325. Histoire bleue, 4

(Rose)

There was a bird living alone in the nights.

No one was ever there to see it, to admire its real colours or even to describe it.

It lived as visible as a ghost, and such a lonely life.

The bird slowly began to dream that someone could come to see it someday for what it was and to reach out to it.

It flew silently along the nights, accustomed to the dimer presence of the moon and stars only.

Until one single night, it noticed a different star, down over the land instead of the sky. A singled out glow in the nocturnal landscape.

The bird went there to see, curious, with some of the hope in its heart to find there something new. Something able to reach outside of the night.

 The bird found an inhabited house, a building usually just dark.

A single candle left near a window was the source of light.

The bird landed there, curious and excited, eager to meet who or what could live behind that candle.

And behind the window, in the dim glow of this candle and others, was a mourning of an existence that had come to pass. Grandpa was lying as if asleep in his bed.

His family was mourning him deep into these fateful hours.

The bird only had distant memories of what the day was like.

Vanishing remembrance of seeing other birds like it, and also of other gigantic animals like these ones gathered here, hunting down the other birds like it.

The bird was seeing the great monsters that once were stealing the day from them, also being mortals.

What the bird didn't know, was that other creatures of the dark had instead stolen the night from humans.

The bird lived in hiding all day long, because these huge monsters roamed the land unopposed.

In a similar manner, humans were forced to hide all obscure hours long, for the true owners of the dark wouldn't tolerate their presence outside.

The curious bird wasn't seen, but its shadow could. As it walked around the candle by that window they forgot to close, it appeared as if a dragon of shades had entered the room and was filling it to the ceiling.

As if one ruler of darkness had come to take away the sinner now offered to pass.

The family suddenly scared ran away in the other rooms, too afraid to realise the play from light. Their rush blew extinct the other candles as they went to hide in every other room.

At least they knew and prayed, that the invading beast would vanish at the first signs of day.

The bird felt a little lonely on its side.

Until the two daring young boys came inside the room not long after.

The two young brothers whom should have been asleep.

But they wanted to say goodbye to their grandfather the teller as well.

They were sad and fearing of the dragon that would steal him from them.

What they found from the slightly opened door was no wide monster, but only a bird, now walking around their sleeping grandpa.

The bird hissed in fear as it saw them coming closer, scaring them.

The most aggressive boy saw the shadow of a larger dragon ready to return to its normal size, and fled.

The other boy only saw the frightened bird instead. Not that big, not that scary, and afraid as well.

The bird was back to the edge of the window and its already blown candle to flee this place.

All that was left between them were abstract lines, shapes, fears and dreams. But then...

- Who are you, Bird?

- Who are you, Boy?

They met. And they stood still along with time surrounding them.

- Are you going to eat my grandpa?

- I only wanted to meet someone. The stars are quiet, the nights are lonely. The candle guided me.

- The nights are scary...

- No, the days are scary. Nights are peaceful but lonely. I've been longing for a friend.

- You can come and talk to me then. I can put another candle there during some nights.

- I will then. But during the days, I will hide high in the greatest tree of the forest.

- I will come to see you then.

The bird was chirpy that someone would come and maybe one day be able to see its real colours.

And thus they became friend.

~

Each and every night when the boy could, he would light a candle at dusk, and pray for the bird to appear from the shade.

When his friend the bird would arrive, the boy would blow the candle, and they would talk in the obscurity.

The bird telling him stories of his flights and the shapes of the winds under the starlit skies.

And each day when the boy was able to, he would head deep into the forests, searching for the highest tree where his friend lived in hiding.

But he never found it on his own. He would need a guide.

So one precious night, they decided to go together.

The bird showed the way through the woods now so dark, without any light with them, to avoid drawing unwanted attention to them.

The dragons and demons that dwelled in the absence of light were walking around, close to them. Sometimes entire patches of forest were eclipsed by their darker bodies than night.

But the boy was brave and quiet. He trusted his friend and was never noticed as he listened to him.

And finally, they reached the tree.

The boy tied a ribbon around the tree so that he would be able to recognise it during the day.

Then they went back the way they came, to the house where he should have slept.

The two friends arrived and found the house torn with panic and cries. For the boy wasn't in his bed nor anywhere else. He was gone, and his parents were now with anger but mostly worries.

So the friends parted way, knowing their night talks were likely at their end.

Perhaps never to return.

~

The lonely bird couldn't meet his friend again for the longest time. Dawns and dusks, over so many times that it came to ache.

Grounded, perhaps beaten, and certainly forbidden to befriend beasts from the dark again.

The bird whom had been happy with a friend was feeling even stronger loneliness now that he had lost him.

The sadness grew too great, and one fateful day, the bird decided to fly through the light blue sky under the sun.

It wanted to be brave as well, and see what had become of his friend the boy.

The bird flew visibly all around toward the house he knew well, and looked around and behind every window.

A dog found the bird, and hunted it down.

In an unfair fight, the bird was wounded though managed to escape the jaws and fled, cawing loudly from its pain.

The dog followed loudly the weaken bird trying to retreat to its domain.

The bird did manage to return and reach its hiding place, but collapsed there wounded and exhausted.

It could still hear the voice below not of his friend but the angry dog, barking with anger, there for as long as the day would last.

The bird heard humans as well. It felt the tree being shaken.

But luckily in the end, that was all that happened for this time.

~

The bird woke up during the night, hearing the voice of the boy being down there.

- Bird! Are you there? Are you alright?

- Boy... I'm happy you came to find me... But I will probably die by the morrow.

- Please don't. I want you with me.

The bird was moved, but still weak. It came out, and let itself fall in the boy's hands, to let him attend his wounds and perhaps create for them another chance.

The boy had brought what it could find to treat the wounds, and a candle to see properly the bird and how to help it.

As best he could, the boy sewed the wounds back together and applied medicines to help.

It was the first time there really was a lingering light between them.

- Now you can see me.

- I can. I'm glad you're alive. I'm happy I can finally see you.

Unfortunately, one of the beasts of the night also saw the glow in the midst of the woods, and rushed toward it, to prey upon its owner.

The bird jumped in front of the boy to protect him from the sharp teeth of the dark that were about to fall on him.

The bird got wounded even more. The terrified boy understood, screamed and fled.

The boy ran in the dark, crying over his lost friend who would never fly again.

But another beast heard him on his way and caught up with him suddenly.

And soon, the boy was no more.

~

The bird had survived, but would never fly again.

It went for the mourning of his friend limping its long road away.

However, to its surprise, the boy too had survived.

The wounds covered his face and his missing eyes. The boy couldn't see anymore, but was alive.

- I won't be able to see you anymore.

- I won't be able to fly back and forth anymore.

They stood there, at dusk or twilight, together.

Somehow, they were still happy.

When the parents came back to check on their son later, all that was left in the bed were some feathers.

As they left together.

Whether it would be day or night, they were happy together...

~

B - So, did you like it?

R - It has this bitter sweetness you're good at. I don't understand it all but I like this taste yes. What was the lesson of this story? To work together?

B - No. You can probably find as many lessons you want to find, but it's not the main one I had in mind.

R - Something about the dangers of going against the normal rules?

B - No.

R - Going further despite the hardship and wounds?

B - No. Much simpler.

R - I don't see it then... I can't see it?

Bleue softly puts my hands between hers. She's smiling gently. Some emotion she wants to convey are overflowing in the air.

B - Only that I'm happy to be with you.

I feel warm and embarrassed. I smile shyly.

B - I love you... Every other word and everything else are just pretty words growing around that core.

I love you too...

~