At long last, I am able to introduce Freddy to you. I am also adding an excerpt of his adventures so that you get the real "feel" of who he is. So, ........................ here is Freddy and his Friends- Tommy the Tomcat, Alfie, Jeanie and Robby.
Chapter 1:
Freddy’s New Nest
Amongst the gravel and windblown leaves, Freddy, a young, chubby sparrow, stood back to check out his handiwork. With his wings on his hips and a big grin on his face, he sighed.
“Phew!” said Freddy, as he wiped his forehead.
He had worked very hard to build a new nest. Flying here and there, he had gathered twigs and bits of grass. He had also gathered pieces of greasy paper in colourful, funny-looking shapes. Freddy had stuffed the paper between the twigs and grass. He had also found Styrofoam to cushion his nest. Styrofoam was very interesting for Freddy. It was thick and warm and also waterproof. This was very important to him. After all, his nest was his home!
Freddy was very proud. This was the first time he had ever built a nest. His parents had given him permission to move from the family nest in the tree nearby to his own nest on the rooftop.
His new nest was hidden between the warm chimney and a small satellite dish that had bits of old paint and rust flaking off. Freddy proudly paced back and forth. He was so clever! His new nest would keep him warm in the winter because the steam and smoke from the chimney flowed past it. He would also be able to smell the delicious aromas coming from the chimney—this always made him really hungry.
Freddy settled into his new nest and squinted his eyes against the bright sunshine. He was curious and felt like a really grown-up bird. He looked around and listened to all the sights and sounds nearby. To his left, he saw the trees where his parents lived, with treetops full of deep green leaves that rustled in the soft breeze. The lake shimmered as the sun shone brightly in the clear, blue sky. A few puffy, white clouds lazily floated by.
In the distance, Freddy heard a few geese noisily arguing. He wondered what they were so angry about.
Turning and cocking his little feathered head to the right, he saw shiny cars humming along a grey ribbon of highway. He saw tall buildings, reaching up to the sky.
The sun reflected in the large windows, making them sparkle. The view was beautiful and very interesting. It was like watching TV.
Snuggled between the two tall buildings was a small rundown house with an overgrown yard. Freddy knew that an old grey tomcat lived in that house. His name was Tommy, and he was always on the lookout to catch the birds. Tommy’s fur was matted, and he had old battle scars on his nose. His eyes were bright green and he always glared. Tommy looked very scary! He knew that Freddy and his friends liked to fly around the yard, and Tommy would get very excited, and wanted to catch them. Freddy’s parents had warned him of the dangers of being in that backyard.
It gradually turned dark and cars continued to drive along the road. Freddy saw the pretty white and red lights. Sometimes there were lots of lights, and other times there were not that many.
All day long, humans had come and gone. They had arrived at the restaurant in shiny cars and jumped out. Laughing and talking, they had run into the building. After a while, they had come out, arms full of colourful bags filled with food. Very yummy food! Freddy had tried the food and it was very tasty! He smacked his yellow beak as he thought of the food.
During the past few weeks, Freddy had met and interacted with a few little humans— children. He especially liked the children. They had given him lots of little yellow sticks—french fries, the children called them. They had arrived with their mothers and fathers and sat outside to eat their food—the french fries!
Today was a very lazy day for Freddy. He had just met a few humans, and they had fed him a lot of french fries. “Oh, they are so yummy!” thought Freddy, as he fluttered his wings and smacked his little yellow beak.
A few minutes later, Freddy was lazily dozing off. “Hmm, this is so nice and quiet!” His little, black head nodded and he was soon fast asleep in the warm, bright sunlight.
“Hey, Freddy, hey!!” called out a small, brown bird. “Hey, come out and play with us!”
“Huh,” Freddy woke up with a start. “What… huh…what?”
“Freddy, over here. It’s me, Alfie!” yelled the little brown bird, waving his wings about.
Alfie was very excited and could not sit still. He hopped on his left leg, then his right leg, then on the left, then on the right one again. His two little friends, Jeanie and Robby, were waiting for him in the nearest treetop, where they lived with their parents.
“Jeanie, Robby, and I are going to play. We’re all going to play together! We’re going to fly over the lake!” squawked Alfie, to no one in particular. “I’m so excited. We’re going to catch some insects and spy on Tommy the tomcat. We’re even going to fly without flapping our wings. That is so dangerous! C’mon, Freddy, c’mon. It’ll be so much fun!”
Freddy slowly stretched out his wings and yawned. “Nah, I don’t feel like it. I’m tired. I want to take a nap.”
Alfie shrugged his little shoulders, turned around and yelled, “Robby, Jeanie, let’s go. Let’s have some fun!”
Chapter 2:
Tommy, the Terrifying Tomcat
Alfie’s two little friends took flight from the green treetop. There was a soft rustling sound as the breeze stirred the dark green leaves. Side by side, the three little friends headed to the lake. A few ducks and swans glided through the water enjoying the warmth and quiet of an idle summer’s day.
“Whoo-hoo,” yelled Jeanie as she swooped down to catch minnows.
“Hey, Jeanie, look at me! I’m floating through the air. I’m not flapping my wings!” shouted Robby.
Giggling, Jeanie swooped down to catch up with him.
“Oh, Robby, you are such a show-off!” squealed Jeanie, as she flapped her wings.
“Hey, guys,” called Alfie. “Look. Tommy the tomcat is sleeping! Let’s go drink from his water bowl. It is a really exciting game!”
“Alfie, you know that is dangerous!” gasped Jeanie.
“That sounds like so much fun!” chuckled Robby. “So much fun!”
“Oh Jeanie, it’ll be fun! Let’s go!” twittered Alfie.
Off the three friends went. Squawking and squealing, pretending to be dive-bombers, they headed directly towards the overgrown backyard where Tommy was lounging in a patch of sunlight.
Hiding in the thorn bushes, the three friends waited. The breeze rustled the leaves, and the little sparrows swayed on a branch, waiting for just the right moment. They could hardly stay quiet, they were so excited. This was a very dangerous adventure and their eyes shone brightly.
Tommy the tomcat stretched and rolled onto his back. His front paws were stretched out above his head. His head was rolled to one side and he had a peaceful grin on his ragged face. Once in a while he licked his lips, and the little sparrows could see that there were only a few teeth left in his mouth.
One by one, the little friends flew to the cracked ceramic bowl that stood next to an old rusty garbage can. Alfie stood on the edge of the bowl and took a sip of water. Jeanie gasped. Alfie was so brave!
Next, Jeanie quietly swooped down and landed on the garbage can. She hopped to the edge and jumped toward the water bowl. She was just about to take a sip when Robby loudly crash-landed on top of the garbage can. The sound echoed through the quiet afternoon and it woke Tommy up.
In one smooth move, Tommy jumped up and looked around. In an instant he saw the little sparrows and pounced towards them. His claws were facing the birds, and they glistened in the sunlight. They looked very big and very sharp. His bright green eyes were mesmerizing as he glared at the little birds.
Alfie jumped up and flapped his wings. Off he went to the bushes. Jeanie quickly fluttered to the nearest tree. But poor Robby looked around, dazed after his topsy-turvy landing.
Tommy saw Robby and quietly crouched down, getting ready to pounce. In an instant Alfie and Jeanie fluttered around Tommy. They needed to give Robby time to escape.
Tommy jumped up on his hind legs and swatted at them with his long front paws.
Robby got up and flew to safety. Jeanie and Alfie followed closely. Tommy didn’t give up, and, jumping and swatting, followed them. He was hissing and meowing. It was very scary.
The birds finally reached the fence and landed just on the other side. Their feathers were ruffled, and their little hearts were pounding in their chests. They were panting so hard that their tiny chests were heaving, and they couldn’t catch their breath. Their yellow beaks were thrown wide open to get more air. With a panicked look on their tiny faces, the three friends huddled together.
Tommy’s face was pushed against the fence.
“Next time I will get you!” hissed Tommy. “How dare you drink my water! That is my water. Get your own!” With that Tommy turned around, walked away, and went to lie down in his favorite spot in the sun.
“Phew, that was close,” panted Alfie.
“He was so mean!” chirped Jeanie.
“Let’s do it again!” chimed Robby.
Alfie had lost interest. “Nah, I think we should go see Freddy.”
Chapter 3:
The Delicious French Fries
Freddy had just woken up from his nap. He had stretched and yawned and looked about. He had seen his three friends being chased by Tommy the tomcat who lived in the garden.
“Oh no!” called out Freddy, as he had anxiously watched Tommy chasing his friends.
When his friends finally reached the other side of the fence, Freddy relaxed.
“I’m hungry again, and thirsty, too,” thought Freddy. With a sigh, he struggled up from his nest made from Styrofoam, twigs, and paper. He waddled through the gravel and tar to the edge of the roof. Freddy carefully peered over the edge to see if any of the children had left those wonderful yellow sticks—french fries. He also just loved that brown water they called pop. That was so yummy, too.”
While Freddy was peaking over the edge of the roof, he did not notice that his three friends were sneaking up on him. Step by step they quietly crept closer and closer until suddenly…
“Boo!” they yelled out in chorus.
With a yelp, Freddy jumped and nearly fell off the roof. He flapped his wings vigorously so he would not topple to the ground below.
He turned to his friends. With a frown on his face, he yelled, “Hey, that is not nice!”
Alfie chuckled, “Well, okay,” he admitted. “What were you doing anyway?”
“I was looking to see if the children were down there eating some food,” said Freddy.
“What kind of food?” Jeanie asked curiously.
“Real yummy food,” replied Freddy.
“Is it dangerous to get that food? asked Robby.
“No, not at all. The humans really like us. They give us food, and they laugh and say it is cute.”
“Really?!” chirped Alfie. “This sounds interesting.”
“Let’s go check out those humans,” squealed Jeanie.
“Oh, look, there are some children now,” Freddy pointed out.
Brightly dressed boys and girls sat at the tables laughing and talking while sipping on delicious pop and munching on long, crispy french fries.
“Well, let’s go!” called Robby impatiently.
“Oh, what is that red stuff? cried Jeanie. “That looks awful,” and she puffed out her feathers to show her disgust.
“Ha, ha,” laughed Freddy. “That is really tasty! The children call it ketchup.”
“Ketchup,” giggled Jeanie, “that is a funny word.”
Robby had already flown to the tables. He boldly landed right in the middle of the table where the children were eating. One of the boys, dressed in blue shorts and a T-shirt, pushed back a shock of dark brown hair. With interest the young boy leaned forward to look at Robby, his brown eyes wide with curiosity. Robby ruffled his feathers and boldly stared back. He tried to look like a big mean bird!
It was a bit scary and Robby tried to be brave. Far away, from the rooftop, the children were small, but this close, they were really big!
Slowly, the boy picked up a french fry and held it up to Robby. The french fry shimmered in the bright sunlight as a drop of fat dripped to the table. Timidly, Robby leaned forward and stretched his neck to reach the french fry. Cautiously he took a nibble and swiftly flew off, to the safety of the rooftop.
“Wow, this is good!” yelled Robby, as he smacked his small beak. “This is sooooo yummy!”
Knowingly, Freddy nodded. “Yup, I know, they are very good, huh.”
“I want more! More!” squealed Robby, and flew away.
Robby was so excited about the french fries that he did not watch where he was flying. He swooped down towards the table and started to land. Poor Robby did not see that he was going too fast and landed on the table with a big thump. His little wings spread out like an eagle.
He skidded across the greasy tabletop and landed head first in a blob of ketchup.
His head was covered with ketchup. Shocked, he tried to shake off the red sauce, but it was too sticky. One at a time, he opened his eyes and peered through the ketchup to see where the other french fries were.
The children had stopped talking and were staring at the little bird covered with ketchup. A little girl with bright red curls, blue eyes, and freckles burst out laughing.
“What a funny bird! Look, look!” she pointed. “He looks so funny.”
Poor Robby! He just wanted another french fry. He shook himself, and, without looking at the children, he walked over to a paper plate where the french fries were spread out. Robby picked one up in his beak and quickly flew away to enjoy his meal.
Chapter 4:
Freddy’s Nightmare
In the darkness, Freddy huddled in his Styrofoam and paper nest, snug against the warm bricks of the chimney. In the distance he could hear the steady hum of the cars driving along the highway, their lights flashing brightly as they slowed to steer through a curve. He squinted his eyes, and the lights looked like a long, long sparkly necklace.
It had been a very exciting day. His friends had come to meet him, they all had met some friendly children, and Robby had tasted his first french fries. Freddy chuckled to himself when he thought of how Robby had skidded through the grease on the table and had landed headfirst in the ketchup. That was so funny!
With a soft grunt, Freddy shifted his weight to get comfortable and scratched his belly, but…but could not reach his belly button. Puzzled, he looked down and saw a large, round belly sticking out. Bewildered, he scratched his head and looked at his belly. He hadn’t noticed that he couldn’t reach his belly button before! His belly hadn’t been that big…or had it?
Come to think of it, he wasn’t as comfortable in his little nest anymore. Not like a few weeks ago, when he first built it. Had it shrunk in the rain? Or maybe Alfie, Jeanie, and Robby had played a trick on him and changed the size of his nest.
“Maybe… maybe…” mumbled Freddy. With a sigh, Freddy shifted one more time to get comfortable, and then his little, black head nodded and his eyes slowly closed as he drifted into a deep, deep sleep.
Once in a while, his eyes fluttered and Freddy flapped his wings, moaning softly. It seemed that he was having a very bad dream…
It was a very warm humid day. The sky was a deep blue and the sun shone cheerfully. There was no wind, and the leaves of the trees lay heavy and limp on their branches.
Not feeling the heat, Jeanie danced around in the sky, enjoying herself. “Look at me!” giggled Jeanie. “I’m flying higher and higher! Wheeee! This is so much fun.”
Robby sat on a branch, his little, yellow beak thrown open. He did not like this warm weather. He was tired and listlessly watched Jeanie diving and twirling in the sky, when all of a sudden he saw a big hawk coming her way.
“Hey, watch the hawk!” screeched Robby. “He’s coming to eat you!”
“Robby, come up here, it is wonderful! You can see everything! I see boats on the lake, far, far away! And, the minnows are way up here today!” squealed Jeanie.
“No, Jeanie, no! Come down here! Watch out for the hawk! He’s coming!” yelled Alfie, who was perched next to Robby on the branch in the nearby tree.
“Oh, you boys are so scared!” laughed Jeanie. “Look at me! Weeee!”
Jeanie was not aware of the danger. The hawk was diving right at her as she danced through the air, giggling and catching her minnows.
Freddy was watching from his nest and tried to get to the edge of the roof to take off and warn Jeanie of the danger she was in. He slowly waddled to the edge and flapped his wings. And… nothing. He could not get himself into the air. He tried again, desperate to help his little friend. He flapped his wings but nothing happened. The hawk was getting closer and closer.
Freddy started to yell, trying to get the hawk away from Jeanie. “Hey, hawk, over here! Over here! Come get ME!”
Suddenly, Jeanie noticed a shadow hovering over her and looked up. She realized it was the hawk and knew she was in danger.
“Oh, please, please help me!” wailed Jeanie, as she scrambled to get out of the hawk’s way.
Freddy’s screams had distracted the hawk and confused him. The hawk looked up and bumped into Jeanie, who went tumbling through the sky. In an instant, the hawk shook his head and directed his attention to Freddy.
“Hmm, this is a nice chubby one,” thought the hawk, “nice to eat!”
With a gulp, Freddy understood that he was in trouble. He flapped his wings to fly away but could not get off the ground. He flapped and flapped.
He now saw the hawk’s beady eyes and oh, he looked hungry! The hawk came closer and closer, and Freddy kept flapping his wings. The hawk threw out his large talons and…
“Huh,” Freddy woke up with a start, his little heart pounding in his chest. His tiny, yellow beak was damp with sweat. His feathers were damp too. He shivered and looked around to see where the scary hawk was. There was no hawk to be seen. Freddy sighed and groaned in relief.
It was early morning and he saw his three friends sleeping peacefully with their parents in their warm nests. Dewdrops hung from the branches and spider-webs. The sun started to peek out from the horizon, making the lake a deep orange.
“Phew, that was a horrible nightmare!” thought Freddy, and he shivered again. He sat for a few minutes to calm down.
Then he remembered that in his nightmare he could not fly. That could not be true. With a grunt, Freddy got up from his nest and tried to flap his wings. He was curious to see if he could get off the ground. He flapped and flapped. Nothing! He could not fly! Confused and puzzled, he tried again. He could flap his wings, but he did not leave the ground.
Freddy was shocked. He stared down at his round belly and frowned. What was the problem? This had never happened to him before. His wings worked fine, but they were not strong enough to carry him up into the air because his belly was too big.
What had happened? Then he remembered what his mother had told him. She had said, “Freddy, you cannot eat so many french fries. That is human food, and not good for you!”
Freddy had laughed and told his mother, “It’s okay, mama. Don’t worry.”
Now he realized what had happened. He had not listened to his mother and had eaten too many french fries. Now he could not fly.
“Oh, no! This is awful!” cried Freddy.
Now, he wished he had listened to his mother and had gone to play with his friends
instead of eating the french fries. Sitting in his nest, he had watched as his friends were having fun, catching the minnows and visiting Tommy the tomcat.
“Humph, french fries are much tastier than those silly minnows,” muttered Freddy defiantly. “I’m sure it wasn’t the french fries! It can’t be the french fries!”
He sighed. He knew he had eaten a lot of fries. Too many were not good for you. He knew it. His mother had told him. He had eaten far too many of them, and now he was a chubby bird.
Realizing he was chubby, he hung his head and slumped his shoulders, and waddled back to his nest. With a few grunts and groans, Freddy lowered himself into it. He tried to get comfortable but realized that the rain had not shrunk his nest—he had outgrown it!
Slowly a single tear slid down his chubby cheek, then one more, and then another. He started sobbing and sobbing. His little shoulders shook as he wept.
Chapter 5:
Freddy Can’t Fly!
The sun chased away the soft morning mist that lay on the surface of the lake as a protective blanket. The dewdrops from the branches and spider-webs had disappeared. A few regal swans serenely swam by as they headed towards the middle of the lake.
Alfie, Jeanie, and Robby woke up. They stretched and yawned and stretched again.
Now, they were eager to start their day filled with lots of fun and adventure.
“What do you want to do today?” asked Jeanie, hopping from one foot to the other.
“Alfie shrugged. “ I don’t know! Maybe we can go visit Tommy. We can try to drink from his water bowl again. Last time was so thrilling!”
“Let’s get some more french fries!” chirped Robby.
“That is a great idea!” squealed Jeanie, but I want to show that I can drink from Tommy’s water bowl. Last time, I didn’t get a chance, because of Robby. Right, Robby?”
Robby grinned sheepishly, “Yeah, right!”
The three friends took off in the direction of the lake. Laughing and shrieking, they chased each other through the air, flying up, and up, and up, and then diving down again.
“Let’s see if Freddy is awake yet!” called out Alfie.
“Yes, let’s go tease him!” chirped Robby.
Flapping her wings, Jeanie looked over to the chimney where Freddy had made his nest. She could see the colourful paper in Freddy’s nest perched between the chimney and the satellite dish. She could see Freddy and it looked as if he was awake. But something was wrong. He was huddled in his nest and looked miserable.
Let’s go cheer up Freddy!” giggled Jeanie. “He doesn’t look happy. I wonder what is wrong.”
With that, Alfie, Robby, and Jeanie turned and flew towards the rooftop where Freddy lived. Side by side, the three friends stood in front of Freddy’s nest tilting their heads from side to side as they looked at Freddy curiously. Freddy looked so sad and forlorn. He didn’t even notice that his friends had arrived. Why was Freddy so sad? Alfie, Robby, and Jeanie looked at each other and shrugged their feathered shoulders.
“Hey, Freddy, Freddy,” murmured Jeanie. “Why are you so sad?”
“Yeah, Freddy, why you are crying?” asked Alfie.
“Yeah, Freddy, why are you sad? joined in Robby worriedly.
“Well…, well…,” stuttered Freddy, “I had a bad dream and a hawk nearly ate Jeanie.”
“Ah, that was just a dream! See, Jeanie is still here.” And with that Alfie tapped Jeanie on the shoulder.
“I know!” wailed Freddy. “That isn’t why I’m crying. In my dream I couldn’t fly!”
Jeanie giggled.” That is so, so silly!”
“Birds can always fly,” chirped Robby.
“It was just a dream.” replied Alfie, patting Freddy on the back.
“No, no it’s true. I can’t fly!” moaned Freddy. “Look!” With that he pushed himself up, waddled to the edge of the rooftop, and demonstrated. He flapped his wings to show his friends that he couldn’t fly. Sure enough, he did not get off the ground.
Alfie, Robby, and Jeanie gasped. They were so surprised. A sparrow that could not fly— they did not know what to think.
“See,” said Freddy with a deep sigh. “I cannot fly!”
“Hmmm,” muttered Alfie, “hmmm,” This was a serious matter, and he sank down on the rooftop to think. Robby sat down beside him and propped his fist under his chin.
“But why Freddy, why can’t you fly?” asked Jeanie curiously.
“Because, because…oh…,” cried Freddy, “I… I ate too many french fries! My mother told me it wasn’t good for me. And I was too lazy to play with you. I always wanted to nap and just sit and look around. Look at my plump belly.”
With a sad, sad sigh, Freddy pointed to his round belly. Jeanie’s eyes grew big. Now she understood why Freddy could not fly. She turned to Alfie and said, “Alfie, we need to help Freddy. He needs to fly again. How can we help him?”
“Hmmm,” mumbled Alfie. “Hmmm.” He scratched his head. “Hmmmm,” he said for the third time.
“Is that all you can say?” yelled Jeanie impatiently. She hopped up and down. “We need to help Freddy! Freddy needs our help!”
The four little friends huddled together in the early light of dawn, each deep in thought.
“I’ve got it! I’ve got it!” shouted Alfie enthusiastically. He jumped up and hopped from one foot to the other.
“What?!” cried Freddy, Jeanie, and Robby in chorus.
“Well,” said Alfie, as he ruffled his feathers and puffed out his chest. “Do you remember when we were flying over the park a few weeks ago?
“Uh-huh,” said Jeanie. “So what!”
“Do you remember that we were teasing a human who was running?” asked Alfie.
“That was so much fun!” snickered Robby, remembering.
“And do you remember how we made him run faster when we began to dive towards him?” continued Alfie.
“So, you want to tease Freddy and dive towards him?” Jeanie crossed her wings and sniffed.” That is not nice, Alfie! We want to help him, not tease him!”
“No, no, you don’t get it, cried Alfie impatiently. “Freddy needs to run!”
“Run?” squealed Jeanie. She toppled over and rolled on the rooftop, laughing and holding her own feathered belly. “Run! Have you ever heard of a bird that runs? He needs to fly!”
“I know, I know,” shouted Alfie, annoyed, “but he needs to start with a little bit of exercise. He needs to lose his chubby belly.
“Uh-huh,” chimed Jeanie, “and he has to stop eating those french fries. I heard my mother talking to Robby’s mom and they said that too many french fries aren’t good for us, just as eating too many fries is not good for humans. But they do taste good!”
“Yeah, they are really good! cried Robby.
“Well, we need to help Freddy. So we can all stop getting the french fries and encourage Freddy to run!” said Alfie.
Poor Freddy! He did not like the idea of running. He wanted to fly again! And continue to eat that yummy food! Freddy groaned, no, no, he could not give up his favourite food. The yellow sticks—the french fries. He smacked his beak just thinking about them.
Oh, this is so horrible,” sobbed Freddy. Robby hopped over to Freddy and put his wing around his friend’s chunky shoulders.
Don’t you worry,” said Alfie, determined. “Freddy, we are going to help you fly again!”
“Yes,” nodded Jeanie. “We will help you, for sure.”
(continues)
