When Your Heart Seeks the Sky

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It was a rainy summer afternoon. Seven-year-old Dodo left school with his chicken classmates after the rain stopped. The great land in the Western Forest was brighter and clearer after the shower. Uncle Sun smiled happily in the sky. Water droplets glistened like diamonds on the green grass and the body of locusts. The air was full of the sweet scent of flowers and grass, and all the chickens ran and laughed, happy to breathe the fresh air after a boring day in school.

“Hey, buddy! Let’s play the locust-catching game, OK?” Bipa suggested to his friends. All the chickens stopped singing and turned to look at Bipa.

“Yay!” The chickens jumped for joy because they were about to take their afternoon tea, and locusts would be a delicious treat.  It would also be fun just to play the game.

 “But we have to follow the rules this time,” Bipa added.

The last time they played, many of their classmates broke the rules and nobody was crowned the winner.

“Okay.  What are the rules? Hurry, hurry, hurry!” The chickens couldn’t wait another minute, they were so excited. Their mouths watered at the idea of having tasty locusts with their tea.

“Let me think a minute.” Bipa blinked, mulling it over. “The chicken who gets the first locust will win the game.  How does that sound?”

“No, no, no,” cried the other chickens.  “That won’t work.”

“But why?” Bipa didn’t understand why his wonderful suggestion was being rejected.

“Because, Bipa,” said Dodo, “who will know if someone catches the first locust if the locust is already eaten?”

“Ah yes, you’re right.” Bipa looked thoughtful.  “Do you have a better idea?”

All the chickens lowered their heads in thought. But they couldn’t think of anything better than Bipa’s suggestion.

Then Dodo raised his head.  “I have an idea,” he said, rubbing his sharp beak against his long feathers. Feathers that were so much longer than the other chickens’.

“Quick, tell us,” said Bipa, his own short wings beating anxiously.  “I’m hungry.”

“OK,” replied Dodo.  “We could eat a few of the locusts we catch, but wait and save the rest of them to count. Who ever catches ten locusts first wins the game.”

“Wow! That’s a great idea,” Bipa said.

“Yeah.  Not only will we have tasty locusts with our afternoon tea, but also someone gets to win the game because we have some rules to follow this time.”

“OK. Are you ready? Wait for the count…” Bipa warned.

The chickens stood in line and waited for Bipa to count to three. Their hearts pounded as they got ready to hunt in the deep grass.

“One…” Bipa began.  “Two… three. Let’s go.”   Then Bipa, Dodo and the other chickens rushed into the thick wet grass to find their food.

It is hard to find locusts after a rain shower. They are the same color as the grass, and the drops of water hide them even more. But all the chickens were trained in school to keep a sharp eye out for their food, so Bipa and the other chickens hurried along the same route, searching out locusts. 

Only Dodo hung behind. Why not find somewhere the others aren’t looking? he thought.  The locusts will hide in their holes after seeing so many chickens. Only the small and sickly locusts will be left to eat. But if I stay here, I can capture the escaping locusts before they can hide.

Dodo waited patiently until the escaping locusts flew his way.  “One, two, three,” he counted, grabbing the locusts with his sharp beak and gobbling them down.  “Wow! These are so