Saving Parrot Ernie

• James Michaelides, Grade 6
• Short Story
• 2010

Hi, my name is James. I live in a 2 story house and I have lots of friends around my street. One of them is Jayden. Oh, did I mention that I also have 2 parrots? I have a boy and a girl. Ernie is the boy and Robyn is the girl. And this is my story about them.
It all started one day when I was at my friend Jayden’s house. We were playing on the Nintendo Wii. It was my first time playing a Nintendo Wii so I didn’t have much experience.
“This is so cool, especially the game Mario Kart” I said to my friend.
Suddenly, I looked out the window and saw my dad running to my friend’s house.
“James, James!” he yelled.
“What’s wrong” I said.
“It’s Ernie” he said. “He’s gone”.
Was he telling the truth or was he telling another of his jokes? I couldn’t really tell. Why else would come in like this? I decided to go with him back home.
When I got back home, I saw the cage. He was right. Ernie had flown away. Robyn was the only one in there.
“How did he get away?” I asked my dad confused.
“I don’t know. I just came here and he was gone!”
“We have to do something about this” I said.
“He can’t survive on his own!”
“Then lets go look for him” my mum said.
We got inside my mum’s car and drove off looking for Ernie.
“Where do you think he flew to?” I asked my dad.
“He probably went left or...”
Suddenly, I saw him flying above the car.
“Ernie!” I yelled.
“Where did he go?” my mum said.
“Near the empty block of land” I said.
We drove there. My dad and I got out of the car to look for Ernie.
“Ernie. Ernie where are you?” I yelled.
I started to whistle but no sign of him.
My mum yelled “There he is!”, as she pointed to the sky.
“He’s heading towards that house” my dad said.
“After him!” I yelled.
I ran as fast as I could to catch up to him but Ernie was too fast. My mum came with the car.
“Hop in” she said and drove towards Ernie. We found him on the side of a house, scared of the barking dog.
I tried to call him down but he was just too scared. Suddenly he flew off towards the ground. I ran to him. He wouldn’t come to me. My dad came with a towel and Ernie jumped into my dad’s hands. He was safe at last.
We got back home and put him straight inside the cage.
“There’s just one question” I said to my dad.
“How did he get out?”
“Who knows” my dad said.
I ended up making a story called Saving Parrot Ernie. Hopefully it will become famous one day.