The Constant Dove


Summary

The story revolves around Daisy, a white dove, who prefers to stay on the eaves of a house, and Nuthatch, a busy little bird searching for bugs. As they converse, Daisy questions Nuthatch about his plans for when the cold weather arrives, while Nuthatch mainly focuses on gathering food. Daisy expresses her own preparation by relying on kind hands to provide for her through the winter, showing her trust in the kindness of others and her patience for spring. In contrast, Nuthatch intends to rely on his wings to fly south in search of warmer climates. The story emphasizes themes of preparation, trust, and varying approaches to dealing with seasonal changes, capturing the different survival strategies of the two birds.

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Once upon a time, there was a white dove named Daisy who loved to sit on the sunny eaves of the house and watch the world go by.

One day, while Daisy was sitting on the eaves, she saw a little bird named Nuthatch. Nuthatch was very busy tapping away at the gable of the house, looking for spiders and other bugs to eat.

Daisy called out to Nuthatch, “What will you do when the north wind grieves?” But Nuthatch was too busy to answer. He was too busy looking for bugs to eat.

Daisy smiled at Nuthatch, for she was a very kind dove. She knew that when the cold weather came, the bugs would be gone and Nuthatch would have nothing to eat.

Nuthatch finally stopped his tapping and looked at Daisy. “What will you do when the frost stings?” he asked.

Daisy cooed softly, “Kind hands will feed me with crumbs and grain, and I will wait patiently for spring to come again.”

Nuthatch laughed loudly. “How can you be such a silly bird? What are your wings for, if not to fly away from the cold? I’ll fly off to the south in search of summer. Will you follow me too?”

Daisy just smiled and looked at the reddening leaves around her and she heard me whisper: “I will feed and caress you all winter long.”