The Song Of Sweet Hope

• Lillabelle Aikins, Grade 6, Myrniong Primary School
• Short Story
• 2015

Excellence Award in the 'Read Write Repeat 2015' competition

The broad oak stooped over the quiet countryside below, sunlight piercing through the whispering leaves and spilling onto the fresh grass beneath. From each long branch, dotted with soft buds hung a brass wire cage, a padlock hanging from the wire mesh. From every cage a hung midnight black bird, huddled in its prison. It was like torture to stare out at the crisp land, the warm sun and blue sky. It was tight in the cage, their wings cramped and spirits broken.
The highest branch bore a different kind of bird called Hope. Hope had started off black and dull like the others, the only thing that was different was she had a funny feeling in her heart. At first she thought it was just anxiety, but it was faith. A spark of faith in a pool of dread. Soon it blossomed and with each happy thought, Hope grew from black to the slightest tint of colour. Now Hope is as colourful as a parrot. Each day, Hope would burst into cheerful song and would not stop until the light faded from the sky.
Sadly, Hope no longer had ambitions to fly, as when she was captured she had broken her wing. Deep down, Hope missed the hands of the little girl who once held her. She was gone, like most other dreams the birds had. But Hope kept on singing.
The singing brought happiness to the lives of the other birds and now the days didn’t take as long. One by one, they too grew colourful with happiness and the feeling made them stronger. Soon each bird burst out of their cages in song. Hope and the birds tweeted in harmony and Hope’s friend, the little girl, heard their song and the unmistakable sound of Hope’s voice.
She followed the sound until she came to the oak tree and began to climb it. Hope’s voice had put strength into the birds and the girl grew strong too. She finally reached Hope’s prison. She carefully unlocked the padlock and Hope hopped onto her finger. But Hope was old; she fulfilled her dream; creating happiness and reuniting with her friend, the girl. And so Hope, happy and satisfied, drifted to another world: The Sweet Song of Afterlife.