THE ‘GACO’ AND THE CURSE

 It was sunny and the sun shone directly over my head as a huge shadow appeared over me. Looking up I gasped as a dog-like bird, I mean, it had wings but looked more like a dog as it had ears, a tail and innocent eyes. It was flying effortlessly with such a heavy body. It slowed down and flapped its wings almost on my trembling shoulder and whispered, “I am a wishing GACO, get on, I can tek you anywer”  

“Are you going to give me an air ride, but why do you have---“

“Get on fast”

I got on without any knowledge of what it was, but I expected it to be one of those godly creatures from the fairy tales that mamma reads to me. Images of all the beautiful places I wanted to visit flashed through my mind when suddenly the mountain-papa called a volcano-appeared and stayed there long enough for the birdie to say:

“As you please sir."

“What?”

“You just orded me to tek you to a volkeno.”

“Can you read my mind, birdie?”

“I only tek first orders, sir, and I saw a volkeno in your head.”

“You did not tell me this and that’s not where I want to go!” Tears were welling up in my eyes as I thought,'Is he dangerous?’

“Well sir cen you withdraw a flight ticket without peying once it’s booked?”

“Oh, I can pay you with my bunnies and teddies or you can ask papa whatever you want, he won’t deny. You just need to take me home.’

“I cen not land anywer sev my airport, I em much like a plen!” I could hear him chuckle.

“I don’t know much about planes.” The speed of the wind was increasing and it was slapping my face rather furiously.

“Now shet ep end hold on to me”

‘Don’t scold me or I will cry loudly, I have crying powers.”

“Okay its den I won’t.”

There were clouds around the area, thick black ones as if they would soon start crying which I have learned is called raining. I could see the white ice-cold drops falling on me and fading away, one fell on my lips and I licked them. It was not as tasty as I thought.

“Are we at my grandpa’s?”

“We might be. This is wher you esked me to bring you to ‘the pecific ring of fire’. “

‘What fire? I have never heard of it. Is it near the volcano?”

“Ther are plenty of them her. You cen choose but wher you cen land is a bit fer from her.”

‘So, where are we now?"

“Et berd lend”

“You mean birds have their own worlds and I am in one of them”

“I sed BERD lend”

“Isn’t it a BIRD home?”

“No its hom to thos cussed ones.”

“To whom?”

“Cussed ones they have been cussed by their creator.”

“Wait .Are you not a bird”

“Not et all. In fact I am no earthly creature. I am a GACO. Remember I teld you?"

“What is that?”

“Animals with wings end which cen fly.”

“Animals cannot fly only birds can.”

“I kno that is why I em a GACO they are no birds but animals wo cen fly. Besides you shud be proud to be riding on me I em the creator of them all and you would soon kno how I med so meny  GACOES thoh sometimes my children  out smert me but most are fools, like you.”

“Okay can you tell me what your name is or will I just call you birdie?”

“Me nem is Dr. Westen.”

“Are you a doctor?" it was slowing down and cascading, "Oh are we landing?"

“Yeh et berd lend, me frends live her.”

“I want to meet them!”

“Not et all, boy!”

“Why not?”

“We are not lending.”

Suddenly another bird-like animal passed by. It had beautiful colored feathers with large wings but the white body of a rabbit. It was perhaps from the HOBBIT that my mamma read to me____________.

“We are clos now, almost landing.”

“No no no, take me home, mamma papa will miss me, and my bunnies, oh no, I don’t want any rides please take me home.”

“I em minits ewey from me freedem, no just seconds.”

“I might die, mamma says once we die we cannot come back and death can often be painful, I do not quite understand this, but I want to go home leave me,” the cold was back and I was coughing now and then as I conversed with Dr. Westen

“I em ebout to leave you kiddo end I em really sorry I cennot give you anything but temporery protection her you go.”

I went up into the clouds and back flipped twice in the air to fit in the white foamy and fluffy jacket. Quite uncomfortable it was and suddenly a helmet came from nowhere and enclosed around my skull. It was suffocating till a black fire-extinguisher-type bottle fell and was locked on my back. I was still in the air wondering when I would fall into a never ending hole.

The creature that till now looked like a dog with wings was transforming into a human legged-dog headed-winged creature, though nothing better than its former avatar, it now could talk properly as its dog face had human lips. It shouted “bye,” in a hoarse but clearer and human-like voice. I was falling into nowhere when suddenly the extreme heat hit my back. I am young and not an expert about volcanoes but papa once told me whenever a sneeze escapes the volcano’s mouth red hot spit covers the whole region for a long time but it too releases smoke which is thick and dark.

Falling as if this fall would never end I screamed,”Mamma papa, my bunnies. It’s that black smoky hole.”

Suddenly I touched a feathery surface, it was soft and…colorful. The wings were very large and of different colors but the body was of that rabbit.

“Are you back Dr. Weston?”

“No kiddo, I em enother cussed one. It wes our mester who brought you her. I wes tricked end cussed, just like you, but my means of recovery wes to sev someone.”

“Why did he throw me, and what is this curse?”

“To hev his legs and lips back. He wes cussed by aur deities for creating us but he hed powers to alter his punishment.”

“Why do you all talk this way and why do you have weird forms?”

“Because we are cussed. In order to trensform back to our normel selves we hev to fulfill the conditions. Mine wes to sev end His wes to grent e wish.”

“What were you at the beginning?”

“I wes a humen, a scientist, Mr. Heyday.”

“Is Dr. Westen a scientist too? “ I coughed.

“Yeh but he is no humen, he wes a misshapen enimel like bird from birth.”

“You mean there are not many birds like him.”

“No but we are there. I teld you remember? He cusses people and animals who transform to be like him.”

“But why am I________?”

Suddenly the bird slowed down and I slid down on a black and hot ground. The white ‘jacket’ vanished with the helmet and the bottle. The air had an awry stench and my cough was worsening. I coughed twice, furiously, before talking to Mr. Heyday.

“There’s something you don’t kno child. None of us teld you end I em sorry for thet.” He was transforming from a bird to a beaked human and then to a complete tanned human, with brown hair and a blue uniform.

“I was not clear and truthful. You helped both of us recover from our cursed forms which means you would soon turn into a misshapen bird.”

“Why? I am not cursed!”

“The curse is like this: THE ONE WHO HELPS IS CURSED AND THE ONE WHO IS HELPED IS REFORMED AND BANISHED---To a safer land. This is how I was tricked. I once helped a GACO unintentionally and got the curse.” He added.

 “Why will you be banished?”

“To not help you and get the cursed again.”

“Okay then! Bye Mr. Heyday. Oh will my parents come here? I hope mamma does.”

“Well kiddo who knows you are here?”

"Oh, you are right." I uttered under my breath.

A malicious grin spread across his face as I was hoisted into the air and feathers grew on my body but my neck  and legs were still there, I could feel them. There were small yellow feathers on my back and a white chest with a small beak. I was transforming partly----- into ---- a --- humming bird.

“I seved you sir will you not sev me.”

“Even if I want I cannot, but a child can.”

“Whet do I do Mr. Heyday?”

“Make a child sleep with your exquisite voice and you would be back to yourself. Well adieu Hummibee. Hope you reform soon.”

“But sir I hev a cold.”

“Then you have to wait in berd land till you can sing well enough.” As the scientist walked away I coughed even louder.