A young eagle was trapped in between two rocks due to a severe storm. This young eagle had fallen a great distance. Injured and tired, it stayed in one spot. After the storm cleared, a farmer had wandered onto the mountain in search of his cattle. He came across this young eagle and cared for it as if it had been hatched by one of his chickens. It ate with the chickens, it walked among the chickens, and it thought like the chickens.
I was just a week old. Day and night, I lay in the comfort of my warm nest, surrounded by my siblings and mother. My father left some time before I was born. I had never gotten an opportunity to meet him. My mother brought us food every morning. I could’ve gotten used to this life. I was just a week old when everything changed.
What started off as a regular day soon turned into a nightmare. A harsh wind stirred up and the sky took a turn for the worst. We were trapped in the storm. I remember watching my mom leave. As I wandered after her, the wind caught me and threw me from the nest. I must have fallen at least forty yards! I was in intense pain. I was caught between two rocks. I refused to move. If I left I risked dying, but if I stayed I risked living. The choice was mine. I stayed.
The storm cleared and the sound of the river echoed through the mountains. I heard a new sound, one I had never experienced. I looked up. Staring down at me was this large, brown creature. I was frightened by what I later learned was a man. This man took me to his home, and I lived among other birds. I thought for the longest time I was one of them, but I noticed these brown people had a strong desire for the other birds. They never chose me. That was when I noticed that I was different.
One day a crowd gathered in amazement, staring at me among all these other birds. One man, who was kind of close to the farmer, seemed irritated. He spoke to the farmer and pointed at me. I thought this would be it; I thought they would take me like all the others and turn me into supper. But instead, he lifted me above his head and told me, “You belong not to the earth but to the sky. Fly, eagle, fly.” I was hungry and jumped back down to continue eating. “This man is crazy,” I thought to myself. The next day, this same man came around the same time, and he carried me to the top of the tallest hut in the village. He repeated, “You belong not to the earth but to the sky. Fly, eagle, fly.” I was confused and hungry. I fell to the bottom of the hut and continued to eat.
Today was different; the farmer came very early in the morning and picked me out among all other chickens. I saw the man that had picked me up before, and then I was handed to him. He carried me away from the village, across the rivers, through the forest, and into the mountains. The man that had been carrying me was tired, but he did not give up. We reached our destination and stood for a minute. I was curious as to what would happen next. I saw a glare in the horizon and the man began to whisper, “You belong not to the earth but to the sky. Fly, eagle, fly.” I watched the sunrise, and suddenly, I snapped. I remembered my first week of life—my story. I spread my wings. And I flew.
