Jacob with the pigeon

The only thing that Nina thought she could give Jacob as a Christmas gift was pigeon.Nina's father was a lover of birds and he had kept a variety of them in his home.Sometimes Nina could go with her father in bird watching in the bushes.Though Nina was not a lover of birds,She slowly started loving them.One of her most favourite bird was the pigeon. She fell in love with the beautiful winged creatures.When not on vacation with her family or in school,she would be feeding and cleaning the pigeon's cage or sometimes studying and drawing them.

Jacob a long friend of Nina and Ninas family,since childhood and now they are teenagers had a habit of giving Nina gifts during Christmas. And Jacob would also replicate the gesture to Nina.This made even there bond to grow even stronger beyond any strong force to destroy it. One of the notable gifts Jacob had given to Nina was a dog called Chiwawa.Though it died after three days after being hit by a speeding truck when they had gone for a nature walk.It was very sad. But it had been the norm between the two families to visit and exchange gifts.But to Jacob and Nina it was like a must for them.When would give onother one a mointain bike,the other would give a brick game or a soccer ball.

This Christmas being a unique one with the Covid 19 pandemic jeopardizing almost every life of human being all over the world,people had to stay at home to avoid getting the deadly virus.In order to curb the virus and reduce its adverse effects on the people and the economy as a whole ,people were advised to keep social distance,sanitize and wear face masks. This means Ninas family and Jacob's family would not visit each other.Maybe a phone call or a mail would do the justice between the two families since they lives almost five miles away from each other. But the gifts had to be given to each other as it was the norm.

Nina called Jacob and told him that despite the pandemic,she must deliver the gift she had long wanted to surprise him with.Her father had already given an okey for that and given her a pegion to give it to her friend Jacob.

Nina and her father woke up early in the morning and set themselves ready to deliver the pigeon to Jacob.They had face masks on them.Her father was on the steering wheel that cold morning while Nina took the back passenger seat thanks to social distance needed because of corona.They rarely talked to each other save for a few questions that Nina kept asking. She would ask why there were a few cars and when will this pandemic come to and end.Her careful father answered carefully to avoid instilling a lot of fear on his teenage daughter.

After about an hour and a few minutes they reached Jacob's home.It seems they were still sleeping since nobody was outside.The hoots seemed not to work.He took his mobile phone and phoned Jacob's father.Three minutes later Jacob's mum opened the gate and they entered in.

"Hello Nina we have missed you" Jacob's mother said after greeting his father.She hugged her and they embraced for a few seconds forgetting the protocols about the pandemic. They could not control there happiness seeing each other for the first time in eight months since corona erupted and travel restrictions and lockdown and curfew measures were imposed to contain the pandemic. To them,the calls and mails were not enough.

"Where is Jacob?"Nina asked with eagerness to see her best friend.

"Ooh yes Jacob sliped on the stairs and injured her knee but he is very much okey daughter".

She welcomed them in their house and Jacob came from his bedroom still in the sleeping pyjamas and hugged Nina and her father.They were very happy.

Ninas father asked to see Jacob's father but he had long left very early in the morning since he was an essential worker.He was a nurse at public hospital in the city.This disappointed him since he was also desperate to see him after a long time.

"Jacob I have a gift for you come lets go and see it"

The two friends left the house towards the car which was parked outside. Jacob's father and mother were left behind talking as the kids went outside.

Nina opened the back of the car and took out a pegion caged on a small wired cage .The bird was very beautiful and healthy .Jacob was very surprised about the caged bird and looked at Nina strangely and hoping maybe there was another gift different from the caged creature. Nina closed the door of the car after cleaning the dirt caused by the bird on the seat of the car. Jacob held tip of the cage and strangely looking at the innocent bird without uttering any word.

"Its very beautiful and innocent "Jacob said in a manner as if he was forces to say it.

"Yes it is."Nina replied

"Do you think it is hungry?"Jacob asked.

"No why?"Nina asked looking surprised.

"Because it is lying down on its stomach?

"Maybe it just tired and bored with the environment but it will just become used to it",

Jacob carried his gift to the house along with Nina holding hands.He placed it on the table for his mum to see.Everybody in the house was happy and they clapped their hands as they sang one of the songs sang during such festive seasons. It was a Christmas song .The cheeky Gugu Jacob's young brother took it and started dancing with it as they went round the table.Jacobs other two sister joined Gugu in the dance and soon everybody could not manage to beat them but to join them.

After all those brief celebrations and activities involved including a nice breakfast meal,Nina and his father left .Now Jacob was left to take care of her gift.He had gifted Nina with athlete watch as replication gesture.

Jacob was not a bird enthusiast. He was not even a lover of nature.He was interested in machines.Anything to do with machine was his favourite. He was curious about anything that used power and not blood.The only thing that Jacob loved and blood ran on its veins was himself and any other human being.

Jacob took his bird to the parking lot where he left it under a shade to ride a bike as watched it.The bird remained quite and naive about the new environment. The loneliness seemed to engulf her.But Jacob ignored this thinking it was just okey.

After getting tired riding the bicycle,he took his bike in the house and forgot the dove which was still in the cage hungry.

"Jacob where is your bird?"his mother asked.

"Down the stares in the cage mum"he replied

"Please go and get it.It is very hungry".

Jacob ran down the stares and his brother Gugu followed him. He took his bird and took it to his mother.

"Don't give it to me.Get something and give it to it?"

"Mum it's thirsty too?"Gugu said

Jacob ran down stares and prepared a mango juice.She put it on a plate and got his bird out of the cage. The bird was now at liberty. It started flying all over the room trying to get out but the window was closed.it couldn't get out. Gugu ran after it and managed to catch it.He put it back on the cage and placed the plate in the cage too.The pegion seemed uninterested on what was on the plate. Jacob left it there and went out to swim.

"Jacob why would you not bring your bird and teach it how to swim like the ducks do?" Gugu joked

"Let it sleep it is tired?Jacob replied

After swimming Jacob went back in the house and put on the television to watch football.

Gugu ran downstairs and came upstairs with the bird on his palms.

"Jacob it has poured the juice you gave it?"

"Get that bird back to the cage or I will beat you"Jacob fumed .

Gugu complied with the order. He continued watching football until his father came very late in the evening.Gugu had already told him about the bird and he was very excited and at the same time annoyed how Nina and her father had came but could notfind him.

"Jacob can I see your bird please"his father said.

Jacob ran downstairs and Gugu followed him.He cane back with the bird in the cage and gave it to his father. His father looked at it and congratulated his son for the new Christmas present.He asked whether it had eaten and Jacob said he had given it a mango juice.His father laughed about it.

"They are not given juice Jacob?"

"What are they given dad?"Jacob asked

His dad told him that birds have special feeds like cerials and that they are given water instead of juice.Jacob was very surprised and promised to get some fine cerials the following day.

It was time to sleep and Jacob took his bird still in the cage to his bedroom.He prayed and also prayed for his bird .He then took a spare blanket and covered the cage so that the bird would not feel cold since it was a cold season.

His father had promised to get him a bigger cage and buy other pegionsso that it could not feel lonely.

That following morning Jacob wake up only to find that it had died due to lack of space for fresh air.He cried alot until his mother and Gugu came to console him.