Drawn to Sparrow’s not too distant chirps, snake slithered from his hole under the old oak, the summer sun warm on his scales.
Drawn to Sparrow’s not too distant chirps, snake slithered from his hole under the old oak, the summer sun warm on his scales. “Sounds like trouble” he hissed to himself as he made his way through the meadow, the scent of wild flowers thick in the air. “I do so enjoy the sound of distress.”
Through the long grass he wound his way alongside a trickling brook to a small thicket of trees where he came upon sparrow, sat on the ground at the foot of a broad, gnarled sycamore. “Help me! Help Me!” she chirped.
“Oh sparrow” said snake, his little pink tongue flicking out as he spoke “whatever could be wrong that you would cause such a commotion?”
“It’s my egg” Sparrow said, most upset. “It’s fallen out of the nest.”
Snake slithered a little closer “An egg you say?” Snake did enjoy a good egg, they were quite delicious and sparrow eggs were a particular favourite of his. “May I see your egg, sparrow?” He asked, moving closer still.
Sparrow did not trust snake one bit, and she most certainly did not like the sparkle his eyes as he approached her, his head swaying slowly from side to side. “HELP” chirped sparrow loudly, spreading her wings over her egg “HELP, HELP!”
“Oh sparrow” said snake, his coils beginning to draw a circle around sparrow as she protected her egg, “you really should not fuss so, I only want a little peek.”
Sparrow reared up, wings flapping frantically. “No!” she chirped loudly, “Leave my egg alone you horrid snake.”
Snake eyed the small blue and brown speckled egg “Oh sparrow” he smiled hungrily “this is no time for name calling, I only want to take a little look.”
“You will eat it snake” sparrow replied “you’re a snake, and snakes eat eggs. Every animal knows that.”
Snake inched closer and closer still. “Dear sparrow, if that is my nature then surely you cannot blame me for wanting just a little look ” he replied.
Snake’s coils now completely encircled sparrow, and high up in the branches of the sycamore a chorus of frantic other chirps and cheeps joined those of sparrow.
“I ask only for a little look” Snake hissed and lunched forwards. Sparrow Flapped frantically “Flee snake flee” she shouted “leave my egg be!”
Snake was now so close to sparrow’s egg she could almost taste it. He lunged again with a hiss, tongue flicking out. Sparrow flapped to avoid snake’s hungry mouth leaving the egg in full view of snake.
Snake was about to wrap his coils around the egg when there was a mighty rush of wind and a beating of wings, and in an instant large talons swept down and whisked him clean off the ground and into the air. The birds in the trees chirped even more loudly.
Sparrow looked skywards as she settled back on the ground next to her egg to see the large silhouette of owl already disappearing into the distance with snake clutched firmly between her talons.
The birds in the sycamore chirped with delight. “It’s Owl” they cried, “Owl has saved the day!”
A calm descended, sparrow remained with her egg and eventually owl returned, gliding silently through the green canopy of the wood and settling next to sparrow on the ground.
“Oh thank you owl!” said Sparrow gratefully, “whatever would I have done had you not rescued my egg.”
Owl blinked slowly, and quite gently picked up the egg.
“It is my pleasure” she said “but you really need to be more careful with your eggs.”
“I will owl, surely I will ” sparrow replied.
“Jolly good, jolly good” Owl continued, “now let’s get this egg back in your nest shall we, all this fuss does make one ever so tired and I would rather like to take a nap.”
Fancy something else?
Badger and Fox
Mouse and Sparrow
Hippopotamus
Written in response to Sue Vincent’s write photo challenge
https://wordpress.com/read/feeds/3193846/posts/1569792792
Photo courtesy of winterseitler @ pixabay
Afterwards 