My Own Fairy Tales

The Poet and the Robin

The Poet and the Robin

          Many, many years ago, in the city of London, there lived a poor young man named Nicholas Burns. Nicholas had two jobs; his first job was with a man named Mr Sloane. Mr Sloane was the owner of a big shop where he sold pocket watches, handkerchiefs, umbrellas and scarves for both men and women. Nicholas' job in the shop was keeping it clean and helping customers. His other job was being a poet.

          Nicholas was clever with poetry; he had like writing poems ever since he was a boy. Mr Sloane thought that Nicholas' poetry was a real talent. He once asked Nicholas if he wanted to sell his poetry in the shop as well. Nicholas accepted his offer, so Mr Sloane sold papers of poetry in the shop as well. Even though he had two jobs Nicholas only had just enough money to make ends meet.

          Nicholas' poems were usually about a beautiful countryside, the seaside, and all sorts of weather and above all love. Both men and women loved his poetry and always bought them, but he didn't get a lot of money for them.

          "It is a pity Nicholas" said Mr Sloane "your poetry is very good. Yet you don't get a lot of money for it".

          "It's all right" said Nicholas "as long as people like my poems. That is what matters".

          It was true; Nicholas loved it when he saw customers smiling when they read his poetry. But his favourite smile was from Lady Christina Pendleton. Lady Christina Pendleton was the daughter of a rich gentleman named Lord Frederick Pendleton. Christina loved Nicholas' poems and always looked forward to his new ones. Nicholas and Christina had feelings for each other, but Lord Frederick Pendleton had forbidden them to spend time with each other. As Christina was a lady he believed that having a relationship with a poor poet would put the family name in disgrace. So Christina and Nicholas never revealed their feelings to each other.

          One day Nicholas was taking a stroll in the park, when suddenly he heard a twittering noise. "That sounds like a bird" he said to himself. Nicholas followed the sound of the noise and found the course of the noise behind a tree. It was a bird; it was a robin with brown feathers and a red breast. The robin was hurt; his left wing was broken and he couldn't fly. Nicholas couldn't stand having a bird like that hurt, so he picked it up and carried it to his home.

          Nicholas lived in an apartment; being poor he lived in a very small room. He laid the robin onto a towel on the table in his room and nurtured it for two weeks. Then at last the robin's wing was completely healed and it could fly again. The robin was grateful to Nicholas and sang a song to him.

          "Your singing is very beautiful" said Nicholas "it makes me smile". Nicholas opened his bedroom window and told the robin it could go now. But the robin didn't want to leave; it wanted to stay with Nicholas. Nicholas understood and the robin became his roommate. So every day, when Nicholas finished work, he would go straight home to be with the robin and the robin would sing to him.

          Two weeks later a big announcement was heard in the papers. Lady Christina Pendleton was to be married to a rich gentleman 'Mr Robert Bentley' in three days.