The Hummingbird

When birds were given the gift of flight, one bird was shunned by all of the others. While other birds flew through the sky and settled in trees, hummingbirds rejected this lifestyle. However, the hummingbirds were very slow flyers, and as such could not stay in flight or float through the wind in their nomadic lifestyle. Hummingbirds were forced to nest and settle rather than zip through the world as they desired. One day, a Hummingbird decided to try and set out on its own, to reject the lifestyle forced upon them. The Hummingbird flew around the world, sleeping on the ground by night and exploring the world by day. The Hummingbird dreamt of exploring every nook and cranny, every hidden corner of the vast world placed before it. However, the bird was limited by its body, unable to fly as it wanted. When the Hummingbird set its sights on flying up the highest mountains in the land, its weak wings forced it to stop. When the Hummingbird wanted to fly over the vast ocean, spotting the fish and delighting in the bright corals, it ran out of energy before even flying over the coast. Dejected, one day the Hummingbird flew back down to earth to give up its dream and settle in a nest. Setting out to construct its nest, the Hummingbird gathered sticks until the sunset. But when the Hummingbird tried to fly back to its nest and construct its home, it had become too late to make it back home. Tired and hungry, the Hummingbird wandered to a nearby flower, and, seeing the nectar inside, the Hummingbird drank the flower dry. Suddenly, the Hummingbird was filled with energy and leaped about, flying up and down and delighting in its new power. But when the Hummingbird had flown about, delighting in its speed for an hour, the Hummingbird suddenly lost all of its energy. Realizing that the secret to its energy was in the nectar, the Hummingbird spread its knowledge to the rest of its kind, and soon, hummingbirds gave up their nests and wandered the world. Today, hummingbirds move at unfathomable speeds, and build their homes in bushes and low places, exploring the world and bringing joy to those who see them.