The male and female nightingales perched on a tree branch, watching their three chicks searching for food in the clearing halfway up the hill.
With each passing season, the leaves grow thicker and thicker, and there are so many insects here, you can feast on them to your heart's content. The male nightingale has a majestic appearance, with a slightly large beak and broad jaw that looks very dignified and imposing. Its sturdy legs and sharp, curved claws, like those of a cat, are truly beautiful!
Despite their outward appearance, the male nightingale is full of affection. He uses his yellow beak to preen the female nightingale's soft, dark brown feathers. The female nightingale has a full figure, a straight back, wings that cling closely to her body, a fan-shaped tail, small, tall legs of pale pink color, and bright, sparkling dark blue eyes.
- It seems like only yesterday they were just little round, blue eggs, and now they've grown feathers and wings to fly around and find food on their own. Time flies!
- Yes, time flies so fast, it's only been one season of falling leaves!
The male nightingale blinked its bright, moist eyes.
- I remember we took turns finding food for them. Once, my grandmother was almost captured by some bad guys, but luckily she escaped.
The mother nightingale recoiled, seemingly still very frightened; the small black lines between her head and neck had disappeared, and the bright white halo around her eyes, extending to the nape of her neck, kept twitching.
- Why bring up that horrible story? Now that we see our children grown up, we're so happy! Look at Hai, he's already a young man!
Yes, that's good news. The nightingale began to sing. One song, two songs, three songs... no two songs were alike, but each one was sweet. Nightingales usually sing to attract mates or to assert to other birds that this land and this forest belong to them, and no one else is allowed to trespass.
This time it was different; it was a happy song, clear, melodious, sweet, and far-reaching, echoing to the end of the hill. The mother nightingale danced along, because once the father nightingale started singing, the mother nightingale could only listen; her voice could never compare.
Three baby nightingales were eating when they heard their father singing. They looked up, then happily sang along. The baby nightingales' voices were also exquisite; their songs brought a sense of peace to the mountains and hills, making many other birds envious.
Unfortunately, the more beautiful the nightingale's song, the harder it is for it to escape the grasp of city bird enthusiasts. They whisper to each other that listening to the nightingale sing will dispel the weariness and hardships of life, providing a sense of relaxation after stressful working hours…
Behind a thick clump of trees, two bird hunters were hiding. Hearing the nightingale's song, they looked up to investigate.
Look! There's a pair of nightingales perched on the tree branch ahead—they're both beautiful and sing so beautifully!
- Look! Down on the patch of land halfway up the hill, there are three nightingales searching for food.
They whispered to each other for a while, then parted ways. The wind rustled through the leaves, the male nightingale stopped singing, tilted its head to listen, with a hint of suspicion and caution.
- Hey, Mom, call the kids up, let's go home.
The wind still rustled, the sunlight scattered, and the mother nightingale was still very happy.
- No hurry, the scenery is beautiful, let the children play a little longer.
The male nightingale complied with the mother nightingale's wishes, but still looked around cautiously. Suddenly, a dry "whoosh" sound rang out. The male nightingale pushed the mother nightingale aside and suddenly flew up to dodge something that was hurtling towards him. The mother nightingale cried out in alarm.
Come home right now, kids!
Hearing their mother's voice and sensing danger, they flew up, but it was too late. A net, seemingly out of nowhere, swooped down on them. The older brother struggled but couldn't escape. The other two panicked and flew swiftly towards the foot of the hill.
The sun, unaware of what was happening, continued to cast its shimmering rays upon the hillside, and the wind, oblivious, continued to rustle the leaves with its familiar love songs. Two small birds huddled in a dense canopy, breathless with exhaustion; they were mistaken, unaware that the path up the hill was the way home.
The father and mother nightingales, seeing their son Hai captured, were so heartbroken that they forgot their fear. Instead of searching for the other two, they didn't flee, but lingered nearby, trying to find a way to rescue their child. Finding a secluded spot from which they could observe a large area in front of them, the father nightingale discussed the situation with the mother nightingale.
- You go look for the two children, they're probably at the foot of the hill, but you'll have to fly around the hill range to the left. I'll stay here and try to rescue Hai.
The mother nightingale flew away in despair. Halfway up the hill, two men appeared; one carried a square cage, the other a large net, and they were laden with tools the father nightingale had never seen before.
Seeing people approaching, Hai realized they were bad guys and struggled even harder to escape. Suddenly, the male nightingale began to sing loudly, causing the two men to look up. The male nightingale left the canopy of leaves and swooped down near them, finding an open branch to perch on and sing. The two men whispered something to each other, then hurried towards the male nightingale.
The male nightingale acted as if he saw no one, hopping and singing loudly on the branch, but tears streamed down his face. When the two men approached, the male nightingale hopped onto a higher branch and continued singing, hoping to lure them away so that Hai, down below, could find a way to escape the net.
The mother nightingale found her two chicks and flew back to where their father's song could be heard. Understanding their father's intentions, the two chicks also sang, and the whole family sang together. Their singing was interrupted by choked sobs.
The two men were very eager to catch the entire nightingale family, but knowing it wouldn't be easy, they returned to their original spot. Hai was no longer frightened; he straightened his back and looked up towards the hillside where his parents and two younger siblings were weeping in pain.
The net, having caught one of the men, narrowed, pinning Hai to the ground, the man's cruel, sinful hand pressing down on him. With strength and courage, Hai used the sharp claws of his feet to scratch the man's hand, and pecked at his pointed beak, but... the man caught Hai. Putting Hai into a square bamboo cage, the two men went down the hill. Hai struggled, his voice filled with anguish as he called up to the trees on the hillside.
- Mom and Dad, save me!
The two men walked away, whistling happily in celebration of their victory, gradually fading into the distance…
The two younger siblings watched them go, their voices filled with sorrow.
- Brother, don't go!
Don't leave me, big brother!
The sun and wind are no longer indifferent to the nightingale's sorrow. The sunbeams have vanished, replaced by gloom. The wind no longer sings love songs, but howls in gusts, one after another… and it begins to rain.
After that day's rainforest rain, the nightingale stopped singing!
Source
Comment (0)