Once upon a time there was a little boy who lived in the horrible dirty center of a massive city. The young orphan lived off what scraps he could find and the rare coins the desensitized urbanites seldom tossed his way. Alone and deeply saddened, the dark eyed youth looked up into the black nights sky every night and made the same wish: "Please, I wish to leave this city." Alas, each morning the boy woke to the same dingy mold covered walls and, the pain twisting at his stomach, knew he must resume the search for food. He could not simply walk out of the wretched building infested land, because there was no way to survive on the bleak wasteland roads stretching outward in every direction. So, the boy rubbed his soot smeared face and began his dreary day of rifling through dust binds looking for frozen bits of sustenance.
As the boy climbed into his long since abandoned room, he laid down upon his soiled rags of a bed and tried to go to sleep. He closed his eyes and made his nightly wish as a scraching noise roused him from his silent plea. Looking up he saw a magnificent blue jay illuminated in the shimmering moon light, standing on the glasless windowseal. The boy cocked his head, tangled greasy dark hair falling over his face, and thought how odd it was to see a bluejay in the middle of the night. The poised bird stared directly at the boy with unflinching black eyes. The shivering youth was amazed that the tiny beautiful creature did not fly away as he sat up. Truly, as the boy stood up and approached the brilliant blue and white bird, the creature did nothing more than lock eyes with the boy. Slowly and as friendly as he could, the child reached out his hand and stroked the smooth back of the feathery life.
He could feel the heart of this being upon their shared touch, a soul so generous as to make the boy shed a tear of undefined gratitude. The little bird, with a fluder of sky blue wings, perched herself upon his shoulder. As she rubbed her beak across his moistened cheek a tremor of understanding coursed through the boy's mind. If he was brave and wishes it the little blue jay could grant his wish. With a joyful teary nod the boy accepted her gift and the creature immediately returned to his hand and pecked a small scratch upon his palm.
The child watched in awe as a single drop of blood formed at the minuscule wound; from that prick he could see a tinny blue feather sprout. The ticking fragile feather was joined by another and then another as he watch his hand transform slowly into a soft wing. The walls seemed to grow around him as he could feel his new form overtake his entire body and mind. The impulse of flight, a feeling of freedom seeping into his soul, gripped him as he spread his delicate wings and shot out into the cool night. Waves of excitement washed over him as he saw the gritty awful city become a collection of dots far beneath him. Looking to his side he could see his new companion keeping pace with his flight. She smiled at the boy's giddy enjoyment in a way only another bird could understand.
She took the lead as the two flew without fatigue far away from the city; higher and higher into the star speckled darkness until the boy could hardly see the earth below him. Losing all sense of time and physical reality, the boy could feel the shift within his own spirit. The lines of existence and dreaming blurred together as the serene pair made thier way to the grass hills before them.
Landing upon a great granite bolder, the boy looked around himself and knew where he was: 'This is far enough away,' he thought to himself. Seeing the happy tears in his savor's eyes, he leaned over and gave her a kiss for saving him. The two nestled down together in contentment and listen as the great bolder told them a story of ancient times and peoples that existed long long ago.
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