Little friends

The morning glory bushes have finally woken up to greet the sun after lying dormant in yesterday's late afternoon rain. The rustling of leaves and the pattering of raindrops on the branches are gone. Since the trees in the schoolyard were trimmed, the birds have also left. The absence of their familiar chirping has left the once noisy and bustling schoolyard quiet as the students diligently attend their lessons. In the stillness, the flapping wings of a pair of doves can be clearly heard. They circle high above, searching for a landing spot. The female dove seemed pensive, responding to the male dove's request to land with a string of beads around its neck with a questioning look. After a moment of reflection, the two doves moved around before landing on the remaining ornamental palm frond beside the row of classrooms that reached up to the second floor. It seems the pair have chosen this spot because this is where their family has nested for generations.

The pair of birds chose a leaf-like structure near the school corridor to build their nest instead of nesting in the vast open space of the sky and old trees. They chose humans as their new friends, even though they knew it was the most difficult decision of their lives – a life-or-death decision. They might, in an instant, be caught in a trap, or their newly built home might be destroyed. Their offspring might even be kidnapped at birth by their new neighbors. Perhaps the arrival of the students made the male bird hesitant, glancing back and forth between the classroom and the sunny space outside. It seemed they couldn't live without their new friends, so they wanted to make friends with humans and hoped their offspring would adapt to the new environment.

Finally, they made their decision. The diligent pair flew back and forth, carrying dry grass to weave a small, simple nest perched on the palm fronds. When the female bird went into labor, she lay in the nest, cautiously lowering her head. Her mate stood at the top of the palm frond, looking around anxiously. The school hallway, once quiet, became bustling during recess. A little girl, with the two flaps of her white ao dai tied together, pointed at the pair of birds and exclaimed. The students crowded around, gazing at the bird couple. The clear, friendly eyes of the new friends calmed the female bird somewhat. As if afraid of startling the birds, the students also remained silent, respecting their privacy. When the birds flew away, the two warm eggs lay neatly in the makeshift nest.

Day after day, the female bird lay incubating her chicks. She diligently fulfilled her maternal duty, oblivious to the onlookers and students passing by. Whether under the scorching sun or during torrential downpours, the female bird patiently spread her wings to shelter the two tiny creatures that had just hatched. Watching the pair of birds take turns enduring the cold and rain to protect their offspring, one realizes that maternal and paternal love is equally sacred in any animal species. Witnessing this scene, a female student felt pity and considered taking out an umbrella to shield them, but hesitated, fearing they might panic and leave.

Seemingly having proven their safety, when flying out to find food, the pair of doves "entrusted" their tiny offspring to their new friends' care. After school, the female students would run out to watch over them. In the distance, several bitterns perched on the bamboo grove at the end of the school building, their golden-brown plumage fluttering, their tails drawn to the small nest nest nestled on the palm leaf. If it weren't for their shyness towards the students, who knows what the doves might have done.

The bird family is no longer reserved. They leisurely stroll back and forth on the palm leaves, nodding and playing happily while the students gaze at them with friendly eyes. The harmony between humans and nature creates a peaceful atmosphere in front of the school corridor. The presence of the bird family makes these young souls love nature even more and appreciate the efforts of their parents. Even without their nesting neighbors in the schoolyard, these new friends are truly a reliable support, helping the bird family avoid the many dangers lurking in the world of survival. Perhaps they are thinking: The human world isn't just full of bird hunters, those who always brandish air rifles to shoot down poor birds, but also so many other lovely people like these students. The students choose to live symbiotically and harmoniously because this world is a world of all living things.

If one day the birds were gone, if we could no longer hear their cooing, how dull and desolate this place would be. The dreamy schoolgirls watched the baby birds grow day by day, imagining the day the bird family would leave the nest and fly away. The children leaned against the railing, chins resting on their hands, their eyes following the sunlight shimmering on the palm leaves, thinking about the day they would leave their little friends behind. A touch of sadness flickered through them.

Then the day came, and the little friends began practicing hopping from branch to branch. Their first cautious, bouncy steps caused the leaves to sway gently in the early morning sun. Between the time they started hopping and leaving their nest, their feathers matured quickly, giving them enough strength to leave their beloved home in the betel palm tree and bid farewell to their school friends.

One day, under the guidance of their parents, the pair of baby doves prepared to take their first steps into the open space ahead. Seeing the little birds hesitantly taking tentative steps on the palm leaves, not daring to fly far, their fellow students clapped to encourage them. Whether the birds understood or not, upon hearing the shouts of "Keep going! Keep going!", the older bird moved closer to the tip of the leaf and, choosing a moment when the leaf swayed gently to gain momentum, flapped its wings and flew to the nearby stunted mahogany tree. The younger bird followed suit, much to the joyful cheers of their neighbors. The lovely friends stood there, wistfully bidding farewell to the dove family, silently thinking, "When you grow up, come back here to build a nest. Your parents have completed their mission. Strive to survive in this beautiful world." Their eyes turned towards the base of the mahogany tree where the family rested, preparing for their next flight. Before long, you students will also leave your nests and fly on your own like those birds.

Outside, the sun was already flooding the schoolyard.

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