The Neglected Dove

The Neglected Dove:

The dove, it was a beautiful and respected bird, it is small and clean, it almost feels honest and loyal by its behavior. This dove was white like snow, had sharp brown eyes, wings that moved so precisely and delicately, yet no one wanted the poor dove, as it was the only one in the pet shop located in the frosty village. People didn't know how to take care of it, they had more things to worry about in their life and didn't care to waste their time on a bird.

As children were making snowmen and the festive season was rolling by, people were getting more and more anxious over their holiday preparations and decorations. However, there was an elderly man who didn't think like this. He had white frazzled hair, well most of his head was bald but he had warm brown eyes that were shielded by his glasses, and he walked like a penguin the kids said, wobbling and trembling in each step.

He lived in a small house remote from the village but close enough to get the groceries and see the kids playing from afar. He spent most of his time sitting by the fireplace thinking about how he would spend the holidays. Most of the people in the village didn't recognize him, and wouldn't think much of him, but this holiday season he had something special planned.

In the village, there was a young woman named Mary, she had no family members besides her, in the house, but devoted her life to the children in need in the village like the children with no food, shelter, or clothes. Every day she would work for the lords in the city, do their laundry, wash their dishes, make their food, and do their house chores. Yet all the money goes to the children. The elderly man thought this was very kind and nice of Mary.

This holiday season, the elderly man was going to give the female the dove, or that's what he thought. He bought the dove and watched the pet shop owner's addled expression as the elderly man bought the dove. The pet shop owner wondered why the man was taking the dove as he knew that everyone in the village wouldn't want a dove as they didn't have enough time and didn't know how to take care of the dove. The elderly man prepared the birdie by putting it in an elegant cage which he had also bought from the pet shop and tied a beautiful bow on the cage with a ribbon. He sent it to Mary's house. Now it was just a matter of waiting.

A week had passed and still, no word from Mary had come back and he hadn't seen Mary in that time either. It turns out Mary had gone out of town and was with her parents for this holiday season. With this knowledge, the old man went to Mary's house which was empty and found on her doorstep the cage with the dove inside, the elderly man felt grateful that the dove was still healthy because he had stuck two crackers in the gaps of the cage and when he looked for them now, he just found a pile of crumbs. The man knew Mary hadn't opened the package because it had not been opened and was still in the same position. Mary's neighbor, Ms.Rau who was not as compassionate and grateful as Mary, got the dove, as the man was out of ideas and Ms.Rau was the closest one there. Ms.Rau was a middle-aged woman in her 40s, her hair would be in a brownish-whitish bun, with her walking stick, and would always have a resented face on her and have a bittersweet mood. when Ms.Rau got the dove in the cage sitting on her front porch, she was bewildered as this was not expected for her. Ms, Rau had no idea what to do with the dove. She brought it inside, and gave it some food, and left it in her living room for the next couple of days, like Mary, Ms.Rau was alone in her home and didn't have much company. As the days passed no one wanted the dove and the thought of having some company was growing on Ms.Rau as she thought it would be nice to have company until the holidays but she didn't know how to take care of the bird. Every day a cracker or seed for breakfast, lunch, and dinner would be fed to the dove. One of the chairs that the dove's cage had been sitting on, was practically shredded because of the dove plucking the leather seat. Ms.Rau had had enough. She was about to give the dove back and she had all these curses and oaths ready for the elderly man but suddenly a change of heart?! The elderly man and Mary had come to Ms.Rau's doorstep just as she was about to leave to go to the elderly man but they had come before Ms.Rau. Ms.Rau invited them inside for a warm cup of hot tea, while she was preparing it Mary and the elderly man explained why they were here. They told her about the story of Ms.Rau's dove which Ms.Rau was about to give back to the elderly man, it was the story of Aufilia, the neglected dove. They had told Ms.Rau that the dove had been in that pet shop for over 4 years and hadn't been in the fresh air for 2 years and they continued to tell the heartbreaking story of how Aufilia had been rescued from a hostile owner. Mary had told this story to the elderly man when she came back to the small village and when they were walking to Ms.Rau's house, she had found out this story by one of the children who she was giving lunch to as he saw the elderly man place a cage with Aufilia on her front doorstep. Ms.Rau felt so much sympathy and looked in the dove's eyes it was as if Ms.Rau knew what the dove was feeling, it was a Christmas miracle! Ms.Rau was delighted to have company for the rest of Christmas and a story she could connect to for the first time!