Paradigmatic Obsession

• Richard Yan, Grade 8
• Short Story
• 2010

The eagle, majestic and proud, glided around, looking for its prey. I stared fascinated at it. A creature that could fly, hardly using any energy; the ultimate animal. Though I was ornithophobic, this was the only exception. The sharp beak that protruded from its small head and an arm span of up to two metres seemed to entrance me. An ordinary school boy, only knowing the advanced technology and lifestyle, I never noticed the outside world; nature and its beauty. The rest of our class was also gazing at the creature in wonder. It swooped down suddenly, frightening me a little, to try and catch a tiny rodent scurrying about. The dive was so accurate and swift that I felt so unskillful and tiny in the world of nature.
Being the most developed creature on Earth was one thing, but hunting with superior prowess was another. Oh, how I want to be an eagle, soaring above everyone else, I thought. The shape of the king of birds grew smaller and smaller, however I did not notice it. The desire of being one of them was unbearable. I pictured the being in front of me and moved my hand to touch it. It met the glass window of the bus we were in, a stark reminder that I was trapped and not emancipated like my idol, alerting me from my fantasies.
I just realised that we had departed from an excursion, one that I would never forget. It had changed my life; altering me from my belief that the world was place were humans dominated and all other life were substandard. My dreams of becoming a hunter immediately vanished, at the thought of harming equals to us, maybe superiors in skill.
It was a haunting thought, but one that clung to my brain. One that would be in my mind for the rest of eternity.