The Bird who Lost its Feathers

by Pattie Birch

Once upon a time in a magical forest lived a bird called Merriel. She was the most magnificent bird for miles around because her feathers were all the colours of the rainbow. There wasn’t a more colourful bird in the forest and she was the envy of all her friends. She flitted from tree to tree singing her beautiful song and made all the other birds happy, although many of them envied her magnificent plumage.

One morning she stirred as usual as the sun came up and shook herself awake by ruffling her feathers. She noticed that some of the feathers fell out and spiralled down to the forest floor. She was puzzled but just then her mother called her for breakfast and then she flew off to bird school calling to collect her friends Trusty and Kindly along the way.

She sang her song as usual because she was always a happy bird. When school was over she flew home with her friends, stopping to play hide and seek amongst the trees. She had forgotten all about the feathers which fell out in the morning. She went to sleep on her usual perch a very happy bird.

The next morning when she woke up she ruffled her feathers as usual and even more of the beautiful coloured feathers fell to the floor below. However she knew that new ones would grow to replace the old ones. Off she went to school again with Trusty and Kindly and didn’t feel too unhappy. She managed to sing her song and all the other birds smiled at her lovely voice and her friendly ways. She flew home at night and mother was waiting with some tasty grubs for tea. She ate them all greedily and then settled down to sleep as the sun set.

Each morning when she shook herself awake more of her beautiful feathers fell out and she started to worry. She asked her mother to take a look and there on her head and down her back there was a pink shiny patch where her beautiful feathers had been. She felt very sad because although she couldn’t see it herself, she knew that others would notice, especially the two birds that sat behind her in class, Snooty and Smarty. She went to school as usual but when she went to her desk she could hear Snooty and Smarty twittering and knew that they were laughing behind her back. She became very sad and didn’t want to go to school any more, but Trusty and Kindly called for her to go to school with them. She was miserable but her Mother said that she really should go because they were having lessons on nest building and how to find your own food. So off she went with her friends. They promised to look after her and made sure that Snooty and Smarty and all the other birds knew that she was still the same Merriel inside, even if she had lost some of her feathers. Her friends reminded her that she could still sing her lovely song and could still soar above the tree tops and swoop through the forest avoiding all the obstacles, but Merriel didn’t feel like singing and her wings hung down and she just wished that she could be like all the other birds.

When she got home her Mother was worried and decided to take her to see Doctor Owl, who she knew was a feather specialist called a featherologist. Instead of school next day she and her mother flew to the huge old hollow oak where Doctor Owl had his office. When they got to the tree there were some other sick birds waiting to see the doctors and Merriel noticed that one had a broken wing. She felt sorry for that bird because she knew that he couldn’t fly with a broken wing. ”Thank goodness my legs and wings are alright,” she thought. “I do hope that they can mend his wing.”

At last a friendly blackbird called Merriel’s name and she and her Mother went in to see doctor Owl. He smiled a lot and said “Whoo, Whoo,” when he saw the pink shiny patch on Merriel’s back and head. “I’m afraid that you have got featherpecia,” he said “and I’m sorry but I can’t be sure whether the feathers will grow again or not. We could try some some cream to rub on it, but if that doesn’t work you might like to visit the clever monkey who lives in the banana trees down by the river. I know that she makes little wigs for the monkeys who sometimes get bald patches. She measures them up and makes a little patch of hair which covers the pink spot and you really can’t tell that there is any hair missing.” Merriel’s mother asked if they could try the cream first. She rubbed it on the pink patches of skin every day and after a few weeks they began to notice some new feathers coming through. Merriel was so excited that she squawked with delight, but a week later the new feathers all fell out. Merriel and her mother went back to see doctor owl and he gave them a piece of paper to take to Mrs Chattery, the monkey. She was very smiley and talked non-stop, but she treated Merriel very gently. “I haven’t made a feather piece with so many different colours before,” she said, “but I will search the forest from end to end and ask my friends to look out for any fallen feathers too,” and with that she swung off through the trees, calling to her friends as she went.

Merriel was worried and nervous, but when she got a message to visit Mrs Chattery again a few days later she went along, and when she got there she couldn’t believe her eyes. There was a feather wig, which matched her own feathers exactly and although it felt a bit strange at first she soon got used to it. She found that it didn’t make any difference to her flying and singing.

Next day she went off to school with Trusty and Kindly. Snooty and Smarty thought that they must have been seeing things when Merriel arrived. What had happened to those pink shiny patches? Merriel gave them a friendly smile and a wave because inside she was still the same kind and friendly bird that she had always been, even though she knew that she still had a bald patch where her own feathers had fallen out. In time she found that she could soar higher than any other bird and she worked hard at flying through the trees as fast as she could.

All this happened some time ago and now Merriel is so glad that she didn’t miss her lessons, because she is building her own nest. She sings all day long and most of the animals in the magical forest do not know that she still has a patch of shiny skin where once she had beautiful feathers. Merriel doesn’t mind any more because she knows that she is still a beautiful bird on the inside and at night she snuggles down in her own cosy nest and hangs her little feather wig on a twig above her head.