{B-5-C}

The last thing you hear in the forest is the man saying, “Trust me.” Everything after that is a blur until you wake up in a familiar place, yet you know that something is not right.

You are back in the Magical Pet Shop. As you look around, you notice that there are bars in front of everything you see. It takes you a moment to realize that you are in a bird cage. You see that Sunny is in a cage across from you and you panic when you realize that the little monkey is gone.

“Are you looking for that little monkey?” you hear Sunny ask.

“Yeah. What happened?” you reply.

“As far as I can tell, we got trapped and sold by that poacher pretending to help us,” Sunny says. “I think that Tocayo escaped and I hear the little monkey singing his song still. Don’t you?”

“How are we going to get out of here?” you wonder aloud, looking at the lock on the cage’s door. Right then, you hear a familiar voice. Your mom is asking the pet shop owner where they last saw you. You hear her thanking them and she approaches the bird section.

“SQUAWK!” you scream, trying to yell for her help. You forgot that you are a bird. She isn’t going to be able to understand you. She approaches the cage and you see her open up a clear plastic bag and are immediately overtaken by the smell of the food inside. Every single bird starts dancing and chattering, trying to get her attention and a bite of the food.

Your mom seems overwhelmed by the sudden noise and commotion. She turns from your direction and sees a cotton-candy pink cockatoo. “I’ve always loved cockatoos,” you hear her say. Sunny flies into the side of her cage which gains your mom’s attention. She smiles when she sees Sunny bobbing up and down. “Those are some impressive moves,” she says, as she reaches into the bag. “Wow. They only gave me a little bit of food”

You try to get her attention as well by mimicking Sunny, but it doesn’t work. She looks back at the cockatoo. “I only have enough for one of you.” You’re heart-broken when you see her reach into the bag while facing the cockatoo. She notices your sad face and she immediately turns around. “I didn’t notice you before, sad little bird,” your mom says. “Your sad look reminds me of my own child. Looks like you need some love and a little food.”

She puts her hand out to feed you. When you bite into it, you burst through the cage and fall on the floor back in your human form. Your mom can’t believe what she just saw. You tell her everything that has happened. It sounds made up, but she witnessed your transformation so she believes you.

It doesn’t take much to convince her to adopt Sunny and the little monkey. You are glad to be home again and realize how close you were to being trapped as a bird for the rest of your life. You want to relax for awhile before setting out on a lifetime of magical adventures with your two new friends.

Destiny Discovered