Copyright 1998 -- Robert Baer Jr.

PROLOGUE


Have you ever wondered what would happen if the world went to the birds?  
It has in BirdWorld!   This is the continuing story of Robin Mallory,
devoted wife, mother and media star!   Can she find peace in the fast
paced tapestry that is called life?   We'll ask "Chipper" Birdwell,
Robin's father, to clue us in on the situation....


BirdWorld -  "The Rainy Day"

Today it is sprinkling rain as we approach Mr. Birdwell's birdhouse.  Old
Chipper is quietly sitting in a hammock on his front porch, seemly unaware
of our presence.   "Well, well, well,"  Chipper chirps calmly,"didn't
think I'd see you on a rainy day like this!   I'd offer you the shelter of
my front porch, but you're a little too big!  (Chuckle)   You know, it
doesn't rain all that often in BirdWorld, but when it does, the entire
place is affected.   Very hard for us non-swimming birds to fly in
drizzling rain, so this very act of nature all but shuts the city down.  
School is usually called off due to the inability of teachers and pupils
to fly there, most businesses close also.  Of course in the media, the
"show" must go on!   My daughter Robin usually finds a way to get to work,
even in the worst downpours!   Take last week for example:


The heavy rain started very early that morning, it was so bad there was
mud and mudpuddles shattered all over our back yard and as far as the eye
could see.   Robin had a "quick bite" for breakfast and holding an
umbrella over her head, did a systematic "hopping dance" around the
puddles and was soon out of sight.   I'd been watching Robin do this on
rainy days for so long, I stopped worrying about it.   The owner of Joe's
restraunt called and told him to stay home today, and of course the radio
announced that school was cancelled also!   This made Chuck and James jump
for joy all over the kitchen but saddened Nancy and Zoe, those two little
ladies ADORE school!   But they reasoned as long as they had their
computer Internet connection, they could 'survive' without school. 
However, it wasn't long until the thunder and lightning came along and
knocked out both our cable TV and our phones.

"Drat!"  Zoe screamed,"I can't access the Internet!"

"Now what are we going to do?"  Nancy worried aloud,"just sit around like
cavebirds with no access to the outside world?"

"Now, now you two,"  I said politely,"there's more to life and education
than electronic gadgets and stuff!"

"Grandpa is right," interrupted James,"we can go outside and make mud pies
and mud castles and have a mud fight!"

"Sounds good to me!"  Chuck added,"let's go!"

"Now just hold it you two!"  Joe shouted with authority,"no one is going
out in that downpour and do anything!   I don't want your mom coming home
to a floor that is tracted with muddy clawprints all over it!   All of you
children will be staying indoors today, better just find something to do
quietly.   Since I can't go to work and cook gourmet food there, I'll cook
a fine gourmet lunch here!   Perhaps Grandpa might have an idea to help
you children pass the time."

"Well, how about I read you youngin's a story!"  I suggested.

"A story,"  James asked.

"Those old books are all boring!"  Chuck muttered.

"What are reading something educational?"  Zoe added.

"Like the Wall Street Journal or the New England Journal of Medicine?" 
Becky chirped.

"I have a BETTER idea,"  I said with a smile,"how about I read you one of
the books that that dinosaur fellow brought with him and left here?   What
do you say to that?"

"WOW, one of HIS books?"  James shouted.

"One that the huge reptile brought?" Zoe added.

"Does it have any fighting in it?"  Chuck asked.

"This might prove to be interesting."  Becky said calmly.

"Well,"  I started,"I read this one called 'The defeat of Scorch the
Dragon', if you all want to hear it."

That's all it took, all four of those kids quickly found seats on the
living room furniture and were eagerly waiting for me to begin!   

"ok, here we go!:

Long ago in a medival kingdom was the village of Nur, which was constantly
under attack by a large, fire breathing dragon named Scorch.  This dragon
never destroyed the villiage, but he always had fun scaring the people and
burning a house or two and flying low to the ground to snatch food with
his large, powerful jaws.   The villiagers tried many different ways to
drive away the beast, even the bravest knights in the King's army couldn't
defeat the large flying creature.   The king became so despirate that he
offered a handsome reward to anyone that could somehow stop the beast's
rampage.  This went on day after day, month after month until one day
Scorch happened to be flying around the countryside and spied a small
farm, owned by a poor but humble man named William Tilbert.   His wife
Sarah and three children, Hans, Fritz and young Vanessa (who was only
eight) were out working in the field.  That mean old dragon swooped down
and in an instant, breathed fire on their home and barn!   Everyone, ran
away in terror, all except young Vanessa.   For some strange reason, she
wasn't a bit frightened of the dragon!  

Scorch happened to land on the field in front of the burning buildings,
laughing and pointing at his lastest handywork!  He didn't even notice the
little girl who was slowly walking towards him.  "Mr Dragon, why did you
burn down my daddy's house and barn?"  she asked the creature.   

Scorch was so surprized and amazed at this little child's bravery that he
turned and looked her in the eye and replied,"because I'm Scorch the
Dragon, this is the kind of thing we dragons do!  For you see, we dragons
are the most intelliegent, most cunning and most honorable creatures in
the whole world!   I'm no mere savage who goes about destroying everything
in his path, I merely am amusing myself, having a good time, so to speak,
do you understand, young human child?"

Vanessa's mom and dad had returned looking for her, and when they saw the
dragon and their daughter 'talking' together, they ran to the villiage to
get help!   Meanwhile, Vanessa answered Scorch's reply,"if you are so
honorable, why do you destroy people's homes and fly off with their food? 
 I thought honorable creatures were honest!"

"You try my patience, little girl!"  the dragon snarled,"do you not
realize that I could eat you in one bite, or burn you to a crisp with one
mere poof of my breath?"

By this time, most of the villiagers had returned with Vanessa's parents,
but they all keep a good distance away from the two of them, they all
sensed something very strange was about to happen here.

"What glory and fame would the great Scorch get from destroying a little
girl like me?"  Vanessa asked,"what fun is it to fight a defenseless human
like me?"

This made the dragon think,"you do have a point, young lady!"  Scorch
answered,"I tell you what, I'll fight you with a battle of wits!  I will
ask you a riddle, answer me within a minute and I'll spare your life, if
you fail to answer then you'll be a tasty snack for me, agreed?"

"Agreed!" Vanessa shouted,"I'm very good at riddles!"

The crowd of villiagers gasped, they couldn't believe what they were
seeing!   Sarah Tilbert fainted in the arms of her husband, some in the
crowd were tempted to 'storm' the dragon but realized that that option was
futile.  They could only watch as the drama unfolded before their eyes.

"Here is my riddle, little girl!" the Dragon snarled,"If you were a
woodsman, and at dawn you chopped down forty trees and planted four, then
on another plot of land, chopped down seventy trees and planted fourteen,
and yet on another plot of land, cut down fifty trees and plants twenty
one......."

"Ok!" Vanessa shouted in expectation.

"What is the name of the woodsman?"  Scorch concluded.

The villagers all gasped again!  Some shouted that the question was
unfair, that there was no answer.

"That's easy!"  Vanessa answered,"the woodsman would be me!  You said in
the beginning of the riddle that I was the woodsman!"

"Correct, young human!"  Scorch said with great surprise,"you are much
smarter than I thought you were, as was our agreement, I will spare your
life!"

"OK," Vanessa replied,"now may I ask you a riddle?"

"You?   Ask the great Scorch a riddle?"

"Yes, are you afraid you might not know the answer?"

"Young lady, I, the mighty Scorch, have NEVER, EVER been stumped on a
riddle in all my years of existance!   I know all mysteries and have all
the answers to every question ever asked!"

"Well, I'll bet you don't have the answer to THIS one!"

"You're trying my patience one more, little girl, ask your question!"

"Well, let's make it a little interesting, if I stump you on this
question, do you promise to leave this kingdom and never return?"

"You DARE to challenge me in such a way, you young female?"

"What's the matter, is the Great Scorch afraid of a mere question?  A
question he can not answer?"

"Very well, little girl, I agree to your terms, what is this great
question of yours?  I know I will answer it!"

"Ok, as you did with me, I give you one minute to answer this riddle:  Who
is the greatest keeper of knowledge, the smartest beast in the world, who
was incorrect, only once?"

The great dragon stood there, deep in thought, thinking and thinking,
unable to find the answer in his mind.  He opened his mouth to speak, but
no words came out, he was so afraid of giving the wrong answer.  He
started to sweat, and drum his huge fingers nervously until finally...

"Time's up!"  Vanessa shouted with joy, "you lose Scorch!"

"This is impossible!"  Scorch growled,"you will tell me the answer NOW
little girl!"

"The answer is simple!"  Vanessa screamed,"the answer is Scorch the
Dragon!"

"ME!" the creature screamed in rage.

"Yes, you said you could answer my question, you couldn't so you were
incorrect, incorrect for the FIRST TIME EVER!"  Vanessa said with pride.

"YOU TRICKED ME, YOU EVIL LITTLE GIRL!"  Scorch yelled,"I WILL EAT YOU NOW
AND NO ONE WILL EVER KNOW!"

"All of them will know!"  Vanessa said as she pointed to the large crowd
of villiagers who had been watching the entire scene.  One villiager
shouted,"HOORAY, THE MIGHTY SCORCH IS DEFEATED!"  Another shouted the
same, and within a minute, the entire crowd was chanting the defeat of the
great monster!

"YOU VILLIAGERS STOP THAT AT ONCE!" Scorch screamed.

"Mr Dragon,"  Vanessa said with a smile,"you must keep your word, a
bargain is a bargain, and you CLAIM to be an honorable dragon, don't you?"

These words cut that old dragon to the quick!   He knews that Vanessa was
right, and that the villiagers were no longer afraid of him.   Without
another word said, the mighty dragon flapped his wings, and flew away, far
away into the sky, never to be seen again!

The happy villagers picked up Vanessa on their shoulders and rushed her to
the King's castle.  The King kept his word, and Vanessa was handed a large
bag of gold!  She gave it to her parents so they could rebuild their home
and barn, and they and the entire villiage lived happily ever after!  
That is the story of how an eight year old girl defeated the mighty Scorch!
The End."

"WOW, What a story!"  James shouted.

"Yeah, that human sure had guts!"  Chuck screamed.

"Very well written, although the plot could've been a little better,"
Becky said calmly.

"Where's the rest of those books?"  Zoe asked eagerly.

When I pointed to the living book bookshelf, those four birds made a mad
dash towards it!   Suddenly they all wanted to sit down quietly and read a
book!   I've never seen anything like it in my life!   So, my rained
soaked friend, if you want something to do on a rainy day, read a book!  
In fact, reading a book never hurt anyone, whether it's raining or not!  
There may be all sorts of high tech gismos out there, but take it from
this old bird, nothing can quite take the place of reading a book, turn on
the imagination, and relax with a good book today!   Now, if you'll please
excuse me, I'm going to take my own advice, and select a book to read, see
you soon and try to stay dry, will you?

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