I was born to love the sky, everything in my nature pointed in that direction. I can remember the day that I was born, slowing peering through the tiny slits where my big round eyes are now. Wanting to feel the warmth of my mother next to brothers and sisters. It was the first day I had seen the bright blue along with the almost hand-drawn white clouds. I looked down, frightened of how high I was but my mother covered me with her thick, warm arms assuring me that nothing would happen.

I totally adored the sky. Every morning I would wake up early so that I could feel the fresh chilly breeze on my cheeks while waiting for my mother to feed me. As time went by, I grew into a proud, young man. I’d been taught everything there was to know about the sky and I was finally ready to explore and make my mark on it.

One day, as I was exploring the rocky surrounding of Table Mountain, I came across something unbelievable. It was huge with lengthy branches entwined into each other. It had taken great craftsmanship to build something of this stature. Little did I realise what I just stepped into.

I heard a screeching cry high up in the sky but could not track in which direction it came from. As I stepped closer to see what I discovered, I heard a whistling sound as if the wind was giving me a warning. Curiosity got the better of me and I choose to ignore it. With each step I took, the crackling sound of wood got louder and louder. I tried tip-toeing to try and lighten the sound but it simply did not work. To this day, I simply don’t know why I just did not use my arms. I was frightened and excited at the same time.

My fate was sealed the moment I got into what my people called the ‘pit of hell’. At that instant, I realised where I was after countless tales which my mother told me. The wind suddenly went to rest and the screeching cry was no longer high up in the sky but above me. I tried to use my arms to get away but its power got the better of me. A predator to my kind and a creature who reigns supreme over the beautiful skies.

I tossed and turned as I tried to escape its wrath. I could feel the drops of sweat pouring down my face as my heart pounded in my chest. But the creature made its mistake by thinking a tiny thing like myself was no match for it. I used the dust that was in its lands and blew it like powder into the creature’s eyes.

I blinded it for a split second, hoping that I could get away. It stumbled over the lengthy branches, causing it to become dizzy. I hoped that was my opportunity to get away but as I took off, I felt a sharp pain through my left arm. The creature gained consciousness and used its mouth to sling a branch against my arm. I lost my balance and twisted in the air, hitting a rock on my fall down.

That was the day I was blown from the sky. Nature played a cruel trick on me. I was born fearing how high I was, now I feared how low I was. I lost the very ability that made my kind unique. Today I cry out to the sky that I loved so long ago to take me back.

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