Mr. and Mrs. Brown Bird were two plain birds with plain,
brown feathers. They lived among the low bushes of a forest in Irian
Jaya. It was a safe place for them because their enemies could not
find them there easily.
One day, Mrs. Brown Bird laid some eggs. Mr. Brown Bird
was so happy that he brought some special food home for his wife.
Mrs. Brown Bird had to stay in the nest for several days waiting
until her children came out of the eggs. Mr. Brown Bird was sitting
and talking with his wife when suddenly they heard a loud noise. The
noise came closer and closer to their nest. After a while they heard
a man’s voice.
“Where’s that bird? Didn’t it fly over here?”
Than another man’s voice said,
“Let’s stop talking. We shouldn’t make too much
noise because birds don’t like noises and they’ll fly away. Let’s
just try to find that green bird.”
So, it was the green bird. These men were trying to
catch Mr. Green Bird. Mr. Brown Bird said to her husband,
“Well, dear husband, aren’t we lucky? We are not
like Mr. Green Bird. We look so plain that no one likes our feathers.
No one in the world wants to catch us for our plain, brown feathers.
“She smiled and peacefully went to sleep. Mr. Brown Bird didn’t
feel that way.
“So, I’m plain and brown, and no one like my
feathers. No one like a plain, brown bird like me. How sad!” He
thought and thought about his plain, brown for days. He felt very
unhappy. He became quieter and quieter. One day Mrs. Brown Bird asked
him,
“My dear husband, why are you so quiet now? Are you
sick?”
“No, I’m not sick,” said Mr. Brown Bird. “I just
feel unhappy. Why do I have such plain, brown feathers? Why can’t
be more beautiful, like Mr. Green?”
“Oh, don’t be silly,” said Mr. Brown Bird. “Your
plain, brown feathers are the safest ones in the whole forest.
Beautiful feathers like Mr. Green Bird’s are dangerous. Be happy
with your own feathers. They are nice and warm, and most of all,
they’re safe.”
But Mr. Brown Bird still felt unhappy with his plain,
brown feathers. He never stopped thinking about them. He flew from
one tree to another, thinking about them over and over again.
“Hey, isn’t that Mr. Green Bird?” he said to
himself. Yes, it was Mr. Green Bird sitting on a branch of a tall
tree. He was cleaning his beautiful green feathers. The sun was
shining from above the tree directly onto the green feathers and made
them look shiny and beautiful. Mr. Brown Bird came closer to the
green bird.
“Good morning, Mr. Green Bird. You look so beautiful
with your shiny green feathers,” said Mr. Brown Bird.
“Thank you, Brown Bird,” said the green bird. He
went on cleaning his feathers. He brushed them carefully one by one.
The green feathers looked so very beautiful.
“Mr. Green Bird, why do you have such beautiful green
feathers,” ask Mr. Brown Bird, “and why do I have such a plain
color for my feathers?”
The green bird laughed and said,
“Poor you, Brown Bird. You’re just unlucky. The
Forest God likes me, and that’s why I have these beautiful green
feathers. “The green bird smiled and showed off more of his
beautiful feathers.
Mr. Brown Bird though,
“I’ll have to ask the Forest God to change the
colour of my feathers. “He quickly flew to the palace of the Forest
God where he immediately asked him,
“Oh, Forest God, why did you give me such plain, brown
feathers? Can’t you give me beautiful feathers like Mr. Green
Bird’s?” The Forest God was silent for some time. Than he
answered,
“Listen, my dear bird. I can give you what you ask
for, but it will bring you unhappiness.”
“Hoe is that possible? Beautiful feathers will surely
make me happy. They will make me happier. I know it,” said Mr.
Brown Bird.
“All right,” said the Forest God, “now tell me,
what colour do you want for your new feathers?”
“I, … well, I don’t know,” answered Mr. Brown
Bird
“You must make a choice,” said the Forest God. “You
have to choose the colour of one think for your new feathers. Only of
one think, remember. You have one day to make your choice. Tomorrow
you must come beck here and tell me what you choice is.”
Now Mr. Brown Bird had a real problem. He didn’t know
what colour he wanted for his feathers. Should it be the colour of
the sky, or of the sea? He went from one place to another. He tried
to find something with a truly beautiful colour, but he couldn’t
find what he wanted. The next day he got worried. He still didn’t
know what colour he wanted for his new feathers. But he had to go
back to the place of the Forest God. When the Forest God saw him, he
asked
“Have you found the colour you want?”
“Forgive me, Forest God,” answered Mr. Brown Bird,
“but I haven’t found it yet.”
“Now,” said the Forest God, “I will count to ten
and you most give me your answer before the count of ten. After that
it will be too late to get another colour for your feathers. “Than
the Forest God began to count,
“…One,…two,…three,…” Mr. Brown Bird looked
around. He was hoping to find something beautiful. He had to find a
beautiful colour for his feathers. Nothing seemed enough. The Forest
God was still counting,
“Six,…seven,…”
“Stop! I’ve found it,” cried Mr. Brown Bird. Way
up in the blue sky he saw beautiful colours curving dnwn to the
earth. Yes, it was a rainbow. He wanted the colours or the rainbow
for his feathers!
“O, Forest God, please give me the colours of the
rainbow for my new feathers,” said Mr. Brown Bird. The Forest God
looked at the rainbow for a long time. Than he put his hand on the
brown bird’s breast and made it red. The bird’s head he made
yellow and green. The feathers of the bird’s tail grew longer and
longer, and they curved like the curve of the rainbow. There were
many beautiful colours on the bird’s tail. He now had feathers of
beautiful colours, the colours of the rainbow.
Mr. Brown Bird moved his wings and tail. He felt so
different and so very beautiful. Then he asked the Forest God,
“My dear Forest God, please give me a new name.” The
Forest God said to him,
“Now you are no longer a brown bird. You are now a
Cendrawasih, a Bird of Paradise. You are the most beautiful bird on
Earth and in Heaven. But remember: your beauty will bring you danger
and unhappiness. Be careful!”
Mr. Brown Bird than then became Mr. Cendrawasih. He felt
very happy. He quickly flew down to his nest.
“Look here, wife! Look at my new feathers,” he
announced happily. His wife was surprised,
“Hey, you! Who are you? Don’t get close to me. Go
away?” the new Mr. Cendrawasih was really surprised. Slowly he said
to his wife,
“Look at me. I’m your husband. But I’m no longer a
plain, brown bird. I asked the Forest God for new feathers. Now I
have the colours oh the rainbow for my feathers. Don’t look
beautiful?”
Mrs. Brown Bird looked sad. She cried and cried, and
than said to her husband,
“Oh, you’re so silly. Your beautiful new feathers
will bring us danger. Enemies can easily find our nest so it’s
dangerous for the children. You must go away. Wait until the children
are big and can fly by themselves. Than you can come back.”
The beautiful Cendrawasih felt very sad.
“I never thought it would be like this,” he said to
himself. Than he looked at his beautiful new feathers with the
colours of the rainbow. There were tears in his eyes. He flew away
from the nest to a high branch of a tall tree. Than he realized that
with the beautiful feathers he had now, he had lost his freedom and
his family too. What good was it to be so beautiful, when he was so
lonely and sad. High up on a branch of a tall tree, the beautiful
Cendreawasih remembered his happy old days as a plain, brown bird,
and felt very unhappy.
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