The monkey and the sparrow's nest

Told in English, Telugu.

Deep in a green forest, on a low branch of a tall neem tree, lived two little sparrows. The mother sparrow was called Chinni, and her husband was called Chintu. Together they had built a cosy nest. They had carried grass, blade by blade, and soft feathers, and thin twigs, and woven them round and round with their tiny beaks. It took them many, many days. When it was finished, the nest was snug and warm, like a little cup hanging in the tree.

One evening, the sky turned dark grey. The wind began to howl. Then, all of a sudden, cold rain came pouring down, and with it came tiny balls of ice, tap, tap, tap, bouncing on the leaves. It was a hailstorm!

Chinni and Chintu snuggled deep inside their nest. The rain could not get in, and they stayed dry and warm.

Just then, a monkey came running through the forest. He was soaking wet. His fur was dripping, his teeth were chattering, and he was hugging himself with his long arms. He jumped under the neem tree and sat there, shivering. Brrr! Brrr!

Chinni peeped out of the nest and saw him. She felt sorry for him.

"Oh, poor monkey," she said. "You look so cold!"

The monkey only grunted. "Brrr. Leave me alone."

But Chinni wanted to help. She called down, "Monkey, monkey, listen. Look at your hands and feet. They are just like a man's hands and feet. You can hold things, you can climb, you can pick and pull and carry. Why don't you build yourself a house? Then you would never have to shiver in the rain again!"

Chintu whispered, "Chinni, maybe you should not say any more. He looks very grumpy."

The monkey looked up with a scowl. He thought to himself, "Who does this tiny bird think she is? She is no bigger than my thumb, and she wants to teach me?"

"Be quiet, little bird," he growled. "I did not ask for your advice."

Now, what do you think Chinni should have done? Should she have kept quiet?

But Chinni did not stop. She thought she was being helpful. "But it is so easy," she chirped. "Just gather some sticks and some leaves. We built our nest with only our little beaks. You have two big, strong hands! You could build a house in no time."

The monkey's face grew crosser and crosser. "I told you to stop!" he shouted. "Stop, stop, stop!"

Still Chinni went on. "And you could put a roof of big leaves on top, so that the rain would never..."

That was too much for the monkey. With a great angry leap, he sprang up into the tree. The branch shook. Leaves fell all around.

"Chinni, fly!" cried Chintu.

The two sparrows flapped their wings and flew out of the nest just in time, up to a high, thin branch where the monkey could not reach. They held on tight and watched.

The monkey grabbed their nest with both hands. He pulled it, and he tore it, and he threw the pieces down to the ground. The grass and twigs and soft feathers scattered in the wind and the rain.

"There!" said the monkey. "Now you have no house either! Let us see you give advice now!" And he jumped down and ran away into the dark forest.

Chinni and Chintu sat side by side on the high branch. The rain fell on their feathers. Chinni's little heart was beating fast, and a tear rolled down past her beak.

"Our home," she whispered. "Our lovely home. All those days of work."

Chintu moved close and spread one wing over her, to keep off the rain as best he could. "Shh, Chinni," he said softly. "We are safe. That is what matters most. We are together, and we are not hurt. A nest can be built again."

Soon the storm grew quieter. The hail stopped. The rain became a soft drizzle, and then nothing at all. The two sparrows found a little hollow in the trunk of the tree, dry and safe, and they fell asleep pressed close together.

When morning came, the sun rose bright and golden. The whole forest sparkled with raindrops. Chinni woke up and looked down at the bits of her old nest lying in the mud.

"Chintu," she said slowly, "I have been thinking. I only wanted to help that monkey. But he did not want my help. He told me to stop, again and again, and I did not listen."

Chintu nodded. "Your words were good words, Chinni. But good words are like seeds. If you throw them on hard stone, they cannot grow. The monkey's heart was cold and angry last night. He was not ready to listen."

"Then what should I have done?"

"A kind word once, and then quiet," said Chintu. "When someone does not want advice, sometimes the kindest thing is to let them be."

Chinni fluffed her feathers and thought about this. Then she smiled a little smile. "And the monkey has something to learn too. Breaking someone's home did not make him warm. He is still cold, and he still has no house."

"That is true," laughed Chintu. "Anger never built anything."

Then the two sparrows flew down together. They picked up the blades of grass that were still good. They found new twigs and fresh, soft feathers. Blade by blade, round and round, they began to weave again. This time they built their nest much higher up, in a safe spot among the thickest leaves.

And do you know, by the time the next rain came, Chinni and Chintu were warm and dry in their brand new nest, singing their cheerful little song. Cheep, cheep, cheep!

So, my dear, remember. Good advice is a gift, and gifts are best given to those who want them. And if someone becomes very angry, it is wise to fly to a safe place, just like Chinni and Chintu did.