“Raging inside, the heartbeats of the racers are constantly increasing. Sky-rocketing at some instances, all racers are ready in position. Their eventual and sudden jerks of head, glancing at each other, shows their dedication and desperation.” screeching with utter energy, an old owl commenced the race of annual birds meet. “ Three, two ,one...Go...Go...Go.” there were sudden hoots from everywhere. All the birds started shouting, encouraging every racer to put up a entertaining race.

Not seeming like it , yet i (a beautiful song bird, as you can see) took part in it.

Sharp turns, twisting rollovers, and passing through vine loops, i was the first to cross every single objective with an elegance other birds couldn't. Rushing towards the finish line i could get a glimpse of ‘her’(blushes while flying) looking at me with a cheerful face encouraging me to win this competition even more.

Held every year at the time of our depart from the migratory place back to our home, it has always been like a holiday and adventure time for us(yeah exclude that geezer owl). There are all kinds of food that we do not get in the colder regions where we live. Its just wonderful, the humidity, the variety of friends you make, the diversity. I just love travelling, at times just flexing in mid ocean to cheer up some ladies, and end up being followed by ‘her’ with aggressive haste of slapping me with her beautiful feathers.

Not being able to take my eyes off from her i rush to a tree and get spanked there.

No no i haven't yet died. But i lost the competition, and got injured. The flock didn't wait for my consciousness to return. As it is a thumb rule, ‘no one should wait for anyone’, i was left alone to die. All i could grasp in were the moments where she smiled at me hoping for me to win.

I was down there scraping on the mud and clinching to life as tight as i could. Finally after days of lying i started singing the song of rain, crying in every bit of its words, waiting for my death.

Closing my ever so dull eyes, i felt being picked up by someone. All i could think of, it was a wild animal going to eat me before i die of decaying. But somewhere that touch, it was warm, as if moon itself was lit for me to walk that dark road. Still shivering of injury that has rotten my feathers, i felt those enclosed limbs. Slowly my consciousness was fading. Darkness took over, the lup-dups inside my chest, that at a time was big because of my pride, now rested slowly toward a never ending dream.

Sighing my last breath, i wanted to rest in peace. My shivering body turned into a cold calm lifeless one. But i could still feel the lup-dups. Does my heart still want to live? But that rhythm was from the very ‘someone’, as if it wanted me to clinch to my life a little longer.

Her purity filled my heart with love. (From her i do not mean that bird who left me to die here and went with the flock. This was a human child). She was running to her home. Trying to keep me safe inside her little fingers. I open my eyes and felt the rains. Striving to drink a few drops, it tasted salty. I realised , it wasn't rain that we generally feel. It was her care for me flowing out of the corners of her eyes heavily. Few an instances and i could even taste her care.

Yelling yet far away from her home,” Mom, dad do something...” stuttering while breathing, “Is...is he gonna die?”

Taking some bandages and warm water, her mother rushed towards me. Cleaning me of mud and clay, she disinfected my half decayed muscles. More than painful it was. I left my consciousness and my life in their hands.

Many a days passed. I could feel the eventual opening of my beak and sliding in some tasty soups but i never regained my consciousness up until now. Opening my eyes i saw that very girl for the first time. Big hazel brown colored eyes, a round cute face and a smile that stretched wide. I don't know how you humans feel, for for me she looked adorable.

“Meera” called her mom. “What do you name this bird?”

After this i experienced the sweetest voice saying maybe the world’s most beautiful name.

“Kanha!” she replied.

I was already attached to Meera in the first meet. And slowly when i was recovering, Meera played a lot with me. Not a single second did she leave me. Always free, i would jump around in the house, on her bed and just sit on her cute little shoulders.

Sleeping beside her on her soft bed. By the way i never had realised humans sleep in such a comfortable nest. I would peck upon the plate she ate her meals on. That was fun! And all her care and love turned me healthy once again. I just never wanted to go from this girl’s home.

But then the unexpected happened. Meera’s dad came home from a trip. He saw me and the next moment i was going inside a pressure cooker! Don't laugh, it was life and death for me. But i was safe because of Meera. The whole day the house would echo with the names Kanha and Meera.

And suddenly all these happiness drowned into despair. Meera caught hold of a severe disease. The family didn't have surplus money to cure her and i being a song bird had a lump some on my head. On just one promise that she would be safe did i went inside that cage to a millionaire’s house. I don't know if she was alright, but my heart said “until i beat nothing cannot stop her breath.” thus i accepted my fate.

The cage, with golden bars, pleased people to look at the pitiful condition i lived in. Singing the song of rain with a heavy heart, crying every single day, i was the source of entertainment in the house. Naked, i was there drowning into depths of sadness. The bars of cage felt like iron chains. Tied and tightened, my feathers became my hands. I forgot why i used them for. My wings were shredded, my body was swollen. I, who once was a cheerful bird searching for happiness in the journey itself, am now restrained inside the cage living more like a prisoner and less like a bird. Failing to fly, my feathers shredded and my wings vanished.

My life somehow was sailing like a yacht on a breeze less ocean, drifting in a way of it self. There was no happiness, there was no meaning to my life there. But all of this was for Meera. Suddenly a tornado shook up my life. The cage i was in was given to an even more expensive bird, and i thrown outside.

Wide open i was once again on the verge of death. But this time i had a smile on my beak that Meera was fine. Closing my eyes i heard someone shout, ”Kanha!” i got up and first ever in my life did a salt water drop exclaimed out from my eyes, that tasted the same like those rains that once gave me life.

Meera was beautiful as ever, but pale. I became happy and disregarding how she came there and how she found me lying, i just jumped on her shoulders. Getting this close, i could see that her eyes have become smaller. Maybe she grew, as of i never had any sense to how many days i was locked inside that cage. Sailing back to my shore i was ecstatic.

Today i once again cry out the song of rain, the song that blessed me with Meera.

6 months 15 days and 8 hours have passed, since that day...

since she died of cancer.