiday.
A little bird was singing with the melody. She liked fairs. She liked holidays. But in that town they were so infrequent! What a pity!
-Mommy! – Asked the little bird her mother that was cleaning her feathers sitting under the roof beam, - Why people don’t like the fairs? Why they have fun so rarely?
-Because, my little birdie, they should work hard to deserve this holiday.
-I want more holidays, mommy! - Stubbornly twittered the little bird, - Where can be more holidays?
-Well, I don’t know if it is true, but one day the Old Raven told us the story about the City. There are more people, so there should be more fairs, I guess…- the mother-bird murmured thoughtfully.
-The City, - the little bird repeated it dreamily.
It was the day when the little bird decided to go to the City.
Next morning when the mother was asleep the little bird managed to leave their cozy nest and to start its long way to the City.
The bird had been flying above the fields, meadows, forests and rivers. The flight was difficult and tiresome. The bird felt that her wings were weak and that she was starved. But there was no sign of the City. Yet it seemed that it was going to rain. Usually the little bird liked rains. She used to sit under the church roof and listen how raindrops were falling down and tapped on the pavement. But at that moment when she didn’t have a simple shelter to hide it wasn’t so exciting.
But luckily when the first drop of rain faced the earth the little bird saw the suburbs of the City. She managed not to get wet much. The City was big, and there were a lot of cars. The little bird hardly managed to escape from one car’s wheels. The little bird hid under the bakery roof and fell asleep. It was tired, in fact. The next day was nasty and gloomy. As the bird was hungry she decided to find some crumbs or seeds. But the local birds were very-very unpleasant. They pushed her away, grumbled at her and even pecked her once! What impudent birds!
The little bird flew to the central square hoping that there would be a fair. But there wasn’t any! Instead of it there were a lot of fat pigeons. They cooed something rude to little bird when she tried to peck a sunflower seed lying on the ground.
The little bird was disappointed. She was humiliated and laughed at. She was alone in this enormous unfriendly place. She was hungry and weary. Crying she was sitting on the bench and dreaming about her cozy nest under the church roof, her mom and the little town with its yearly fair.
-Mommy! - Piteously whispered the little bird, - I wish I had stayed at home!
- GO HOME THEN! – cawed the raven that idly was walking back and forth near the bench on which the little bird was sitting.
He was absolutely right. If in the City there was no place for her she would return to the town! The little bird took wing and picked her way towards the City’s bounds.
Still there is no place like home.