It was a hot morning of summer break. Aqsa was drenched in her sweat. “It’s so hot, I think I’m going to melt,” she thought to herself while sitting in her air-conditioned room.

All of a sudden she heard a jingle and rushed to get some money to go out and buy ice cream from the ice cream man who was outside on his bike and playing the jingle to let the neighbourhood kids know of his presence. She got the money and as she stepped outside, she saw that the ice-cream seller had already left.

While she sadly returned inside, her white parrot looked at her in despair. Its feathers had already begun to shed. Aqsa was quite a careless girl, she always wanted to buy everything, but never took care of them. The white parrot was given to her by her best friend Mehrish, on her birthday before she shifted to Lahore. The parrot was unique and of a rare breed.

When Mehrish gave her the parrot, she initially loved the beautiful pet and took a lot of care of it. Aqsa fed and gave it water on time, but with time, she stopped caring about it and gave it its necessities only when she remembered. Hence the poor bird became the victim of Aqsa’s carelessness, while gradually becoming weak and skinny.

That day too, Aqsa had forgotten the parrot’s meal and because of the heat and dehydration, the parrot fainted in its cage. Aqsa didn’t notice the plight of the poor bird. After a short while, her mum passed by the parrot’s cage and she was shocked to see the parrot lying in an extremely pathetic state in its cage.

Without wasting a single minute, Aqsa’s mum took out the parrot immediately and went to the vet. While asleep, Aqsa saw a dream about the parrot. She saw the parrot flying back to her friend Mehrish, where she started to feed it and pat it. The parrot seemed healthy and happy; it flew above Mehrish and brought flowers to her.

Aqsa suddenly woke up and went towards the cage, she was shocked to find it empty. Just then she heard her mum’s voice who had returned from the vet.

Aqsa’s eyes were wet as she realised that the dream was a sign and a reminder about her cruelty and carelessness to the poor creature all this time. Her mother came inside the room with the bird wrapped in towel in her hands.

Aqsa was dumbstruck, she just sat on the bed and remained motionless and speechless. Her mother sat beside her, while holding the bird in her hands.

She said, “The parrot was starving and was thirsty; it was so weak that the doctors had to give it oral supplements and expressed concern about its safety at our house. They have also suggested that if we cannot take care of the poor creature, we should give it for adoption.”

“I’m sorry mum. I’m sorry. It’s all because of me. How could I have been so selfish this entire time and turn my back on a living thing?” Aqsa cried and burst into tears of guilt.

Her mum consoled her and then told that it was still not late and that if she gave the bird love and care besides its medicines, food supplement in the right proportions regularly, it will regain its health.

Aqsa then took the lethargic

parrot from her mum’s hands and saw the weak state of such a beautiful bird. She was teary-eyed and apologised to the parrot that

she will never ever be careless towards it again. She realised that we owe love and care to other creatures, especially those dependent upon us. n

Published in Dawn, Young World, June 3rd, 2023