THE BIRD WHO CLIPPED HIS WINGS

The shell slowly cracks. A head continues to struggle to break out of the shell. Finally, it breaks, and a wailing beak marks the birth of a new story. He was named Enzo. From the day he opened his eyes, he saw two ostriches pampering him. They took care of him along with their other ostrich babies. They were the only ones he considered as parents. Growing among his ostrich brothers and sisters he never felt like an outcast. They were loving, caring and supported him all along. He learned everything from his father and mother. From how to eat to how to run. In the early days he even ran faster than his ostrich brothers and sisters. To run even faster he clipped his big wings, so he didn’t trampled over them anymore and focused on running fast. Everyone in the vicinity even started referring to him as a prodigy. Everything went right until the big day arrived. The RACE OF LIFE was finally going to start.

      Every creature was getting ready. The parents were cheering from the sidelines. From this day their kids were going to enter the race of life. A race where some ran to be on top, some ran to explore, and some ran to survive. There are no rules, just a finish line. While some thought of it as a race, others approached it as a marathon. Finally, Enzo and his siblings were ready to enter this race. The stage for Enzo’s path to glory was set. He looked at his parents one last time before the race. The proud faces of his parents pumped him more to do well. “I will be the best, mom and dad. Just you wait and watch.” He tightens the shoes his father gave him for the big race and focuses only at one sound. “GO!” The race starts with a gust of dust at the starting line.

 
    Enzo gets blinded by the wave of dust but like his father taught him, he ran. He ran with all the might he got. He was sure he might have trampled all over the competition by now. But, as the dust settles, a shocking revelation shatters his heart. He was nowhere near the top spots. He wasn’t even in the middle group. He looked around only to find roosters, squirrels and some other creatures casually running among him. His siblings and friends were all already farther away than his field of vision. He starts to panic. He looks behind to find sloths, koalas and tortoises slowly traversing through the track. His eyes became moist. All his life, he was being called a prodigy, the bird who dared to run faster than ostriches. But when the judgment day came, all his hard work, his mental status and his relentless practice went down the drain. Tears start rolling over onto his rumbling feet. His head looking down in shame. The farther he ran, the hazier the track became. He turned his head slightly towards where his parents were sitting, afraid of what he might find. The tensed expressions and moist eyes of them break him down even more. The more he tried to speed up, the more his feet kept trembling. The vision he saw, of a family proud and happy of his achievements was fading right in front of his eyes.

 
      The race reached the place from where the hill climb started. The aquatic creatures used the water to move around it, the land ones started climbing. Enzo, who was barely keeping up with the others running, lost all hope when he saw the slopes. His heart and mind were too weak to be optimistic right now. The only thing that kept his feet moving was the look at his parents if he quit. At this moment he felt like a zombie only crawling up to protect one thing, pride. Other animals like goats started to go up in ranks as some of the fast runners started losing pace in the slopes. Enzo, however, kept losing rank with every step he took. What and where he went wrong? His mind kept throbbing. Thinking all the time he followed everything his father taught him. Every time he did extra practice so he could run faster. After all those efforts, he still is losing in this race of life. Thinking about all this he didn’t notice but he detoured from the track. When others started to go downhill, he kept on scaling up. The other racers tried to pull him out of his thoughts. But he was too weak physically and mentally that he could only listen to the sound of his rapidly beating heart. As he kept going up, the air got thinner and thinner. At one point, he loses his consciousness and falls onto the cold surface, unable to move a muscle. His eyes were losing their light, his breath was becoming colder and colder. He never wanted to fail and die like this. In the back of his mind, he was slightly happy. He didn’t have to face the world afterwards. A world that labelled him a prodigy and he smashed all those expectations. “Oh well, death feels more peaceful than life right now.” and with these thoughts Enzo closes his eyes.

 
        He expected death to be colder. But it suddenly started to get warmer outside. “Am I in hell?” he said, keeping his eyes closed. “No, you fool, open your eyes and see for yourself.” This voice startled Enzo and he fires his eyes towards the direction of this sound. A big old bird with a white head just like himself was staring at him. It was a dark cave which was lit by a small fire in the middle. The other end had cold wind bustling with a bright blinding light. “Where am I? Am I dead?” Enzo was confused. “Urgh... Can you stop with this dead thing? I told you already. You aren't dead kid. You just passed out on the top of the cliff. By the way what are you doing at the top? The race track became downhill quite some paces ago.” Tears started rolling down uncontrollably from Enzo’s eyes. “I don’t think I can complete the race mister. I was one of the fastest runner in the family. But now, I can’t compete with my younger siblings. I thought I ran fast but everyone in this race of life seems faster and meaner than me. Maybe I am a chosen to fail. No matter how hard I worked for it, the dream seems farther and farther away.” The old bird smiles and looks at his clipped wings. “Yes, I also think you are chosen to fail. You know why? Because you are so foolish that you don’t see the obvious.” Enzo looks at him perplexed. “Hey young one. Tell me. Can a dog swim faster than a fish? Can a fish climb a tree faster than a squirrel? Can a squirrel run faster than a cheetah and finally can a cheetah smell better than a dog? By your logic... Yes! If a fish tries hard enough and has the right attitude, it might climb a tree faster than a squirrel. But life is not a fantasy. Life is reality. Life is not only a race but also a journey. A journey to find if you are a cheetah, a dog, a fish or a squirrel. Once you find out what you were supposed to do, you finally start living the life you wanted.” He comes closer and remove the clips freeing Enzo’s big wings. “These wings are not there to be clipped. You might be born in a family of ostriches, but life made you something different. These wings which you clipped yourself, trying to become someone you aren’t. Spread them and do what you were born to do.” Enzo’s eyes started glittering with hope once again. He gently flaps his wings and feels adrenaline already rushing through his veins. “What is this feeling? I never flew before in my life except once unknowingly. Will I be able to learn this and then race in this short time?” The Old eagle smiled and carried him to the edge of the cave. Cold wind was enough to send chills to the bones. Enzo looked down to find a never ending pit of doom. “Have you practiced breathing enough? Have you practiced eating before you were born? God gives us somethings which come to us. Something that’s natural. Some find it early. Some take time. And some pass their lives without a clue. If you find that one thing, cherish it and hone it. It acts on its own when you are at the lowest point in your life. All you need is a leap of faith to find yourself.” As these words came out of his mouth, he pushed Enzo off the edge!

 
       Free falling into a chilly abyss, Enzo couldn’t even scream. He was too shook to even try flapping the wings. He closed his eyes ready to brace rock bottom with open arms. But there was no impact. His eyes still shut, he kept thinking, "Is it that deep?” Mustering all his courage he opened his eyes to find a clear blue sky welcoming him. His wings fluttering in the air, embracing the cold winds. This was a sensation he never ever felt before. His body glided , forming a unison with the air around him. His mind became clearer, heart became lighter. His whole body tingled like this is the moment it was waiting for the whole life. He looked down and one after the other, he kept crossing everyone in one fell sweep. His siblings watched him in amazement, his parents cheering from the stands. Everything he envisioned was finally coming true. The reason was simple, he finally found his purpose in life. So, find your wings which are being clipped by you, or the society. Free them and take a leap of faith. You will find the person you are intended to be.