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Dear Diary,
I have been busy with my iPod...
The Tale Of Tui and Magpie
A short story in the style of Kipling's "Just So" stories
by Merinda S Scott, age 11.34
Back when the world was new, O dear one, and humans did not live
in New Zealand or Australia yet, Tui and Magpie both had very
beautiful voices. It is true today that Tui's voice is still
charming, but back when the world was new, O dear one, It was
unbeleivably fabulous. It was full of different notes, (still as
it is today) but each note was very long, going from deep and
low to shrill and high, and there were long silent spaces
between notes. But O dear one, I can not describe it as it was,
so you shall have to imagine. Magpie's voice was, back then,
very different. Quite the opposite as it is now. It was long and
shrill, and sweet and jingled like bells. One day, when Tui was
in an especially good mood and he was feeling especially proud
of his voice, he was sing loudly and, by chance for the very
first time, Magpie heard his voice from across the waters.
Magpie, being quite a selfish and spiteful bird was angered to
hear a bird with a voice as fine as his. He followed Tui's
voice across the Pacific Ocean all the way to New Zealand where
he found Tui. Magpie trilled his voice and preened. Tui, being a
competitive and proud bird, warbled a long stretching note.
Magpie took his voice higher. Tui sung two notes that were a
little shorter. It went on. Magpie stretched, higher and higher,
Tui changed notes faster and faster, Until Magpie was almost
screaming and it sounded close to jingling bells and scraping
metal, and Tui's notes had no tranquil beauty - just speedy ups
and downs with no orderly pitch. And Magpie's voice cracked. He
went so high it was unbeleivable and it was to much for him, so
you must understand, O dear one, that he broke into a hideous
shriek. Tui sped so fast through his notes. The noise of the two
could be heard all through the forest of New Zealand. The great
Maori Spirit of the forests, Tane, who was also father of all
birds and wildlife, was disturbed. He came to find the noise.
Magpie heard him coming and was so frightened he flew away,
heading for his Australia. Tane saw him though and turned on
Tui. "Tui, o my son of my forest, how dare you bring an
Australian bird into our peaceful forests! And how dare you
misuse your beautiful voice so that it is like this?" he said.
Tui desperately tried to slow his voice, and make it sound
composed. He manage to stop his flitty warbling and gasp. "Tane,
O great spirit of my home forest and father of my brothers and
sisters, I can explain. I mean... I was simply singing
loudly..." spluttered Tui. "Ah," said Tane. "You were boasting
your voice quite louldly." Tui look ashamed, and dropped his
eyes. "O please great Tane help me fix my voice!" he said
pathetically. Great Tane looked down on him and said "Tui you
have boasted your voice, and lead an unwelcome bird into our
home, and challenged him. You have brought this upon yourself. I
shall not five you your voice back. No, instead as pumisment for
bragging and leading him here, I shall keep your song like that
forever." and so what Tane said was heard, and it is like this
today. Meanwhile, Magpie flew home as fast as he could. When he
reached the homeland he collapsed. He tried his voice again, but
it came out as an ugly squawk. So he went to look for the
Rainbow Serpent, the great aboriginal spirit, who, in the form
of a snake, carved the very land of Australia, and made mountains
and gorges with his huge body. When Magpie found him he was
sleeping, as most spirits do. Rainbow Serpent heard him and
opened an eye. "Who, in the name of the deadly Minka bird, and I
who carved the land, disturbs my slumber?" he asked. "'Tis I,
Magpie, to ask a favour. My beautiful voice is ruined! It is a
screeching squawk! It is all Tui's fault -" he stopped. The
Rainbow Serpent's eyes both opened wide. "Tui's fault? Do tell,"
he said slyly. Magpie, who just wanted his song back, sighed and
said "I heard him and flew to New Zealand. Where I showed him my
voice." Rainbow Serpent understood. He said disaprovingly "so you
were jealous of a bird with a voice as fine as yours, so you
deliberately left the country, as you are certainly not to," he
added sternly "and you boasted and showed off your voice so much
that it is like this?" Magpie hung his head. "it is your fault
your voice is ruined, o spiteful Magpie. You disobeyed and so I
shall not give you your song back. Be gone." said Rainbow
Serpent, and he closed his eyes for sleep. And so it is today
that Magpie and Tui's voices are the same. It is true, o dear
one, that Tui came out the better of the two, but he was
certainly less spiteful.
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My first 7.41 years in Santa Rosa
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