The Moon Hid the Sun

Spring

The seasons were changing, and there was a warmth in the air. Only a few left at first, but soon their numbers grew until they were leaving in ever larger groups. Then they were all gone. Now there was only one robin left. He had watched them go, his heart filled with the greatest desire to join his fellow birds but instead he stayed, compelled to remain on the island by some unknown force. The robin spent his days hiding in a hedgerow of one of the many gardens of the small town. The birds only movement coming when he was compelled to take flight on expeditions that he was little aware of; unconsciously he would travel, sometimes high up into the sky and above the clouds, and sometimes flying around the town. Upon completing these flights he would return to his familiar hedgerow and collapse in a heap of utter exhaustion, his emancipated torso growing weaker by the day.

As the days past the robin lost the strength to move, and now he remained, silent and still. His small black eyes staring longing at the skies above, sadness in his heart and impending death on his mind. So when he saw the cat with its dark red eyes glowing in the darkness of the night, he did not feel fear, only relief; a relief that his suffering would be over quickly. The cat crept forward, its paws making no sound, then, as it got so close that the robin could smell the stench of death on its dark breath, the creature began to hiss; low and sinister, a snake-like sound, causing the robin to feel an immense fear. The commotion that followed was unexpected by both parties. The cat, completely unaware of what was happening to it, shrieked and leapt in anguish. Around and from every angle, there came small missiles hurtling towards the feline and smacking into its body. The sparrows were numerous in number, and in their pack mentality they had driven each other into a warlike fury, all normal sense of danger lacking from their tiny minds. It took only a couple minutes for the assault to do its job, and the cat scampered as fast as it could go, leaping over wall after wall until retreating to the dark place that it come from. The robin, exhausted from fear, fell into a deep sleep. Upon awaking the sun was shining. There in front of him lay a mound of earth worms, placed in such a position that all he had to do was gently move his beak forward to be able to eat them. And from that day forward the sparrows were there; sometimes only one, sometimes numerous, but always bringing food and safety. As days turned into weeks the robin's strength grew until, once again, it could take flight and reach the skies.