Hooey, the frightened owl
We know from the stories that owls are intelligent, wise animals. Who would think that there was an owl who was afraid of the dark, just like little kids? However, after he was told what to do, by the end of this story, he would become just as clever as his father. But let’s not lose the track of the events, we will start from the beginning.
Hooey, the owl baby was a very scared little owl. - Oooh-no - is what he said every time thunder hit and lightning struck. - Oooh-no - is what he said when somewhere in the forest the twig of a tree creaked. And he said - Oooh-no - , every time the sun went to sleep, and the night time came. Because Hooey, above all other things, was most afraid of the dark.
So, he was the only owl baby, who wouldn’t jump out of the nest the minute after the sun set, to learn from the owl dads how to fly. And he wouldn’t jump out of the nest two minutes after it either.
No matter, how much his mother talked to him, he just sat in the depth of the comfy, safe nest and didn’t dare to make a sound.
One night, mummy Owl, sat down by him in the nest to have a little talk with him.
- Hooey, what’s the matter? - she asked.
- I’m scared of the dark - tweeted the little owl, and he closed his eyes tightly, so he wouldn’t see the darkness.
- Why are you scared of it? - went on his mother.
- Because I can’t see anything in the dark. And that’s scary - said Hooey.
- You know, darling, we are owls - explained his mother - and owls are very special animals. For example, we never sweat. -
- What is sweating? - asked Hooey, but he still payed very much attention to keeping his eyes shut.
- Well… sweating is… - mummy Owl was thinking very hard - okay, never mind. But we are the only kind of birds that have eyebrows. -
- And what are those for? - asked Hooey.
- I don’t know, but it’s amazing, isn’t it? - said his mother, smiling. - And then we have necks so flexible, that we can rotate them, without moving our body. And we sleep during the day, and hunt at night. If we couldn’t do it, we wouldn’t have anything to eat. -
- But I’m not hungry - denied Hooey.
- Oh, but soon you will be. However, there is something else that we are very-very special at - carried on Hooey’s mother.
- Really? - asked the curious little owl, with eyes still closed.
- Really. Our sight is excellent. It is so good, that we can see even at night - explained his mother.
- But I can’t see anything - cried Hooey.
- Because your eyes are closed, darling - said his mother, smiling. - Trust me, open your eyes and you will see the wonderful world laidout in front of you. Your sight is just as sharp as your brothers’. You will be able to see the slightest movement of even the tiniest animal, and if you learn to fly, you will hunt just as well as your father, and you will never be hungry. -
- Errrr - is how Hooey’s stomach started growling, and at this moment, he realised that actually, learning to hunt wasn’t such a bad idea after all.
So, he opened his right eye, first just a little bit, and saw his mother’s beautiful, smiling face. While examining her feathers more closely, he opened his other eye as well. He noticed his brothers, sitting on the branch next to the nest, waiting patiently, and he saw his father’s big figure, flying through the forest, in the moonlight, with his huge wings spread wide, as he came back to his children.
- Ooooh - said Hooey, but this time without being scared.
Then he slowly climbed out of the nest, and joined the others, to learn how to fly.
Are you afraid in the dark?
What do you do to not be afraid?