The Snowy Plover

Once there was this little bird, unhappy with just being a bird. He was a Snowy Plover, passing by the beach quite often, wondering how it would be to be able to swim in the sea. He always figured that animals could fly and walk or swim and walk, flying and swimming was just not possible as far as he knew. Until one day, while flying from tree to tree, playing with butterflies and his fellow wingfriends, he saw an animal with wings floating on the water. The Snowy Plover flew down and took place next to the lake. The swimming bird came out of the water, it was a bird with a reddish bill,  red-looking legs and feet, with feathers all in white covered by black wingtips. And on its very elegant, slender neck the bird had a proud white head.

"Excuse me, what kind of bird are you?" - the little Plover asked.
"Well, I'm a goose of course, can't you see?"- replied the proud creature.
"Oh, I've never heard of that, Mr. Goose. Can you fly?". wondered the Plover.
"What planet are you from, Snowy Plover? Of course I can fly. Geese are famous for flying in their V-form, for sure they must've thought you in school." - quacked the goose
"Ow, I see. And I saw that you can swim and walk too. It must be wonderful to swim, is it not?" - and the Plover looked at the Goose, full of admiration.
"Swimming is the greatest thing in the world, I consider myself happy to be able to do so. I can not imagine being just another bird, what kind of life would that be?" he quacked.

At that point the other geese started quacking, giving a sign to get back into the water to swim with them. With his head up high, the goose entered the water and swam off.
The words of the Goose remained in the Snowy Plover's head all through the evening. Right before sleeping he decided that tomorrow would be the day, he would look for a small lake and try to get in the water. He hoped to become as cool and elegant as the goose he had met earlier.

The next morning, the Plover flew to a small lake next to the mountains. He landed on a small stone next to the water, now he stood there, with his thin legs on a rock, very near to the water. Ah, just one jump would seperate him from swimming. But first, with his wings, he touched the water -but  how cold it was, oh so cold! He pictured the goose from yesterday again, manned up and jumped into the water. He moved his black legs in the water, stroke his wings, but he didn't move forward. He started to go under water, and just when he was about to go completely under, a Falcon flew over the lake and saved the little Plover.

The Falcon took the small bird up to the mountains, for recovery. How great it felt to the Snowy Plover to be so high in the air and at such speed! Never had he experienced such speed. The Falcon told the Plover to remain still as he would go and look for something to eat. While his saviour was up in the air, the Plover couldn't help but worship that bird. He must have been three times as big as him, and while in the air his wings for sure had a span of 1 meter. And in the clear blue sky, its bluish, grey wings with black tips were like art to the little bird. The plover thought to himself: "What a speed, oh God the Falcon was so fast. How unbelievable it must be to fly at such a speed, while I am an average bird, this one for sure is the top of the top! I can't swim, but perhaps I can fly as fast as the Falcon!"

The Falcon returned and gave the Plover something to eat. The Plover took a look at the mighty bird's yellow feet, and became a little scared of its black beak and claws.
"Are all Falcons as fast as you"- he asked.
"Oh, no, I'm not just a Falcon my friend. I am a Peregrine Falcon, I'm the fastest flying creature on earth".
"Wauw, I never heard of a Peregrine Falcon. Can you swim as well? "-wondered the Plover
"Swim? Why would I want to swim? The water is cold, mostly dirty and it's dangerous. We, Falcons, are free to fly all over the sky. There is no limit to our freedom. And with our speed, oh no, I wouldn't trade it for anyting in the world!" - lectured the Falcon.

After he got back on his feet, the Plover thanked the Falcon and flew back home. After hearing the Falcon talk, watching him fly, he didn't care for swimming that much. He decided to fly to the highest hill the next day to gain very high speed in free fall. To feel how cool it must be to be a Falcon.
The Plover flew higher than he had ever been, he felt tired so took a rest on top of a mountain. From there he would fly in full speed towards the beach, to show all swiming creatures how fast and happy he was. But the Snowy Plover couldn't handle the speed, and during his free fall, he lost his balance and crashed heavily into the sand. With broken wings he lay there, crying for having failed again.


A turtle came by, slowly inspecting the Plover. He promised the little bird to help him fix his wings, but for the time being he was not permited to fly. And the Turtle told him about how dangerous it was to fly too fast. The Little Plover got keen on the Turtle, and told him about his dreams. How he had always wanted to swim, but almost died trying. Of how he got rescued by a Peregrine Falcon and tried to fly as fast as him. And that now, walking slowly next to the Turtle, he felt so hopeless and without any dream.

"Why do you think the Falcon loves his speed so much?" "Why does the goose love to swim and fly?" - the Turtle asked.
"I don't know", said the Little Plover. "I guess they are lucky enough to be doing what they like. While me, I have nothing to live for". - he said very depressed
"Nonsense!" replied the Turtle. "Every animal has something to do, and we all wonder from time to time how it would be to be another animal. Don't you think I have never thought of flying? Of running as fast as a Cheetah?" - he asked
"Ow, but did you try to fly? Did you try to run as fast as a Cheetah?"  - the Plover asked in return
"When I was your age, desperate as I was, I tried many a thing. But in the end I could not deny it, I was a Turtle. The moment I accepted this, that was the most beautiful moment in my life." spoke the Turtle.

And before the Snowy Plover's wings healed, the Turtle confessed that he would love to know how the world looked from high up in the sky. And he made a deal with the Little Plover. While the bird would fly to places the Turtle would never be able to go, the Turtle would swim places and tell all about it to the Snowy Plover. So both lived according to their nature, with a view broader then before, meeting eachother oftend and telling about what they had seen in their habitat.