A girl was walking in the woods when she found two weak birds. She took them home and put them in a small cage (鸟笼). She took good care of them. The birds grew strong. Every morning, they greeted her with a beautiful song. The girl felt great love for the birds. She wanted them to sing for her forever.
One day, the girl left their cage door open by mistake. The bigger of the two birds flew out. The girl watched as he rose high into the sky. She was afraid that he would fly away and she would never see him again. As he flew close, she caught him in her hand and held him tightly (紧紧地). She was happy. Suddenly, she felt the bird go limp (无力的). She opened her hand.
The bird was dead! Her love had stolen life from the beautiful bird.
The other bird was pushing against the cage. She could see how much he wanted to be free.
She took him out of the cage and gently sent him to the air. Would the bird fly away? In fact, the bird just wanted to stretch (伸展) his wings. He flew around the girl twice and then came to rest on her shoulder.
The girl watched the bird with joy in her heart. She wasn't worried anymore. She wanted the bird to be happy. The bird sat by the girl's ear and sang the sweetest song she had ever heard.
The best way to keep love is to give them wings.
