A
big crow catches worms for his mommy.
I will do like the big crow,
And love my daddy and mommy.
How wonderful it is to be a good child!
--Children's Ballad
"Squawk! Squawk! Squawk!" A mommy crow
searched far and wide and finally caught a big, fat worm.
She thought happily, "It's really hard to find food
in this cold season. This one looks delicious--my baby
will love it." Picking up the worm, she hurried home.
The little crow in the nest was already screeching with
hunger. He stared into the sky, waiting for his mommy's
return. At that moment, a snake saw the little crow and
slowly climbed up the tree. "Here's my lunch
today!"
The little crow saw the snake. He flapped his wings
with fear and squawked loudly, but he was so small that he
couldn’t defend himself against the snake's attack.
The snake opened his mouth and prepared to swallow the
little crow. "I won't let you hurt my boy!" The
mommy crow returned just in time. "I'll have your
baby for lunch today, have no doubts about that!"
declared the snake.
The mommy crow fought the snake with her big beak. She
fought hard to protect her baby, and she finally chased
the snake away.
The little crow ducked under his mommy's wings and
trembled with fear. The mommy crow comforted him.
"Good boy, you are really brave. Everything's all
right now."
<<<<<<
"Squawk! Squawk! Squawk!" With the passing of
time, the little crow gradually grew into a big strong
crow. He could fly fast and far, but the mommy crow was
old and could not fly anymore.
The big crow was very good at catching worms and he
would always bring big, fat worms home to his mommy before
he ate any himself. All the birds in the neighborhood
praised him for being such a good son.
One day, the forest was on fire and all the birds flew
away. But the mommy crow was too old to fly. The big crow
nervously circled the tree.
"Fly away, my child, don't worry about me,"
said the mommy crow. The big crow replied, "No, I
won't leave you here. I'll think of a way to save
you."
The other birds also tried to persuade the big crow to
flee for his own life, but he wouldn't do so. He refused
to leave his mommy. With the flames still roaring, the big
crow decided to battle the forest fire by himself. He
flapped his wings with all his might, trying to put out
the fire. The other birds were deeply touched when they
saw how he struggled, so they flapped their wings together
with him to try to put out the fire.
They flapped their wings so hard that a strong gust of
wind blew over the forest, bringing with it thick gray
clouds that carried lots of rain. The rain put out the
fire. With the help of the other birds, the big crow not
only saved his mommy, but also the entire forest. |