Once upon a time

I had four budgies. They were called Johnny, James, Celandine and you know I can never remember the other girl's name...Oh, Blondie.
So they lived in a cage in my bedroom, they made a lot of noise and though I talked to them at least twice, for at least a minute, they never learnt to say a word. They didn't much like sitting on my finger. They also never laid eggs. We had a sort of distant relationship. I fed them and they cheeped or twirped occasionally and we mostly left each other alone.
They got cleaned twice a week as a result of hurculanean struggles between me and my mum (which she won but at such a cost I think I did best out of it). There were strict injunctions laid upon me NOT TO OPEN THE CAGE DOOR AND LET THEM OUT. Except for cleaning. and feeding etc. And then only the opening of the door, not the letting out.
So I didn't.
But very early one morning, they made a terrific noise, woke me up slightly and under my bleary gaze, James and Johnny opened the cage door between them and Celandine and Blondie flew away out of the window and were never seen again.
It was one of the most exciting things I had ever seen! there was such clutching of little claws and straining of necks. Twisting with beaks and slipping of grips on the shiny bars. At least two clanging failures. I coudn't move for excitement and wonder...and disbelief! And when Celandine and Blondie flew there really was a moment of blue bird magic (only it was green and yellow). Out into the morning sun.
And the door crshing shut and James and Johnny fluttering about a bit and twittering.
So I rushed into Mum and dad's room, full of this amazing story only to be greeted with a quite different kind of disbelief. (And grouchy and sleepy disbelief at that). After they'd checked that Blondie and Celandine had indeed gone, there was disbelief and fury at my disobedience.
Did I ever mention that as well as being "lazy, selfish and thoughtless" I was truly a fairly acomplished liar? Well I was, though mainly in self defence rather than creatively. As in 'I did tidy my room but then I had to find something to go in the dolls house so I had to get everything out again'. And 'I did it yesterday, that's why you didn't see me doing it'. and 'yes I did practice Mummy', and 'yes I did all my homework before I came home'.
Right. So they didn't believe me. I could hardly blame them which pissed me off a bit. And it was true, this time, so I was full of self righteous indignation. But the worst thing was it was such a good story and they spoiled it by turning it into me being naughty and untruthful and...did I ever mention that I was disobedient?

So, a week later, I was at school and Mum was somewhere at home doing whatever she did and she heard a lot of noise coming from my room. Up she went to investigate and Hah! Away flew Johnny and James. Under her very eyes. Talk about vindication.

But the triumph was nothing to the wonder of the first great escape.
And the moral of the story is, you never know when to trust your children.



*These ,of course, are not budgies. They are blue tits, so you never know, I might get some new and interesting search terms in google...if only I knew how to find them