Faith And The Hummingbird

• Emma Nesbitt, Grade 9
• Short Story
• 2014

This isn't a story of a great heroine or a great evil plot. This is a story of spirit and an Irish girl whose hope is strong and courage is fierce, this is my story, my name is Faith and I am a girl of little if any words, my heart pounds at the sound of music and the forest speaks to me; this is the only time I would speak back. Though I cannot speak I speak through song, my eyes are blind yet I can see everything, I cannot hear yet I hear more than most. People ask me why I cannot hear, see or speak without help of newly developed gadgets. Yet when I am on my own, I hear everything, though they may not say aloud people wonder why I bother getting on and I answer their unasked question, through hope. People ask why I was born like this, and I answer “To live.” I have hearing aids and it took me a long time to learn how to speak. But when I am down I sit here under the willow tree by my home looking out over the river. I had taken out my hearing aids and listened carefully, the sound felt far away though so close, a bird chimed in the breeze I could hear nothing yet I could hear everything. My eyes are blind though my imagination is wild. A beautiful humming bird perched on my outstretched hand sung its lovely song to me. This bird had taught me everything, he taught me to see, he taught me to listen and to sing. My words are little but my song is moving, I may not hear but I can listen, I may not see but I can imagine and feel. Some would ask me how, and I would say it’s a secret. But in time all secrets are revealed, my secret is this sweet humming bird before me, I have not named him for he already has a name, a name that I do not know so long as his friends do.
It was when I was young that I came across this secret. I followed the sound of a beautiful song and found its source by this willow tree, I could not see the hummingbird but he was there. I sat down and he came over and pecked at my hearing aids, the sound pierced my ears I had to take them out. When they were out I could hear nothing, and then… in the far away distance I heard him sing again. The hummingbird had sung to me all day and my hearing grew better and better. his sweet song allowed me to imagine what my surroundings looked like and slowly I tried to mimic his song. By the end of the day I could sing and I could hear only the sound of sweet music like the hummingbird that helped me bring back faith in myself.