The Tale of the Parrot

One or two folk have asked about the singing Spanish parrot (see last post), so here’s the story.

Last Friday afternoon, we called at a small store selling pottery and furniture.  Tucked among the shelves of plates and bowls was a cage, home to a fine green parrot.  Amal told me an old man used to work in the store; and he would offer the bird a peanut; and, in return, the bird would then sing its way - note perfectly - through the theme tune from Bridge On The River Kwai.  The old man, however, didn’t seem to have been around much lately; and no-one else seemed able to elicit this extraordinary performance from the bird.

The following afternoon, we stopped at the shop again.  I didn’t have a peanut, but I figured that if I sang the tune myself, maybe the bird would be tempted to join in.  So I approached the cage, pursed my lips and started to whistle my way across the River Kwai.

The parrot, who had been asleep, untucked his head from beneath his wing and began to display huge curiosity.  He cocked his head on one side, hung upside down from his trapeze, and stuck his head through the bars of the cage repeatedly in an attempt to reach me.

Amal’s husband, Anis, was at my side.  ‘Look!  He remembers!  You’re stirring his memory!  Carry on!’

So on I warbled.  I came to the end of the tune and began again.  A couple of times, the parrot let out a tentative squawk as if about to join in, but each time he bottled out.

On I went.  Whistling my way across the river a third time.  Anis was beside himself with excitement.  ‘You’ve made him remember the old man!  See - he looks sad!’

I felt very guilty about making the parrot sad but was determined, having come this far, to persuade him to sing.  So on I went, whistle, whistle, whistle.

After a fourth rendition of the tune, I decided to quit.  The owners of the shop might, after all, object to me standing there, crooning, all afternoon.  Reluctantly, I pulled myself away from the cage. 

On the way out, we stopped at the cash desk and asked after the old man.  We were told he’d died ten years previously.  As had the parrot soon afterwards.  This was a different parrot.

Comments

[helen]

Laughing so hard my eyes are streaming!! Sooo so funny. Oh boy...that's great. Your delivery was perfect by the way :~)))) I'm off to bed to tell it to my husband....a good laugh before sleep must be therapy don't you think?!

[Rosanna]

"We were told he’d died ten years previously. As had the parrot soon afterwards."

It's almost like a bitter sweet love story...