Bird Banquet

Chicklet is out on his own and hunting for food. 300-word flash

Bird Banquet

Chicklet’s small tummy was rumbling. He was anxious to stop it before his mother heard it. His sharp little black eyes scanned the ground below him, searching for food.
Then, he saw an abundance of bread by a fence. He slowed his wings until he could land on one of the pickets of the structure. He eyed the heap of crusts avidly.
“Don’t you dare touch that!” he heard a familiar voice say. Mom! She landed beside him.
“I want to test it first. It could be bad!” she continued before she flew down to the pile. She began to peck at the heap hungrily.

When Chicklet saw that she didn’t keel over feet up stiff, he flew down to join her. His mother pushed a pile of the choicest bits over to him. He was overjoyed to have them.
Before long, they were joined by sparrow friends and relatives. In no time, the pile had shrunk down to a mere few crumbs. The young sparrow and his mother flew back onto the white fence and began to preen and clean up after the meal.
“It’s good to see how well you’re doing out on your own,” his mother said as she gave his beak a swipe with her tongue. Chicklet squirmed and tried to dry it off.

He covered her with his wings briefly in a farewell bird-style hug. He sang his goodbye as well. Then he took flight. It was important to find a good nesting site soon, before he fell in love and started his own family.
“Of course, I have the winter to do it, but no time like the present. It needs to be a sheltered spot high enough up to deter predators…” He continued to list needs and wants as he looked.