On a tranquil moonlit night, the echoing silence of Rose Garden is broken only by the cooing voices of a pair of doves and the chatter of a white-headed squirrel. The shrill, talkative Lovey and the gentler, melodic Dovey are telling Shikar all about the daring escapade that brought the beloved squirrel into their lives. They speak of days of rip-roaring adventures when the doves, as scout birds on a mission, wreaked havoc with the plans of the villainous master of the ill-famed bird commune named Stork-pur.
Shikar listens breathlessly, hanging on to every word of the electrifying tale. As the saying went, ‘If it is a good story you want, it is to the Rose Garden you must fly.’!
Who were these spirited and compassionate birds that fought evil with courage and saved a baby squirrel from a horrid end?
Read on to meet the magnificent Rose Garden birds and their devilish foes –
Kabul
In the bird world, skybirds like Kabul are the police who maintain law and order amongst birds. Kabul’s maternal instincts override her usually rational and sagacious approach when she sees the adorable little Shikar in mortal danger. Throwing caution to the wind, Kabul swoops in to protect Shikar-
‘She announced her presence with a battle screech. There was a blur of wings and we saw a bird hurl itself into the midst of the squirrels. The squirrels scattered, but they regrouped, as Kabul turned and faced them again. The squirrels chattered loudly. They huddled together, ready to take on the furious bird.’
Lovey and Dovey
Doves Lovey and Dovey were known to be utterly identical in their appearance, opinions and instincts. Determined to do justice to the mission entrusted to them, the like-minded doves prepare themselves to take on all danger-
‘Dovey glanced at me. ‘We’re not turning back, are we?’
I laughed. ‘Not a chance. Not even if the skies come crashing down on us. We are scouts. You remember what they taught us? The very first thing?’
I turned to look at Dovey. He stared right back at me.
We both recited together: ‘You don’t need to be a hero to be a scout. But you sure need to be brave.’
Mike
Shrewd and nimble, Mike the shrike manages to take advantage of the only moment when Kabul lets her guard down in her super secret conversation with the doves. Armed with damaging information, Mike sets off to create trouble for the birds-
‘It has to be Mike. The shrike saw us with Kabul. It’s Mike who has passed on the information that we are scouts.’
I nodded. ‘Yes, it is Mike. I don’t see how the stork could possibly know otherwise. Mike is somehow involved—not just with this, but with Kabul’s disappearance too.’
Chorus
The only bird who could charm the master with the magic of his melodious songs, Chorus- The whistling thrush- enjoyed the special privilege of unrestricted access to the prison caves in Stork-pur. Creating illusions with his songs, Chorus offered moments of relief and joy to those trapped within the ugly reality of Stork-pur-
‘Chorus too had a job, he said. He was the commune singer. His job was to cheer the workers. No matter their rank, he would sing to them when they were down. Any bird at Stork-pur could ask him for a song. Even prisoners like us. He had sung for Kabul and would sing for us too if we desired so.’
The Master of Stork-pur
The evil creator of Stork-pur was the king bird who aspired to become the undisputed ruler of all birds.. With a halo of villainy surrounding his very presence, the master’s long, coiled black neck and cold, beady eyes could strike terror in the heart of the mightiest birds-
‘Yet, there was something about this stork. It wasn’t his ghastly looks that you noticed when you first saw him. What struck you instead was his bearing. There was this imperious emperor like air about him. It showed in the way the stork held his neck, in the casual swagger of his walk, and in the disdainful manner he brushed past the crouching ospreys.’
With an injured Kabul in captivity and enemy birds hot on the heels of the exhausted doves, would Regal- The Golden Eagle- emerge from the shadow of legend and rumour to vanquish evil and restore peace and happiness to the bird world?
Step into the world of Stork-pur to find out!
