Short stories

The girl in a birdcage

A small petite girl sat on a pair of swings in a birdcage. She had short ginger hair and beautiful sapphire blue eyes. On the girl's back was a pair of lovely white wings along with a golden winder with rubies embedded in it. The winder was similar to the ones you can imagine being on a pretty wind-up doll. Chirping and tweeting echoed inside the dimly lit room where the small girl was. She looked at her surroundings; the walls covered in wallpaper, which had a maroon pattern. The wallpaper was peeling away, and sometimes bit by bit, a piece would fall off. Connected to a wall across from her was a hearth which held a flame inside, it was the only source of light warmth she could get. She looked up at the ceiling as water dripped down from it, watching it fall, landing into an iron pail, the sound was music to her ears. The floor made of dark oak planks; however, they were rotting. And every little look around, she could find missing floorboards. With a bit of cleaning up, the room would indubitably look like a room from the Victorian times. While she was looking down, she noticed a plaque on her cage that read Bella Canary; it was the name her father gave her. The reason behind the name was pure; her voice was soft and soothing as bells, her singing soothed the souls of many and brought joy just like a canary. As Bella started looking around once more, she heard the sound of wood being chipped, and she looked over to a corner of the room. There he was, an older man whom she called father. He sat on his stool at his workbench, working on something she came to realize a wooden owl. She was very excited; a smile found its way onto her face. 'Father's making a new friend!' She thought to herself. Hours passed as she continued to watch him work; however, she grew sleepy, and soon the old grandfather clock rang as it signaled that it was now midnight. She closed her eyes, letting the peaceful darkness carry her to her slumber. When she awoke, it was time, the sun shining high in the sky as children were excitedly chattering outside. It was summer, and the kids were out of school, allowing her to perform her job more often. Her father opened the birdcage and held out his hand. In which she lifted the hem of her dress and stepped onto his side. He carried her to a tiny stage where she would sing and dance for the children. This continued over the summer until one night she saw her father fall to the ground she screamed in terror shouting his name. Her father was gone. 

The home she lived in was put up for sale. A man arrived and bought it. Scared the girl stiffened, not blinking or moving, she sat on her swing, looking like an ordinary doll. At night the man would sit in front of her birdcage and talk as if he needed someone to tell his worries and pains. Days passed, and Bella found out the man was an orphan who went by the name of Zack. Bella finally trusted him and would dance for him, making the man smile. She, too, was happy but wished for more. Zack worked so hard just to keep the house he dared not try to sell her father's things he once said: "I dare not move the items of the past owner because thanks to him I have a roof above my head."

Bella was shocked at this; she was happy that he wouldn't change it. But one day, Zack lost his job and cried to Bella about it, she would start humming a lullaby to him. "I'm positively sure everything will be fine, sweetie... I give you my word. I'm here for you; we'll think of something," She gently told him, and Zack knew that was her asseveration. Once Zack stopped crying, she started to try and come up with ideas. Thinking of idea after thought knowing those wouldn't work, but then she remembered something. A brilliant idea filled her mind, so she told him her plan. "How about we put on shows where you tell a story while I dance or I sing to children, there's this tiny stage father, the man who lived here before you made to put on shows. They'll surely be happy to see one again. It might help you make money!" She suggested.

Zack's eyes widened, and he nodded, standing up from the chair he was sitting in. "That's a brilliant idea!" Zack says. The two of them started doing the shows once more, earning enough money to live there and be able to buy all the daily necessities for years to come. However, Zack was starting to grow lonely even with Bella around. Bella was sad that he felt alone and knew of his past and how much he suffered. At that thought, Bella realized how much she thinks of him as her son. She remembered him telling her about this one girl he liked when he lived in the orphanage. Because of that, Bella got an idea. She knew he would be sad about this, but she figured it was the only way. She put a model of herself that her father made once in her place and went into the big world. Weeks past and Zack was sad, as Bella wouldn't move or talk. He worried that he might've made Bella upset; he didn't know the truth of the matter that Bella left to do something.

That's when Zack heard the doorbell ring. He rushed to answer it only to see his childhood crush with Bella in her hands; the girl's name was Serena. Zack invited Serena in and had a massive smile on his face that made Bella happy. She returned to her birdcage. Days passed, Zack and Serena always talked and hung out, but Zack would make sure to take care of Bella. A couple of years passed, Serena moved in, and the two got married and had children. Zack slowly forgot about Bella, who still had a smile on her face. His daughter, who was seven years old and named Lilly, found Bella and took her out of the cage, asking Zack about it. That's when the male remembered Bella and realized that he has forgotten about her, and in horror, he asked Bella to say something; however, she said nothing. Bella was happy, happy that he had a family and a good life. Zack knew this and didn't want to make Bella sad, so he did not mourn her death he simply smiled and told his daughter how that doll was the one who reunited him and Lilly's mom. Lilly asked why Bella wouldn't move or sing anymore "You see her wings?" Zack asked Lilly as the girl nodded. "Even with wings, Bella couldn't fly, so she did not consider herself free; she always said a bird without its wings wasn't a bird at all. Which means a person without a heart or soul is no person at all. A person without a heart or soul is not free; a bird with no wings cannot fly as it should in the sky, like how we have our freedom. The birds do too; their freedom is flying." Zack explained to his daughter. "So that means she never considered herself to have freedom or as a person?" Lilly asked, and her father nodded, indicating that she was correct. "She must have found her wings and flew off," Zack says, taking the doll out of Lilly's hands. "So she has freedom now and flew away! I hope wherever she has gone, she's happy!" Lilly said. Zack smiled "I bet she is... I bet she is." He said, and Indeed Bella was happy, happy that Zack was no longer alone and that the pain of his past made sure that he had a happy life. Bella would watch them with the birds always, as she chirps a sweet tune at night to help the young girl sleep. Zack saw the bird, and it was a Canary then he knew why Bella stopped moving and talking, and why Bella was indeed no longer a doll.

"She did her purpose. She did what she wanted, too," Zack told himself. One day Zack approached the canary and started talking. "Your voice is beautiful; you're as caring as can be, are you perhaps Bella?" He asked, and the canary chirped and flew around him, proving to him that he is somewhat correct, but then he heard soft laughter that sounded like the ringing of bells. He turned around startled, and then he saw a lady, she had short ginger hair in a bob-cut, her eyes a beautiful sapphire blue. "Zack! It's been a while since we've seen each other! This beautiful girl is Melody; I found out you had a daughter and asked Melody to help her sleep while I make my way here." Bella explains, and Zack hugs her like a child hugging their mother after such a long time. Bella simply hugged him back and rubbed his back soothingly as he cried tears of happiness. "You found your wings, Bella," Zack stated. Bella simply nods, "What gave my wings was happiness, and learning about people and family." Bella explained, smiling softly as a mother would. "Never leave me again..." Zack said his mouth hung open, hesitating to finish what he was saying. Bella nods encouragingly, and he takes a deep breath. "Never leave me again, mom! And-" Zack was cut off when Lilly ran over to them and hugged them. "And welcome home, mom-mom!" Lilly said as she beamed. "Glad to be back!" Bella responded, and now Bella and Zack finally knew where they belonged, they finally had a family to welcome them home. The family lived happily ever since.