The Songs Of Sunlight

Once upon a time there lived a lonely young owl. She grew up in the woods surrounded by a beautiful land that was known for magical sunrises. With the break of every day, Owl would hoot and beg for her parents to let her stay awake so she too may see the golden dawn, but alas her parents would usher her into the tree and whisper “Good-day young owl, sleep as the night awaits“.
As she slept, owl would hear the birds sing outside her tree. Their song was happy, and she could smell grass and blooming flowers through the cold dark wood that cradled her day. She would dream that she were singing with them, graceful and kind, the sunlight warming her face. She dreamt she could fly among the light with golden rays and the love of friends swimming all about her.
When night approached owl would be permitted to leave the tree once more, and go out among the night to sing. By that time, all the birds of day were gone. Owl would sit on her branch, cold and alone and hoot. “Hoo-ooo….Hoo--ooo” owl would call out to anyone who could hear. But no birds every responded to her song.
One night Owl asked her parents why must she sit and sing alone, with only darkness surrounding her, never to see the light.
“The owl is a night creature my dear” her mother would say “and an ALONE one…we do not sing during the day, and we do not sing with other birds, this is our nature”.
Night came and went. Each day Owl ached more and more for the songs of sunlight. One night, as Owl sat on her branch, singing alone, she decided to fly away to search for a land where it was never night, and where all the birds could sing together.
Owl flew far away, but everywhere she went, she learned that the sun rose, as it did set. Every time the sun set, she retreated into a tree to sleep and dream alone.
One night, after a long night of crying on her branch, Owl saw the sun begin to rise. She turned her back to the light and proceeded to walk into the tree when she heard the sound of something small land on the wood behind her. Owl turned with a start.
“WHOOOO are you?” Owl asked.
“ Who me? Oh I am just a bird” a little sparrow answered. “Where are you going?” the sparrow asked, tilting her head left to right in curiosity.
“I am going into my tree” Owl responded. “I have searched long for a land where the night did not live, and it would always be day so I may feel warmth, and sing the songs of sunlight with the other birds, such as yourself, but I have found that none exists.”
“Of course not silly!” the little bird peeped. “Everywhere you go you are going to find night! Just as you are going to find day!”
“I know” Owl said, “That is why I am sad…Good-day to you” Owl said to the sparrow and begin to walk away.
“But Owl!” the bird said, “Day and night are choices. When I landed on your branch I saw you turn away from the sunrise to go into the tree. So you see, The day is not turning its back on you, you are turning your back on the day.”
“I am?” said the owl
“You are” said the little sparrow.
The bird turned around “See there?” She said pointing towards the sky “The sun still rises, and it is always going to rise no matter where you go. The land you have been searching for has been with you all along. It is right here. Why don’t you watch it with me…and sing”
Owl looked into the distance and squinted her eyes, Gold rays dawned upon her face and both sunlight and tears of joy washed down upon her.
That dawn, and many dawns after, Owl saw the sunrise and the sunset. Owl learned her nature was not what she was born into, but the happiness that became her. She no longer flew by night but lived among the day singing the songs of sunlight, happier then any owl could have dared dream to be. Every night before she went to sleep as the stars begin to rise, Owl would look at them dearly and as she closed her eyes, would whisper…
“Good night young owl, sleep as the day awaits.”