The Bird of Good & Evil Short Story

Written by: Zi Xinyu

Translated by: timebun

Raws: 

The so-called bird of good and evil, is actually neither good nor evil.

Moreover, it doesn't even understand what is good and what is evil.

It is simply a little bird that was raised by a G.o.d.

Prologue.

A memory came to me in a flash; I remember that the G.o.d once asked me something like this.

"If I gave you the chance to become a human, would you want to?"

Back then, I simply smiled and said, "I don't want to become a human. I want to continue being a bird, soaring freely in the skies. That's perfect for me."

As things changed with the pa.s.sage of time, all of a sudden, I really wanted to become a human just once. Thus, I asked the G.o.d, "Can I still have another chance to become a human?"

However, the G.o.d shook his head, "You've already missed your opportunity. Furthermore, even if I gave you a chance now, you wouldn't live past a single day."

"That's fine, even half a day is fine. I just want to be a human for once." With s.h.i.+ning eyes, I pleaded earnestly.

The G.o.d sighed, "Then I'll give you a single day's time. What are you going to do with it?"

I smiled, but stayed silent.

One day was enough.

Part 1.

I was a little bird who was raised by a G.o.d.

I was born with the G.o.d's divine blessings.

My feathers are a gorgeous sky blue, with traces of snowy white.

Thus, ever since I was born, I've been envied by most of my kind.

Because I could choose my own destiny, like that chance that the G.o.d gave me.

"If I gave you the chance to become a human, would you want to?"

I remember that I replied his question with one of my own.

"Is there any difference between humans and us birds?"

He smiled, "Of course there is. Humans have great intelligence, and they have great ability. That's why all animals are afraid of them."

I stared in astonishment for a moment, before asking, "Then what about birds?"

The G.o.d's smile remained unchanging as he said, "Birds are simple, but they're free."

"Then I don't want that chance, I just want to continue being a free bird."

Back then, I had a pure nature. I just thought that if I were to become intelligent, then I would surely lose my wings.

Then why not be a carefree little bird?

I watched the G.o.d nod, seemingly in deep thought.

And since that time, I really became a happy little bird.

Part 2.

I was a little bird who just learned how to fly.

From the side of a very kind G.o.d, I flew towards the forest for the first time.

He said that I belonged to nature.

Thus, he left.

When I first saw the sky, it was blue and really, really big.

I simply wanted to fly even higher and even further, and thus, I ended up flying really, really far.

I copied my fellow birds' actions and landed on the balcony of a human.

They were stealing and eating the rice grains set out to dry in the sun. I also hid in a corner and sneakily ate the grains, mouthful by mouthful, feeling joy in eating my fill.

When night fell, I followed them and flew back to the forest.

When there was nothing to do, I learned how to catch little worms to eat, alongside my fellows.

Part 3.

I was a happy little bird.

The first time I saw a human, my companions and I were so scared that we flew really, really far away.

They said that humans are bad, that they would catch little birds to play with.

I was really scared.

Because I loved the blue skies, loved flying with my own wings, and loved my freedom.

But humans weren't that bad.

I watched a little girl who had long, long hair; she was waving at me.

Dazed, I landed on a branch far away from her, out of her reach. I didn't understand what she was doing.

She grabbed a bunch of rice grains and tossed them, and they landed not far from me.

She pointed there, smiling without saying a word.

That was a great, great temptation for me.

I wanted to eat those grains, but I was afraid that she would capture me.

I saw that my companions had all flown away, but the little girl still continued to smile as she watched me.

She didn't move, as if waiting for me to move closer.

She hadn't moved for a long, long while.

I thought, that maybe I could go over.

Part 4.

Humans really are kind.

I carefully hopped a few steps forward, but she didn't make a single move.

Thus, I scooped up a mouthful in my beak and flew away, but she still didn't move.

I hopped forward again and ate a few mouthfuls while trembling in fear- she moved, making me fly off in panic.

However, I saw that she had thrown more rice over.

I stopped being scared, and after finis.h.i.+ng all the grains on the ground, she still tossed another bunch of grains to me.

What a kind little girl.

She was the first human I met.

I thought, that humans were kind.

Part 5.

After that, I would stop at that balcony every day.

When the little girl saw me, she would always toss me a handful of grains to eat.

Slowly, I lost my fear of her.

Sometimes, I would even land very, very close to her.

She never tried to catch me.

When she watched me, she was always full of smiles.

Her body was tiny, compared to other humans. She wasn't even as tall as another human's legs.

She had a mother, and was always pulling at her mother's pants, asking her to throw some food for me to eat.

I didn't understand what they talked about.

I only knew that that girl would always give me something to eat.

Part 6.

I was a lazy little bird.

After I found someone to feed me everyday, I started to rely upon that little girl.

Although I could still find food on my own, I would always look for her from time to time.

She would give me plenty of grains to eat.

She would keep smiling at me, always.

As time pa.s.sed, I got used to her.

I wasn't afraid of her anymore.

I thought, that humans weren't so scary after all.

Part 7.

After that, I saw that little girl's family carry many bags, big and small, out of their door.

After that, I never saw her again on that balcony.

My companions said that the little human had moved away.

I asked, "What do you mean by moving away?"

They said, "That means they'll never come back."

That made me feel terrible.

Was it because they had nothing left to eat after I ate all the grains in her home?

If humans didn't have anything left to eat, did they have to go and catch worms to eat?

I felt guilty.

I was so afraid that the little girl would starve to death.

This wouldn't do, I had to go find her.

Part 8.

I left home, left all my companions, and never saw the G.o.d again

I flew by myself towards the blue sky, and eventually came to a place called a city.

That place was very, very big. There were many humans, and the sky wasn't as blue anymore.

There were very few trees there and a lot of black smoke, I couldn't find anywhere to sleep.

I flew really, really far, and pa.s.sed by many places.

But I never saw her again.

The kind little girl who fed me rice.

That wonderful home I yearned for.

I was surrounded by houses all around.

I lost my sense of direction, and my home.

Part 9.

I saw a girl again, in the center of the city.

She tossed me a grain of rice, her eyes gleaming bright.

She was much taller than that girl, she must be a kind person as well.

I flew forward excitedly and landed on the ground. I started to eat the grains of rice.

However, she suddenly charged forth and it was too late for me to escape.

She grabbed onto my wings tightly, and I struggled with all my might.

I was hysterical; I shouted as loud as I could!

I pleaded for mercy, yet she burst out into laughter!

My wings hurt very much, and my feathers were dropping off.

I shrilled, I shrieked, and she held onto her stomach in laughter.

She was clearly much, much bigger than that little girl.

Why wasn't she as kind as that little girl then?

Part 10.

I was locked into a cage and brought to her home.

She showed me off to other humans with a beaming smile.

And then, all the other humans laughed.

As if praising her.

I kept calling every day and night, asking her to release me.

However, she appeared to be leisurely and content, as if she were listening to a song.

I didn't understand her language, and it seemed like she didn't know that I was crying.

I was so hungry that my head was dizzy. I collapsed in the cage and stopped calling out.

She finally gave me food, but it was something I didn't like.

Black and yellow little specks, was that what the birds in the city ate?

But I wanted to eat rice grains.

I missed the little girl.

Part 11.

She finally threw me out of the cage and locked another little bird in there.

I watched that bird cry incessantly, struggling with all his life.

He was saying, "Save me, save me…"

I spoke to him weakly, telling him to play dead. Play dead.

He pretended to die.

But I was probably dying for real.

So humans were actually so cruel.

They would lock you up under the pretense of taking care of you.

Torturing you until you died.

I was thrown out the window, and I landed on the ground below.

I looked at the wide, blue sky above and those free birds.

I watched a group of little birds flying past above me.

They were chittering and chattering, seemingly unhappy. Upon spotting me, they were extremely shocked.

"Look there! Look there!"

"That little bird is crying…"

Part 12.

I was picked up and brought to another home.

That girl petted my feathers with her eyes agleam.

She seemed to like my feathers very much; she picked up a pair of scissors.

Then she cut off my feathers, one by one, and arranged them in the shape of a beautiful flower.

She placed the flower by the window. What a dazzling sight.

Plucked of my feathers, I finally closed my eyes slowly.

Why was it that the size of the humans was equal to the amount of evil in their hearts?

Why was it that the smaller the human, the more good they had in their hearts?

What a pity that I only realised it now.

What a pity, that I didn't even have any strength left to speak…

Part 13.

I met the G.o.d again, in the instant I was about to die.

He only shook his head and held me in his hands.

"Why can't you differentiate between good and evil?"

I spoke up weakly, "Why are humans differentiated by good and evil?"

However, he smiled and said, "If you were a human, living in that kind of environment, you might not turn out to be a good person yourself."

I fell into melancholy and pain, tears filling my eyes.

"Can I have another chance, to become a human?"

However, the G.o.d shook his head, "You've already missed your opportunity. Furthermore, even if I gave you a chance now, you wouldn't live past a single day."

With my eyes full of tears, I said, "That's fine, even half a day is fine. I just want to be a human for once."

The G.o.d sighed, "Then I'll give you a single day's time. What are you going to do with it?"

I smiled, but stayed silent.

One day was enough.

Part 14.

Finally.

I was sent to that little girl.

In the form of a human.

For the first time, I understood what she was saying.

While she was in the big city, she still loved birds as before.

She stood on a brand new balcony, with two little birds as her companions as before.

That day, I stood in front of her.

I didn't say a single word to her.

I only picked up some stones and purposely threw them.

Not a single one of them hit the little birds.

However, all the little birds she was feeding flew away.

The birds were panicked and fearful, and not a single one remained.

The little girl burst into tears and asked what I was doing!

I smiled and spoke for the first time.

I left that one sentence.

"I'm afraid that they'll think that all humans are good in the future."

end.