The Nest

“I found it!” said Mr. Pigeon.
Mrs. Pigeon got anxious and instantly questioned, “Where??? Besides are you sure that is harmless??”
“Harmless??” thought Mr. Pigeon. “Well I am positive about that! I have been closely watching it for about more than 8 suns. And I haven’t seen any humans there?”
“If you are sure, we should start at once! Time has come!”
Mr. Pigeon and Mrs. Pigeon had a flight at once.
They landed into a balcony, where there were no signs of human dwelling. There was a small garden full of pots. All the plants into the pots were cheerful!
Mrs. Pigeon said, “if there’s no human dwelling here, how come the plants are so alive? Are you sure this place is the most harmless of all the other places?”
“Yes” assured Mr. Pigeon, “nobody is seen here, for the last few suns!”
“May be they are just out of the dwelling for what they call a vacation”, wondered Mrs. Pigeon.
“That might be! Then?” Mr. Pigeon sounded unsure.
“Then?? Need not to say, this is not a safe place. Nothing can be more dangerous than humans. We have already experienced that.” retorted Mrs. Pigeon.
“But now we have no option! Its already late. Watch out for yourself!” exclaimed Mr. Pigeon
He was right. Mr. and Mrs. Pigeon are expecting their first eggs. Mrs. Pigeon had to lay the eggs now. Already 10 suns passed, since they had mated.
As advised by the elderly pigeons from there ethos, they had been looking for an innocuous place for their nest for a very long time. they had built a nest of straw and sticks. It was on the window ledge of a construction, which they believed, was free of human dwelling. They have been decorating the place by different sticks found everywhere. They were excited and were eager to lay their first eggs.
But, once during the sun time, while returning to their nest, they saw, some humans had entered the dwelling and though the nest was not disconcerting the human dwelling, those humans had not only removed but flung their nest.
After all the hard work they did to find a place and decorate the nest, it was just for these humans to think of their nest as unwanted and throw it away!
All the elderly pigeons from their family had advised them not to choose any construction for the nest. But Mr. and Mrs. Pigeon thought that it would be a need of just 30 suns. The ledges were high enough and were covered. Hence they thought of it as a protection from the crows and falcons. But still after all the research and efforts, they were left homeless.
Mrs. Pigeon broke down.
“Our nest is not the sticks and straws. It is us. We shall rebuild the nest” consoled Mr. Pigeon
And now it was almost 8 suns since the mishap they were finding a place for a new nest.
“Are you sure?” enquired Mrs. Pigeon and expressed her concern “Nest can be rebuilt but eggs….!?”
“Mrs. Pigeon! Don’t worry! We won’t let anything happen to the eggs!” Mr. Pigeon tried to calm her. And may be to calm down himself.
At last, Mrs. Pigeon laid down a single egg into one of the pots, which they believed was the cosiest one.
Now, they were to brood the egg.
For nearly about 15 more suns, they were going to be into that human dwelling incubating their egg. Frightened and nervous were they.
“We would find another place before the time our little one comes to this world,” assured Mr. Pigeon.
All through the sun, till the moon emanated, Mr. Pigeon incubated the egg. And during the moon time till the sun moved overhead, Mrs. Pigeon was in-charge of the incubation.
During their shifts of incubation, Mr. and Mrs. Pigeon were busy finding a safer place for their nest.
“Instead of looking for a construction place, I am looking into trees for a harmless place.” reported Mrs. Pigeon while having lunch with Mr. Pigeon “There are nets, called ‘Pigeon nets’ attached in almost every balcony of these human houses, to evade pigeons. It is tough to enter, hatching is impossible.”
“But what about the falcons and crows? if we choose for a tree?” enquired Mr. Pigeon
“yeah! That’s why it’s been difficult to find a tree” replied Mrs. Pigeon.
“In this world of humans, we can get to eat, here or there, but we cannot find a place to survive into these weathers!” Mr. Pigeon expressed his concern.
While they were lost in their conversation, they heard the balcony door open!
At once they both flew away, but didn’t lose the sight of their egg.
They saw humans entering the balcony. There was a mother and the squabs of the humans.
Mrs. Pigeon got terrified by the sight. They saw the human squabs near the plant pot where their egg laid silently. One of the squab went away and was back with his mother, showing her the egg and was almost lifting the egg. Mrs. Pigeon felt dizzy and scared.
But the mother did not allow them to lift the egg, and took them inside closing the balcony door.
“They touched it! Now? What are we supposed to do?” For a moment, Mrs. Pigeon considered returning to the egg.
“What are we supposed to do? Are you out of your mind! We are returning to the egg! That egg still needs us!” scolded Mr. Pigeon.
“But the rules laid down by our ethos says to abandon the egg if humans touch it!” reminded Mrs. Pigeon.
“How can you even think of getting rid of your egg!! Only because some stupid human squab touched it! I understand humans are evil but C’mon Mrs. Pigeon that’s our egg! We have been struggling so much to make it survive. You should not let these superstitions come your way! Besides nobody from our ethos is visiting this place to check the humans have touched the egg or not. So do not mention this to any of the elders. Rather forget it!”
They returned to the egg. But they saw the human squab were watching them from a distance. The doors were closed.
“Mrs. Pigeon”, said Mr. Pigeon, “Let us, for once trust the humanity into these humans!”
Scared Mrs. Pigeon agreed with no choice. It was already 8 suns they were staying with the egg into that balcony. And she now understood the urgency to find a tree at the earliest. These humans might be ‘humans with humanity’ but still pigeons were birds and they have to lead their living differently. In just 6 more suns, they should find a new dwelling.
The humans were certainly good. They abandoned the balcony for a couple of suns. And later they started entering with prior indication, so that the Pigeon would get alarmed. There shifts of brooding were still the same. But now, neither of them moved while the humans entered the balcony.
Occasionally it rained, but they didn’t budge. The heat of the sun hardly reached the egg. Still both the parents were trying their paramount to keep the egg warm.
It was the sixth sun from the arrival of the humans. Mr. and Mrs. Pigeon were successful in building another nest, into the trees. The tree was situated into a human crowded place, hence there was less fear of Falcons and crows.
Now the most difficult task. Carrying the egg to their new nest, before it hatches and that would be at any time.
“Ready?” asked Mr. Pigeon.
“Yes!” came a determined response from a mother.
They waited for a while so that the humans would abandon the place. They didn’t want to entertain the humans anymore.
Mrs. Pigeon lifted the egg into her tiny yet strong legs. Her heart started thumping faster. She was afraid. But she knew she had to do that. Mr. Pigeon was silently flying with her. Protecting Mrs. Pigeon and Praying for the safety of Mrs. Pigeon and their egg.
Finally, they reached the tree. Both breathed a sigh of relief.
That indeed was a place where the falcons and crows would not visit and though crowded by humans, free from human dwelling.
During the moon time Mr. Pigeon did not leave Mrs. Pigeon alone.
As the moon was leaving and the sun was rising, Mrs. Pigeon, still brooding the egg experienced something was happening with the egg. She flew to the borders of the nest. Mr. Pigeon joined her, one of his wings around her. They were witnessing the hatching of their first egg.
Mrs. Pigeon welcomed her little squab into her wings. With tears in her eyes, disremembering all the struggle for a while. Till the time their little one would learn to fly, it was safe in their nest.