The Bird and the Whale
(An original tale by TheFableCottage.com)
Once upon a time there was a bird who loved a whale.
And a whale who loved a bird.
The bird loved the whale's beautiful smile.
He loved the gracious way she swam through the water.
The whale loved the bird's handsome white feathers.
She loved to watch him soar through the sky.
They both loved to eat lots of tiny fish.
During the summer, the bird and the whale met in the bay.
They talked a lot.
They talked about the moon, and the tides,
and the ships on the ocean.
The bird told jokes and made the whale laugh.
The whale sang beautiful songs that made the bird cry.
"One day, you can meet my family in the ocean," said the whale.
"And you can meet my friends on the land," said the bird.
Everything was perfect.
But the world does not stop turning
simply because a bird and whale fall in love.
Summer gave way to autumn,
and autumn gave way to winter.
The ocean became cold,
and all the whales left for warmer waters.
"Come with me to warmer waters," said the whale.
"It’s a wonderful place.
It is always warm,
and there are so many fish to eat."
"I love to eat fish," said the bird.
"And I love you too. I will follow you anywhere.
But first, teach me to be a whale."
"Like this!" said the whale, "follow me!"
and she dived deep into the water.
"OK!" said the bird, and he also dived into the water.
He went deeper and deeper.
"I'm swimming!" he laughed. "I'm a whale!"
But soon he could not breathe.
He returned to the surface, gasping.
He tried to swim again and again,
but he ran out of breath every time.
"I don't think a bird can be a whale," said the bird.
"Come with me instead. I live on the cliffs.
It is a wonderful place.
The weather is warm and pleasant,
and every morning you can watch the sun rise."
"I love to watch the sun rise," said the whale.
"And I love you too. I will follow you anywhere.
But first, teach me to be a bird."
"Like this!" said the bird. "Follow me!"
and he flapped his wings and soared into the sky.
“OK!" said the whale.
She shut her eyes and flapped her fins,
just like the bird.
She flapped her fins again and again, up and down.
Water splashed everywhere.
"I'm flying!" she laughed. "I'm a bird!"
But when she opened her eyes, she was not soaring in the sky.
She was still in the water.
She tried again and again to fly,
but she couldn't do it.
"I don't think a whale can be a bird," said the whale.
"You don’t know how to fly and I don’t know how to swim.
So where can we live together?" said the bird.
"We will stay here — in the waves!" said the whale.
But the bird shook his head sadly.
"You love to swim deep in the ocean," he said.
"That is your favorite thing to do.
You will never be happy here."
The whale sighed.
‍"And you love to fly and soar into the sky," she said.
"That is your favorite thing to do.
You will never be happy here either."
And so, because the bird and whale loved each other so much
they said goodbye.
But they never forgot each other.
Every time the whale saw a bird flying high in the sky,
she thought of her bird.
She hoped he was enjoying the sky – just like that.
And every time the bird saw a whale diving deep in the ocean,
he thought of his whale.
He hoped she was enjoying the ocean —
– just like that.