Kola The Magpie

• Georgia Sandow, Grade 4
• Short Story
• 2021

DONK! “What was that?” Emma shouted as she bolted down the staircase into the living room. “I don’t know, but I think you better check Emma” said Emma's mum in a worried voice from her room. “Dad come quick” Emma said in a rushed voice. “I think this baby magpie may have broken his wing” Emma said as she pointed at the poor bird that was only trying to learn how to fly. “He just smashed into the window.” Emma said. “Emma calm down, I'm coming” Emma's Dad said. “Wow that does look like a broken wing,” he said just to classify it was. “ Dad, you should know what to do, you're a veterinarian.” Emma said. “Well I don’t work with birds, I do cats and dogs” Emma's Dad said “ Well you must be able to do something?” Emma said in a questionable voice. “I’ll take the magpie to Sarah in the morning, she works with birds.” “Can I come pleeeeaaaasssssseeeee.” “Well” “pleeeeeeaaaaaassseeee”
“EMMA stop,” “Please” “Ok you can come '' Emma's dad said with a sigh. Emma's heart pounded with joy. (well just a little bit!) When they got to the vet the next morning the reception asked for the magpie's name “um… … Kola'' Emma said with a smile on her face. “K, O, L, A, Kola, now can you please sign here. Good thank you, now please be seated on the right side of the room” the reception lady said. When Emma and her dad walked into the room they saw Sarah. “Hi, is that Kola the bird that Emmy (The reception lady) was talking about?” Sarah said. Emma's dad replied “yes, and we think he may have broken his wing.” “Well, you can put Kola on the Bed bench now,” said Sara. “Bed bench. Is that what you call it now? Emma's dad said. “Just put him on the bench,” Sara said. Sara got the X-ray pad out, scanned him and took a photo of the X-ray. “I’m afraid Kola does have a broken wing.” Sarah announced with a sigh. Sara ruffled around trying to find the bandages “Found them” Sara said. “Found what,” Emma and Emma's dad said at the same time! “The bandages of course” she said back to them both. SNIP, “All done. but you two need to take care of Kola for around two weeks and he’ll probably fly away by then.” Sara said. “Ok and one more thing, he has not been squeaking or squawking, why's that?” Said Emma's dad “Some baby birds don’t squawk or squeak because babies don’t have a high voice and like us need to learn their language” Sara said to them. Ok bye bye they all said to each other. Like Sara said, Kola healed and learned how to fly and flew away. From that day on Kola would come back each day for some food, Emma and her dad would watch him grow every day.