Junior 2nd Prize Winning Story - The Incident that Changed Me

“The Incident that Changed Me” by Aditeya Goyal, Delhi Public School, Sector - 40/C, Chandigarh, India, is the Second Prize winning story in the junior category of the first biannual Short Story Contest 2019.

The Incident that Changed Me

Three days before this uncommon incident had happened; I was still a little boy. I was very studious and was good at sports too. I was never fond of animals and birds. I often used to tease them with my friends but my sister had a completely different approach towards animals. She loved them very much and treated them in a very kind manner. She also took good care of the bird that lived in front of our house by providing it with seeds and water. But I liked troubling the birdie by throwing away its seeds and dropping its nest again and again. Oh! What joy it used to give me and my little gang.

Unusually, after a couple of days when I woke up, I saw some huge leafy trees around me. I was very confused and tried to pinch myself but couldn’t because I realised that I had become a bird. I was startled and distressed at the same time! There was a certain kind of burning sensation and I realised that my feet were badly wounded and wings were broken. I suddenly noticed that I had become ‘the bird’ I used to trouble with my friends. I was unable to move and was extremely thirsty and hungry. Somehow, I managed to catch some worms to fill my stomach. I don’t know why I liked their taste but at first, it was weird to eat them.

After filling my stomach, I flew to a nearby pond to quench my thirst but noticed that it was polluted with garbage and was a sorry sight. I felt really bad for the pond. Abruptly, I was hit by a stone and was in extreme pain. I noticed that it was my friends who were throwing the stones at me. I fell on the ground, hit my head and thus was in need of immediate help. I laid unconscious there for at least two days.

Then one fine day, my sister came searching for me and she took me inside the house so as to cure me. I had never been that happy after seeing her. Now, I felt the pain of the birds I troubled. I was ashamed for my bad actions and was disappointed in myself. That was the moment that made me aware of my wrong deeds and gave me a chance to change for good. The very next day, I was myself again, that is, in human form. I breathed a sigh of relief! The first thing I did was that I quickly went to the kitchen to bring some seeds and water for the bird. And, I also made a beautiful and comfortable-bird house for the birdie to live in. I promised to take care of birds and animals and pledged not to pollute my surroundings. I soon joined the wildlife club in my school and volunteered and became a part of many animal protection programmes. It was indeed a great lesson-learnt and I was proud of myself!