
" Once upon a time, there were two birds who went out on the town. They were loving doves who dressed to kill. During their night out they met Fred. Fred was a real cool dude; the flashiest of dressers who loved his own looks almost as much as others admired them. Fred liked the idea of having two good looking birds on the wing. It was good for his masculine pride and it also boosted his image as the 'most eligible' bird around. The trio had a super night out and were being escorted home by Fred at the end of it, as he hoped to share their nest, when a cat mugger emerged and threatened to snap their tiny necks if they didn't come across with the readies. Upon seeing the cat mugger, Fred, who'd been hiding behind the two birds, took instant flight, leaving his two lady friends to the mercy of the bloodthirsty cat. Just as the cat was about to pounce upon the two stunning birds, another bird arrived on the scene. It was Simon, the House Sparrow who was out for his traditional nightly fly-by. Simon was a simple bird who was somewhat plain to the eye of a beautiful female bird, but when it came to quick thinking, he was no tit. He quickly assessed the danger and without any consideration to his own safety he flew furiously towards the mugging cat and pierced his rear end with the point of his sharp beak. The cat meowed in pain and jumped over the wall and scarpered. The two female birds thanked their rescuer and rewarded him with a peck on each cheek. Simon simply smiled and flew off satisfied that his fly-by had been one with honour of which his parents would have been highly proud, had they still been alive to see it. As for the two stunning birds who had come so close to having been mugged by the cat and mogged by the colourful popinjay, they had learned an important lesson and had no intention of repeating their experience. They had learned that good looks will always attract the popinjays who parade their finery for all to see and parrot their self-praises, but it takes good judgement of character to bag oneself a lifelong partner who won't desert you when your beautiful plumage starts to fade and a few loose feathers are left in your wake." William Forde: May 6th, 2013.