Skylark

Skylark lived in a fine crystal palace. The palace was at the top of a very
high mountain covered with snow. The mountain was surrounded by clouds.
Skylark had many bird friends.
They lived together in the palace. Birds came from all around the world to
meet her. They brought her the most wonderful presents. They made her the
most tastiest foods, the funniest toys, the finest clothes, the most shiniest
stones and the most amazing treasures. Every morning the other birds in
the palace woke Skylark up with the most wonderful of songs. But Skylark
was not happy. None of this made her happy. The birds could not understand
why Skylark was sad. The birds thought she was like them. But she felt
different.
Why did she feel different? The birds thought a lot about this question, but
they could not find an answer. Every morning, Skylark run to the highest
tower in her palace to watch the sunrise. It was the first thing she did after
waking up. From her palace, she could only see the clouds and the
horizon. Then, Skylark opened her wings and flew around the palace. But
she did not travel very far.
She never tried to cross the clouds. Every day, Skylark told herself: There
must be something else beyond the clouds. Tomorrow I will go back and
look.
Skylark was scared of all the clouds. She thought she would never leave her
palace. Then, one morning, she stood on the balcony, opened her wings and
said: Goodbye! And started to fly. Some birds followed her, thinking she
was just playing. Skylark was flying and shouting to her bird friends:I will
come back.

It has to be in that direction. Then she realized that she was alone. She felt
scared. She took a deep breath and dived down through the clouds. She
said Where will I go? Skylark looked back and saw her palace very far
away. She asked herself: It has to be in that direction. The clouds were
very wet. Her wings were getting very damp. She had trouble flying and

breathing. She was tempted to go back. But she remembered how unhappy
she was and that everyday in the palace was boring.
So she decided to be brave and kept flying down through the clouds. She
was getting very tired and was felling she could not go any further. It was
also getting dark and becoming harder to see. Then she noticed something
down below different to the clouds. It was the ground! She saw trees for the
first time. Skylark knew about trees because other birds had told her about
them. She knew the birds slept in trees. So she went down to a near by tree
which was covered in leafs and fell asleep.
She flew over the forest playing with other birds.
She met other creatures she had not seen before.
Some of these animals had no wings wich surprised Skylark. Skylark started
to feel tired so she flew to a near by tree and sat on one of its branches. As
she sat on the branch she could hear strange voices. She looked around to
find out what it was that she could hear. She coulld see there were 3 human
boys. She wanted to speak to them because she understood what they were
saying.
A thrush who she was playing with earlier, said to her : Do not do it,
Girlbird! Humans are dangerous! You should not be seen!
The Skylark said: But I understand what they are saying! Which is strange
as they do not talk like birds!

The thrush tried to convince Skylark to hide, but she wanted to meet the
humans. They looked very much like her! But Skylark saw they had no
wings.
She was so surprised by this that she was
speechless.
Then 1 of the boys saw Skylark up in the tree and said to her: Hey you! I
am Mehdi Sufi. Who are you? Skylark said: I am Skylark
The boys started laughing because skylark it is the name of a bird. Skylark
did not understand why the boys were laughing. Mehdi Sufi You truly look
like a bird up there! Why do you not come down?
Skylark opened her wings and landed on the ground. Mehdi Sufi said You
have wings!

1 of the boys said with fear and surprise. Skylark did not understand why
the boys were surprised.
She got closer to them, but they moved back. Other boys said Do not come
any closer! Go away! You are a strange animal!
Skylark said, angrily I am not strange! You have no wings! You are the
strange ones!
The boys then ran away. Skylark stood alone in the forest. The thrush said to
Skylark. You have been lucky, Girlbird. You should not trust humans.They
are cruel. They catch us and put us in cages! They destroy our nests! They
hunt us and eat us! They even eat our eggs! The world is full of humans, Girl
bird. Be careful.
Skylark stayed around for a few days, exploring the secrets of the forest.
When she flew very high, she could see how big the forest was. One
morning, Skylark decide to leave the forest.
Skylark flew over the fields and saw many things.
She saw more humans. Some of them run away from her. Some others
chased her. And others simply could not believe what they were seeing.
Skylark noticed that none of the humans had wings.
But they were not aware. They did not miss their wings. Skylark did not
understand. One day, Skylark saw a dark shadow far away. She flew in that
direction.

Skylark was getting closer to the dark shadow.

crushed by the tarmac. The humans without wings walked looking at the
ground, breathing that dirty air. Skylark tried to copy humans. She walked
along side them, hiding her wings under her coat. But she stood out anyway.
The birds never sang in the city.

This made Skylark sad. But one day, when she was flying over the city,
Skylark heard a beautiful bird singing. She turned over with joy and followed
the singing bird.
The bird singing was small, and was of a soft yellow color.
He was standing on a bar inside a transparent house, like the palace of
Skylark. As Skylark got closer, she saw that the house was not transparent.
It was made of metal bars.
The bird told her that he was a canary. Skylark praised his singing. The
canary shook his feathers with pride.

They talked about the city and the humans. The canary told her that a family
of humans fed him every day. And Skylark thought that maybe humans
were not so bad, after all.
But then she saw that the house of the canary was closed. Skylark said:
How do you get out of here? The canary answered: I cannot get out. It is
a jail. I am always inside. Skylark continued But that is terrible! Who has
put you inside this jail? The canary looked at her surprised and answered
The humans, of course!
Skylark quickly opened the gate of the jail. The canary was nervous, unsure.
Skylark said
Come on! Get out! Escape! Be free! Canary said I do not want to escape. I
am fine here.
They give me food and water. They clean my house. They protect me if it
rains or if it is cold.
They take me to the vet if I am sick. I do not know anything else besides

this jail. I would have a bad time outside. Close that gate. I do not want to
get out.
Skylark, with sadness, did what the canary asked her to do. She wanted to
tell him about all the things she had seen. She wanted to tell him that there
was a whole new world out there.
But she did not say anything. Just as Skylark was going to ask the canary
more questions. She heard a noise and a window opened. Skylark met face
to face with a child. Skylark looked at her with fear, ready to fly. The child
did not scream. He did not run away. He did not try to catch her. The child
only looked at her and said: Are you an angel?
Skylark answered I do not think so. I am a Girlbird. The child continued
Are there more like you?
Skylark did not know. She had met birds and humans. But she had not seen
humans with wings, like her.
Skylark understood the language of humans and the language of birds. She
had the body of a human and the wings of a bird. She was half human, half
bird. But she did not belong to either of the species. Skylark, for the first
time, was aware of how rare she was. Scared, she took flight. She did not
say goodbye to the child or the canary. Skylark flew away. She arrived at the
Sea.
The Sea reminded her of the clouds she saw from the palace. She did not
hesitate and kept flying. Always forward. Skylark did not know where she
was going, or why she was escaping.
She just wanted to fly, far away from the city and the humans. She was
flying over the Sea when it started to rain. She fought against the storm, but
the wind sent her everywhere.
Finally, she closed her eyes, and let herself to be carried away. Skylark
asked Who are you?
The albatross answered I am an albatross. I rescued you from the Sea. I
have been all around the world, but I have never seen anyone like you.
Tell me, where do you come from?

Skylark felt at ease and safe with the albatross. She told him her whole
story. The albatross listened to Skylark carefully. Then he said: You are not
strange Skylark. You are just special.
Long ago, humans and birds were brothers. You are the proof of that,
Skylark. The birds understood that. That is why they have been looking after
you.
The humans listen to the song of birds, but they do not understand it
anymore. They look at us with jealousy. They build objects to fly, trying to
copy us. But the humans do not know that they are wrong. You are the proof
that we can be brothers again. Birds and humans! Maybe we can live
together in peace. Beyond the clouds!
Skylark thought about the albatross was saying and found what he said to
be very wise. Skylark opened her wings and said: I want to travel to that
place beyond the clouds. Will you come with me?
The albatross laughed and said: But that is exactly where you came from.
110 Town said Yes, I came from there. There are no humans there, because
they do not know how to fly. Maybe more humans can go there someday.
When they arrive, we will live together, birds and humans. We will build a
city made of glass.
There, the sky will always be blue.
And the free birds will always be singing. The albatross laughed again.
Skylark and the albatross flew together to the crystal palace.
The story says that Skylark is still there.
Waiting for the new humans with wings,
that can talk to the birds, and that the crystal palace exists.