One day while feeding the birds, Princess Twig noticed fewer birds singing and it alarmed her. The next day, even more birds were absent. She inquired of all the animals. One frightened hedgehog said, "They were swallowed up by the darkness."
Princess Twig armed herself with her bow and was escorted by a Bear Guard through the forest. She followed a trail of sunflower seeds on the ground deeper into the forest.
At the edge of the woods, in a thicket, a cave of sorts had been carved into a dark lair. It was cluttered with vines and crowded with dozens of wire cages.
Cages.
Princess Twig and her Bear Guard could see all the birds of the forest - from the Great Horned Owl to the tiny Hummingbird - all trapped in the Cages.
"Let them free," demanded Princess Twig to the darkly cloaked figure.
But the cloaked figure only cackled. "I like to hear them sing. They are mine now."
"No." Princess Twig said. She walked boldly right up to the cloaked figure. "They were not meant to be in cages. They are meant to be free and wild."
"Who will stop me?" asked the cloaked figure. "A little princess like you?"
Princess Twig smiled. "Yes. And my friends."
The Bear Guard stood in their hind legs. The cloaked figure backed up, tripped over a log, and fell into one of the empty cages.
Princess Twig grabbed her keys, unlocked all of the Cages, and sprang the doors open. The birds flapped, flew, and fled. The cloak had fallen to reveal an old, old woman. She called after the birds.
"Nooooooo!" she cried. "Let me out."
"A cage is not a nice place to be, is it?" Princess Twig asked. "I will let you out if you promise something."
"Anything!" the old, old woman croaked.
"Promise to leave the forest and never cage another living thing." Princess Twig said.
The old, old woman agreed and was escorted out of the forest by the Bear Guard, never to be heard from again.
The end
Have a fun and playful day
Mel
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