As she flew over the vast spread of blue waters, glistening under the golden rays of the setting sun, she was lost in a myriads of thoughts. Fodder, was what she had set in hunt for but her thoughts had meandered the course of her action, for she had been flying for hours capturing no prey, when all the gulls around her feasted on easy prey. Her mind was stuck to the image of her baby gull, who had consistently failed in his attempts to fly. Initially she had thought he was still small, but when all the baby gulls born after him started taking their flights, the worry constantly gnawed into her happiness.
"He simply couldn't fly!!" said the other gulls. Some bothered her with their overly curious questions. She was fed up and tried to shield him away from all these, to keep it from affecting his morale.
She could still feel the tingling excitement that they had felt on the night they had decided that he would take his first flight the next day. She had tucked him closer and had felt his heart beat as he brimmed with excitement. He had fluttered his wings in sleep and she was so happy at thought of her child dreaming of his first flight. "Ah!! what a great flier he would make! what a sight would it be to watch him fly!!" With that image on her mind she had drifted in to the arms of peaceful sleep.
The image of that beautiful morning, clear sky with velvety tinge of sunlight was crystal clear in her memory. No sooner than he had taken his first flight, like a misfortune that strikes when least expected, a mighty eagle flew from nowhere crashing into the little gull. He shrieked as fell down wounded physically and scared by might. She had rushed to him, his feathers were ruffled, and the red on his wings gave away the story of wincing pain, as he trembled in her arms.
She had left no stone unturned to nurture him back to health. Though he had healed physically the trauma had marred his confidence. She had tried to talk him out of it many times and had got him to attempt flying again. He had tried, she knew, he had sincerely tried to block the fear and fly but as the pang of pain surged from a distant memory, he fell like he was never meant to fly. He always relived the trauma and let it cloud his joyous adventure of a new flight..
This had continued..
But today she decided she had to call it a closure. As she flew back with fodder, she had made up her mind to push him harder no matter how much he would hate her for it. She knew only one love, the love that makes you independent not a creeper.. And she loved him, her little gull.
As she landed near her nest, he peeked out. He was hungry. He was dependent on her for food. She did not pamper him as usual and told in a voice sterner than she intended to - " No food without flight." As he had a confused look on his face, she mustered all the strength she had to not go mild on him and continued "Unless and until you take a flutter a day you wont be fed." His hunger triggered his anger. He yelled, "I would not!!! What sort of a mother are you? You know I cannot fly!! ". She interrupted "Only if you try, you can know if you can fly." He screamed at the top of his voice-" Try, try, try!!! I am done with this.." He ruffled his feathers in anger and stomped away sulking and wondering what had got into his loving mother. As he sat behind feeling the emptiness of his life, he saw other gulls fluttering around happy and free. His stomach was churning. He thought he could take a chance. He tried but again the memory of the pain sharpened and he fell. He gave up and the night passed as both the mother and the starved.
He decided to talk to her in the morning and went only to find her humming a melody..
Fly my love, fly
Because thats what you are born for
To cross the oceans
To rise above differences
To reach out for your love
Treasured for you in the hearts so close yet so distant.
Fly my love, fly
Soar above your doubts
Your conflicts and prejudices.
Because the who never gives up
Is the one who rises.
Erase the limits defined
Soar into the limitless horizons meant for you
Fly my love, fly
Fly now, fly forever.
Because flying is what you are born for.
Like a lightening strike, the song awakened the gull in him. He looked her guilty face as she hummed it along unaware of his presence. In that face he saw worry and love which had made her stern, as it was her last resort. He saw the untouched food lay there. He was moved by her love. He promised himself he would try flying all day and surprise her in the evening.
After she left in hunt of food, he started his flying ritual with whole of his heart and his mother's melody lingering in his ears. He failed his first flight, failed his second, failed his third. He thought of giving up. But the image of her loving face surfaced and he could not give up. And he took the fourth flight, which was promising and the fifth got better. But as he had starved he could not try more.
He sat back down but he was no more the gull he was some time back. He was no more a prisoner of his thoughts. He was trying now. Trying to break free, trying to free his spirit held down by his own thoughts. The fire in him had ignited and he kept humming the melody to keep it bright and warm.
The worried, hungry mother gull still aware of the advances her love had caused came back with food and repeated the same condition. When she did not hear a word of resentment from him, she stole a glance at his face. He looked different. He looked tired physically, but there was a shine in his eyes, a confidence of conquering a fear than being conquered by..
Not giving away to the demands of her heart to feed him, she masked herself behind a sterner face and said "fly". With a deep breath he filled his lungs like they would carry his wings during the flight, he looked at her with love, a love that perseveres and humming the tune he flew.
The first flutter, the second flutter, the third flutter and then he fell. But she hardly took note of his fall.
Her son had just taken his first flight!! He had faced his fears head on!! Her joy knew no bounds.. She was blank in ecstasy.. He held her in his arms and told
" Mum! I was scared to death!!
But your love held me up..
How I thought I could not fly!!
But your love never let me give up..
I fly not on my wings!!
I fly the flight of your love!!!"
She fed him that night and thanked God for all the goodness in the world. This went on and now he was confident enough to accompany her on her flights. They flew across seas, soaring into the limitless horizons of their dreams..
One fine evening, as a little child and his grandpa took their evening stroll, they caught a sight of the flying mother and child gull. The curious lad asked his grandpa "What is that?" and the grandpa answered in a know-it-all tone "Ah dearie!! thats the gulls taking the ordinary flight." :)
But little did they know that the flight was not so ordinary because that was a flight of love,
a love that is patient,
that is kind,
that always protects,
that always trusts,
that always hopes,
that always perseveres,
a love thats never fails.
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