Father Seabird
by Max Chen, 8
A March 2024 Monthly Story Challenge Winner
Click the "Clap" button if you liked this story!
Father seabird woke up. He was ready to hunt. Mother seabird watched the babies, and the babies needed to be fed.
Father seabird flew over to the ocean. He saw something big, puffy things flowing in the ocean. “Jellyfish!” Yelled Father seabird. He grabbed it with his beak. He munched on it and then… he choked. “Arggggg!” He said. “Help!” Luckily, he coughed it out. “Grrrr!” It was actually a plastic bag. Father seabird was mad. He caught a fish and brought it to his nest.
After the babies were fed, Mother seabird said: “The song birds told me that humans have been using balloons. The balloons flew here, and tangled a seagull. The seagull got out, started eating it, and the seagull choked. The force of pollution is stronger than ever.“
Father seabird said, ”I know. When I was looking for jellyfish to eat, I almost choked to death, it turned out to be a plastic bag!“
“That is bad. The sea turtles will suffer.” Said his wife.
“We have to stop this.” Said father seabird. “I am leaving.” He flew away.
Octopuses can go on land for a while. They can stay in the tide pools for at least one hour. This is where Father seabird found Wise Octopus. Wise Octopus was very old and very wise. He was the philosopher of the ocean.
Father seabird bowed to the octopus. “Lord Octopus, I have bad news: pollution is spreading. The water is filled with jelly-fish-like- bags. The sky is filled with deadly balloons that tangle birds. It is terrible. Lord Octopus, do you know how to fix it?“
“I am very old,” said Wise Octopus. “I am just a philosopher. I can only warn animals about the litter in the ocean, not about the balloons. But I know an animal that can fix it. You must find the Lion Of The Head Hills. He lives on the hills above the ocean.“
“Lord Octopus,” said Father seabird. “What can the lion do?”
Lord Octopus replied, ”It is your duty to find out. My time on land is complete and I must return to the ocean. Otherwise I will dry out.” Then, Wise Octopus was washed by the waves, out of the tide pools, into the ocean.
Father seabird set out for an adventure. He flew over the hill and found the Lion Of the Head Hills. “Lion, the force of pollution is stronger than ever. Wise Octopus told me to come to you for help.”
“We can send animals to help. It won’t be easy but we have to try,” said the Lion. “This is what we will do: Send the good eyed hawks to take the balloons, and put them in the garbage cans. The smart sea falcons will pick out plastic bags from the ocean. Now the eternal battle of unbalanced environment has begun.”
Soon he saw the falcons and hawks start working.
His surprised wife said, ”Husband, darling, who are those weird birds? Grrr!”
“They are hawks and falcons. They are getting rid of the trash. Animals call it the eternal battle of unbalanced environment, but I call it the battle of sky, sea, and pollution.”
Soon the news of the battle between human trash and animals spread.
It started when a kind seagull told Wise Octopus, and Wise Octopus told the cuttlefish who is the messenger of the ocean, and soon many others joined the fight. Seagulls are picking trash too, not just eagles and hawks. The turtles, the dolphins, and the seals are helping as well.
On the hills, The Lion of The Head Hills was leading their effort with the rats, snakes, the wild dogs and other hill animals helping pick up the trash.
The river had been polluted as well. Salmon and trout had lost their sense of smell. This was serious. But some nice humans also join the force to help clean out pollution from the river.
The eternal battle of unbalanced environment ended in about nine years. The longest battle in nature. Pollution had been fought, and stopped.
If we do not litter, it will not happen again.