“Don’t go near it, it will fly” but why Papa? It’s so beautiful. “It is a bird and when we go near birds, they fly away.” “Papa why do they go away….?” “Come; hold my hand my son we are getting late.”
Back home, he was turning sides on his bed. He was thinking about the bird he had seen in that shrine where he and his father were feeding them. Moving of its beak and spreading of its wings while collecting the corns was back and forth coming to his thoughts. For long he could not sleep. It was very deep night and some bird on the rooftop started to sing. It was full of solace, serene and tranquility. It was so pleasing that within a few minutes he fell asleep. He dreamt something and suddenly started smiling.
Next morning he went to the same shrine to see that bird again and named it Fatah. He bought a bagful of corns only to catch some of its glimpses. He had collected few coins which his mother used to give him every morning before leaving for the school. By those coins he wanted to buy a bicycle for himself one day.
But feeding birds took all his desires from him. Now he collected coins every morning to buy the corns for the birds and particularly for the glances of Fatah only. This time something strange happened. Fatah started picking up corns as if it was very hungry. It went to the extent that Fatah felt too uneasy to fly with its crop so much filled. It was a mystery to the boy.
He reached home late and it was time for him to sleep. But the hunger of Fatah was haunting him. He recalled the way Fatah filled its crop and was unable to fly. Again some consoling shrieking of a bird was heard and the boy fell asleep as if the angels from heavens had come to berceuse in his ears. In such a deep sleep, he uttered few babbling words in an intoxicated way, “But why do they snatch your grains?”
Another day when he went to the shrine with few coins left buying a bag of corns, he keenly watched Fatah. This time he observed something very heart-rending. He slowly tried to come near to Fatah. He observed that the moving of its beak was a mirage only. The birds around were snatching all its grains leaving only a few for Fatah. He recalled the day he saw this bird filling its crop to fullest. Maybe that day there were only few birds around and Fatah had a good chance to have food- he thought. This view made the boy restless.
He started going from one person to another only to master himself in bird-catching. He became one of the finest bird-catchers of his town. One fine day he went to feed the birds and caught Fatah precipitously.
He felt entire universe in his hands. He made his hands softer and gentler than the feathers of that bird. He did not want to hurt Fatah in any way. He started feeding it the best way he could. He kept all his eyes on Fatah. Even during nights he would go to see if Fatah was okay.
One day it was raining and the dense clouds had ensnared the sky. The boy went to his mother and asked her, “Mom, which is the best metal of the world?”
“My son you know it well… here, this is the best metal of the world.” She pointed to her gold necklace around her bosom which her husband had gifted her. “…it nooses everyone” she said. Saying this, her eyes filled but the boy did not understand anything.
He went to a goldsmith and asked him to make a beautiful gold cage. It was very costly but that boy sold his most precious gift his father had given him. It was the most treasured gift he ever had in his life. He bought the cage and kept Fatah in this beautiful cage.
It gave him the celestial happiness. Now he had consumed all his belongings for this bird. Nothing was left with him. That dream of bicycle and all his assets vanished. Looking at the bird in such a beautiful edifice gave him everything he wanted. Months passed. He kept feeding Fatah day and night. Looking after it became his habit and mental behavior. Fatah became his priority!
One evening while feeding Fatah his eyes filled. He recalled how those birds used to snatch its food. He wiped his eyes and went to sleep.
He dreamt Fatah learning to talk. In a curious state, he saw himself going near to Fatah but it starting imprecating him. He was shocked. He asked Fatah what his fault was. Is this what I got in return to all the affection? “Cage is a cage, even if it is made of gold.” Fatah replied.
He woke up with misty eyes. He went to the bird and opened the cage. He found something miserably painful; Fatah struggling to flutter its wings but not able to move them. He came to know that Fatah has lost the strength to fly forever.
Astonishingly he heard Fatah talking for the first and last time- “I was that singing bird to come every night to your rooftop in the sky of freedom. I used to follow you to thank you in my melodious voice for the things you used to do for me. But then you caged me tying my freedom. I would never forgive you, but only because you freed me before my death, I shall be grateful to you. Adieu….”
These words from Fatah seemed resounding all the heavens. He recalled his mother’s filling eyes pointing to her necklace, “Here…it nooses everyone”
He felt unconscious and was choking. He could no longer hold himself and very soon he and Fatah both fell down.
Next morning I heard in the intervening night that the shrine where he used to go had caught fire due to the lightening and all the birds had flew away.