Has anyone ever asked you, “What’s the most amazing thing you've ever seen?” Here’s my answer:
This goes way back to the 1950s when I was around 7 years old and I had a pretty turquoise parakeet named Jerry. We’d let him fly around the house now and then so he could get some exercise. When it was time to go back in his cage, we’d get a coat hanger, he’d jump on it and then he'd pop through the door of his cage.
One day my friend Dianne and I were coming into my house through a side door that led to a utility room. I didn’t know my mom had let Jerry out, and the moment we opened the door, off he flew outside! We ran to the back yard and watched him fly into some tall trees about a block away. Also in the back yard was a man painting the trim on the house.
I was panicked . . . I thought I’d never see my Jerry again. My mom came out of the house and looked sad as we stared at the trees where our bird had disappeared. We stood there a while, feeling helpless, calling his name.
My block was newer and the trees weren’t very big. The one in our back yard was slim and maybe 7 feet tall. To our amazement, a couple of minutes later Jerry flew back into the top of our yard tree! What???
My mom ran into the house and grabbed a coat hanger and the birdcage. As we all watched with our mouths open, Jerry jumped down, branch by branch, until he was near the coat hanger. He jumped onto the hanger and my mom popped him into his cage.
Jerry was home! I was crying. I don’t remember what Dianne was doing. But the house painter said it all: “I wouldn’t have believed that if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes.”
Thankfully, Jerry never had any more adventures like that. He went on to learn a few words, loved his cuttlebones, went on vacation with us and was still allowed to fly around the house. He had a full life and lived to be 22 years old!
I wonder if he remembered his escape to the tall trees.
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