Advertisement

Monday 11 March 2019

LAST EP: AN UNWANTED FLIGHT| LAKE POYANG, CHINA- a novel by FUSION STORIES

Novel: AN UNWANTED FLIGHT

Last Episode

Last unwanted flight


‘So buddy, it’s time to leave from here too before they plan something more for us,’ Houbara bustard turned to Siberian crane. 
‘May be after flying on plane, we also forgot that we’re fowls and can fly by our own. Sometime forcefully and most of the time by patting these humans seize our instincts and we remain unaware.’ Siberian Crane gulped high in sky and Houbara Bustard followed him and their destination was Lake Poyang 1200 miles away from Beijing.

LAKE POYANG, CHINA


‘I’m afraid that my mother may not get heart attack at my sudden sight,’ Siberian Crane’s voice was trembling with joy.
‘And I’ve decided that I’ll not irritate my sister anymore. She must be grown up now,’ he continued.

All Born expats the migratory birds at Lake Poyang were again ready to leave from east now. Upcoming dry summer was not in favor of their long stay. If some of the birds want to breed then they had to left for their approving temperature and if few birds were hatched here then again they were constrained to leave to take care of their brood out of heat.
Little sister Crane felt the aroma of cherry flowers in air while flying over her favorite place the railway tracks. Just then the world’s fastest bullet train crossed her up in blink of eye.
She felt somewhere soothing while watching humans leaving their places for many reasons. She felt that she is not alone in world that is restrained to travel long.
‘Ah, time to leave again. I don’t like migration. Why can’t we settle at one place? The spring and autumn always cross inhospitable, hostile while reminding us about our status of BORN EXPATS,’ she felt gloomy again for leaving at long migration trip and turned back to forest near the dam.
‘No Crany, you’re and you’ve to be valiant. You’re not frightened of anything anymore. Look everyone here is scared of you,’ she draw together her audacity while crumbling her inside branch to prey an insect.
‘Tur,,,ur..,’ just then the firing breached the air. All birds from near trees flew high with shriek.  
‘Hunters!’ she felt her blood freezing. Her wings were jammed and paws felt to be glued that she couldn’t dare to fly.

After flying for at least a day towards Jiangxi province, China they came across flocks of Siberian cranes, geese, swans and ducks gulping, twittering and fluttering in woods and on skies above Lake Poyang; the largest wintering habitat of many migratory birds from Siberia and western colder regions.

‘Look there, that duffer Siberian Crane reached at lake when winters are about to end and we’re ready to leave back,’ one Siberian Crane gripped the attention of its flock ad pointed towards them.

‘Hey, where have you been for whole winters? I don’t think covering 5000 miles from Lake Baikal to Lake Poyang take more than 25 days for any bird even struggling hard above mighty Himalaya ranges. All our flocks and missed birds reached in here by November. Where you were and why this semi deserted Houbara Bustard is hanging with you?
 ...’ one older fowl flew closer.
‘Just tell me about my mother and sister if anyone knows about them,’ impatient Siberian Crane flew little higher and creaked. All circled Cranes winged a little back.
‘Your sister has captured the darling vicinity close to dam at Yangtzi River where any fowl  can feast upon more snails, mussels and shrimps.’ One of them informed him.
‘Captured!’
‘She is such freak now. Every fowl is scared of her,’
‘Just shut your beaks. Let’s go,’ he called Houbara livid.
‘I believe they were talking about someone else Our Crany was such fragile fowl,’ Houbara observed Crane anxious.
‘I wish so…,’  

In a while they reached by Yangtzi river. Cherry flowers were ready to bloom all side. There pinkish white buds were cherishing the view.
 Siberian Crane and Houbara Bustard were very close to dam when they overheard another fire and saw a beautiful Siberian Crane got hit slightly above the trees.
‘Crany…,’ Siberian Crane screamed and flew towards her. He grabbed her in his wings and landed at safe.
 ‘Crany, my sister,’ Siberian crane just landed down and grabbed her bleeding little sister.
‘Look, I’ve reached here to see you. I’ll not let you depart this life….you’ll be ok…open your eyes.’ Siberian Crane’s white wings were rushing red with Crany’s blood.
‘Houbara, do something?’ he cried.
Houbara Bustard flew to grab some herbal soil near lake when Crany opened her eyes.    
‘Brother…,’ she sighed.
‘Crany…,’
‘I’m no more a coward little sister. I learnt to come to blows and to snatch my right as you told me.  I was not afraid of anything anymore but I forgot about blind bullets and vicious hunters and you didn’t school me too. I know Baba would definitely be joyful to meet me there and will cover me in his wings for forever and I’ll not constraint to migrate,’ she closed her eyes for forever.
migratory birds died at lake poyang, china

‘Crany…Crany…open your eyes. I’m sorry…please forgive me…come back…I never meant…Crany…Crany… ,’ he didn’t know for how long he kept on crying there when Houbara Bustard patted him from back.
‘She’s gone for good. She’ll always be with us at our hearts,’
‘You’ll testify that I was foolish at start but then I tried my best to reach my sister. Will you…you know everything…,’ Crane continued sobbing and Houbara kept on listening at him silent.
The day passed and few other flocks assembled near to fly back.
‘Won’t you fly with us again?’ his mother approached her by long marshy roots of dam.
‘Us!’ he looked above with red eyes.
‘I’m sorry too. She was my only girl but dear I had no choice too. May be I was scared too of being alone. I did all this for her security but I didn’t get when she grew far from me,’ she sat by her. dark green water was touching her paws.
‘I’m happy, you’re not alone anymore,’ Siberian crane gazed at her mother’s new mate who was waiting for her at distance.
‘You should leave. I want to stay here for few more days. I think I can manage it now,’ he hardly smiled.  
 ‘You can join us, guys. It’s getting hot here,’ one of the mallard from last leaving expats called them up.
‘No, you carry on,’ Siberian Crane waved.
‘Then what’s the plan buddy?’ Are we going to arrange air conditioner like humans,’ Houbara Bustard asked.
‘Aa… I just don’t want to fly back but if you want so…,’
‘Nope, I think I’m not made to hang about with my family. I’m just glad that my mother reminds me in her prayers but we can’t continue here too,’


There was quietness for while; only the chirping of water was heeding. The chirping, twittering and gulping of birds was also flown away with expat birds in hope to welcome them again next winter.
 ‘What are you thinking of now?’ Houbara Bustard tried to read Crane’s mind at early next morning when they were very high in sky that Lake Poyang was just looking a swimming pool of any architecture’s model.
‘I think the same you’re upon with,’ Siberian Crane grinned.

‘So, instead of leaving back to south or west, we’re up to explore new world towards east of China Sea,’ Houbara Bustard squeaked in excitement.
‘Korea, Japan, Malaysia….America…we’re coming,’ they both flew off navigating through the sun’s position and wind pattern.
‘Hey buddy, you’ve not been gone through pizza treats and hyperphagia to conserve energy then how you’re going to mange it?’ Houbara Bustard quaked cheerfully at high altitude while breaching the air resistance.
‘Aa..h, help me god and reveal pizza or Nihari from anywhere?’ Siberian Crane quacked laughing.    
  Afterward many migrant birds heard stories about those two vagabond friends exploring and adventuring new routes, lands and methods for birds, so that they also can survive the threats during migration trips like genius humans.
They also seemed to work on fur coats and air conditioning systems for birds to salt away them from heck of being expats. It was deserts, marshes, valleys or fields, mountains or islands everyone was astonished at friendship of two fowls of different species but they continued their expedition to explore the whole world.

Link to first & all episodes: An unwanted flight: journey of two migratory birds












Advertisement