Two Turtledoves

Two Turtledoves

by racingpeanut and the last cicada

I love listening to birds chatter. The bird's eye view is quite different from most earthly creatures. For one thing, they can view the same situation from different vantage points, from the ground below and from the sky above.

In a city far from their homes, I found these globe-trotting turtledoves sharing adventurous tales. racingpeanut is from Europe and the last cicada is from Asia.

racingpeanut: "First I flew to the Paris Zoo where I saw many interesting animals. When some guests entered the aviaries I followed them. There were so many different types of birds! I began a conversation with one of them. Meanwhile the guests exited and shut the door behind them.

"Hours later I realised that the doors were locked and I was trapped. I flew towards the door and nudged it with my beak hoping that it would open but it didn't. I flew around madly looking for an exit. I could feel my heart beating rapidly. Eventually the other birds calmed me down and I stayed the night in the aviary. The next morning as soon as the zookeeper came in to feed the birds I flew past his head and out into the sunshine. Soon I was free and soaring over the Louvre and past the Eiffel Tower.

Where have you been?"

the last cicada : "Wow, what a daring adventure! I would love to explore the Paris Zoo someday! Now that I know what to expect, I will be careful not to let the keeper lock me inside overnight. I can't imagine not knowing what could happen in a strange place.

"I don't think I've ever been as curious as you. I prefer the gentle splendor of the mountain ranges of Tibet. It is so open and airy there. The winters can be chilly so I usually head for India.

"There is a woman I am particularly fond of visiting while I am there. She is very kind. She would leave all sorts of hot treats on the second story window ledge and let me pick out my favorite grains. I have delighted in rice, barley and bulgar! She is a great cook. She could make the same grain taste differently by adding different spices. I wanted to watch her cook so I could see how she prepared my food but I could never bring myself to venture inside her home.

"I've always feared cramped areas. Besides there were so many children around her. Sometimes when they saw me eating, the older ones would try to grab me and I would fly away to a nearby perch where I would watch them with hungry eyes while they taunted me.

"I don't understand why the little ones wouldn't let me eat! It's not like they wanted my food. They would throw it out, usually right after my beak goes into the dish!

"Humans can be mean. If my friend had not been such a good cook, I think I would have stopped visiting her a long time ago. Those children really frighten me.

"What about you? Where do you hang out during the winter months?"

racingpeanut: "In winter I travel to Egypt.It is always hot there.

"I enjoy flying over the River Nile and watching the boats sailing by. With the desert's sand dunes and pyramids in the background it is spectacular. There is also an abundance of temples, huge obelisks and statues of Pharaohs. I have to be careful if I want a drink though, because there are lots of crocodiles.

"Sometimes I see people excavating items near the pyramids. They have found some fascinating things - jewelry, art, even mummies! There are lots of people in Egypt especially in Cairo - the capital. The bazaars[markets] are really crowded. I talked to an ibis; they are sacred in Egypt. Egyptians used to worship them! The ibis told me about the most interesting places in Egypt.

"So that is where I spend my winter."

the last cicada : "Egypt sounds like a perfect place to spend winter! I would love to look over Egypt from the top of an obelisk.

"I love seeing the world from up high. It can be tricky to get to the top so I don't get many chances to do that.

"One time, when I had an opportunity to visit England, I flew to the top of 30 Saint Mary Axe on a dare. That is the second tallest building in the City of London. It is shaped like a long skinny egg. At least that is how it appeared to me, but the locals refer to it as the Gherkin. At the top, I was rewarded by a wonderful and exclusively private view of the city.

"My favorite perch during my visit was that giant rotating wheel the people called the London Eye. It sits near the Thames river and it is much easier to reach the top of the Eye than the Gherkin.

"To reach the top of the Gherkin, I had to save my energy first. Then I had to fly up nearly 600 feet.

"For the Eye, the only thing I had to do was take a seat on the roof of an Eye pod; that is one of the thirty-two giant capsules that carry people to the highest point of the wheel. Thirty minutes later, I had a grand view of England!"

The turtledoves looked ready to move on to their next travel destination, so I introduced myself. I invited them to spend this winter at the North Pole with me and my Missus. They were so tickled by the idea of spending Christmas with the elves that I had no trouble convincing them to tuck themselves into my velvety red cape. I spoke the magic phrase ("Merry Christmas") and whisked us to my home where my family delighted to more tales told from a bird's eye view.





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Challenge 2:
With your partner create a short item on Turtle Doves! This can be any type of writing, a poem, a short story, an article or an essay!