Belinda the Blue Jay- Volume 1 of Freaked Out Fables

by Emily Newman

Once upon a time there was a beautiful egg. Oh, the other eggs in the nest weren't unattractive, it's just that the parents, George and Wendy Blue Jay, found this egg particularly attractive. They took every second possible to tell their egg just how lovely it was. "Oh, egg," Wendy was often heard twittering, "you're such a beautiful egg. I just know you'll be a beautiful bird."
Well, along came the glorious day of hatching. The beautiful egg did indeed turn out to be a beautiful chick. George and Wendy chose to name this stunning chick Belinda. Not a day went by in young Belinda's life where her beauty wasn't commented on by her parents or their birdy vistors.
"She's so radiant," their robin neighbor, Peter, was frequently heard comenting.
"Yes," Wendy would reply, "she is stunning."
Belinda grew with every day. With this growth came a growth in her beauty. Instead of the usual awkward stage when chicks get in their adult feathers, she just seemed to get more radiant every day.
Unfortunately, she knew it. It would seem that the comments made about her had sunk in.
Passingly, she noticed that she had no friends. If the truth be told, the other birds thought she was rather stuck up. She would spend her days preening and singing of the glory of herself. If she had thought of it, Belinda would have realized that she was lonely. However, no one can miss what no one has known. She had never known friendship or love, so she didn't realize there was more to the world than her feathers. That was all that was ever spoken to her about. It was all she knew.
Belinda's particular pride was her tail feathers. They were exceptionally long and aided her in flying to great heights. She found that when she flew as high as she could, the world just slipped away. She was able to be beautiful on an even higher level.
Well, one day, Belinda was flying higher than she ever had before. Her blue feathers accented the robin's egg blue of the sky perfectly like a pin drop of a masterpiece. She looked down to the patch work of colors laid beneath her. Even she had to admit that the beauty of the world was tremendously more than her own. This realization struck her like a hammer. Finally she realized the majesty of the world and just how empty her soul was. She had all the beauty on the outside, but none on the inside. She was so absorbed in thought that she didn't hear the jet screaming up behind her. She was sucked into the engine and died a quick and brutal death.

Moral- Seek enlightment early so that you have the chance to enjoy it.