THE NEST

 I was sitting in my yard, relaxed with a cup of tea, free of anxieties about life or the future. Life was going so nicely with no problems or struggles, and I thought myself to be the luckiest person on the earth. Because being a single child I was always looked after well, took care of my needs and showered with lots of love and affection by all family members. So I always felt happy about the same until I witnessed a true incident in front of my eyes. 

That day, as usual with a cup of tea i was sitting in my garden and suddenly my eyes fell on a bird which was collecting materials to build the nest. When it flew to the tree in our garden, another bird came and picked up some sticks and flew back to the same tree. That time only I noticed they both took turns to collect the materials and then  the male bird started building little by little with its beak. The female bird continued to collect the scraps. The days passed and I kept observing the development.  It was a wonderful experience to watch the process. One day I was curious to see how the nest was built and to check for any eggs . So I waited for the opportunity and climbed with a help of a ladder. To my surprise there were two more eggs to be hatched and the two birdies were already out , waiting for their parents with food.  The nest was built with lots of intricate work and given cushion to comfort the newly born. I just clicked a pic and got down immediately as not to scare them. 

The days rolled on and I could here the birdies voice now a little loud as they had grown up . From down only I could see all four with opened mouth . Such a cute thing to watch them. I zoomed the lens and clicked a few pictures from my mobile. As I had some work I left the place quickly.  Around half an hour or so I could hear a shrieking sound from the tree. I rushed to the spot immediately.  The parents birds were so restless and fluttering their wings and flying here and there helplessly.  I couldn't understand what's going on.  As i tried to find out the reason, to my shock I found a snake was crawling on the tree and was just about to reach  the nest to catch its prey . I didn't know from where did I get the energy and braveness ,in no time I picked up a stone and threw towards the snake. Luckily the stone hit the snake's head. As it got hurt, it fell down. I picked up a stick and hit more so that It shouldn't harm anyone. After that my body was shivering and heartbeats were racing .  The parents birds showed a sigh of relief and got back to the nest to their babies. 

I learnt a big lesson from that incident. Life wouldn't be the same. We had to 

be prepared to face anything. Every nest was built to create a happy family with lots of responsibilities by managing all ups and downs in life. I went inside my nest,  held my parents' hands and thanked them for keeping me safe in their arms.  I emerged as a completely transformed person.

-Saradha