😉 Welcome new and regular readers! This short story about a pigeon “Sly Bird” is a case from life about pigeon’s resourcefulness.
Sly bird
In those distant times, which will be discussed, many bred pigeons. Among the breeders there was a “sweepstake” where you could win a lot of money. It all happened like this: the birds were taken out as far from the house as possible, and then at the same time they were released from their cages.
The owner of the pigeon, who flew home earlier than anyone else, received a monetary reward. An acquaintance of mine once became the winner of such a competition.
Several participants took their birds to a nearby town. There, the pigeons were simultaneously released from their cages. The pigeons immediately soared into the sky and headed towards the house. It should be noted here that the path was not close – about 800 kilometers.
About half an hour after the birds flew out, it was raining. A thunderstorm was about to come. The weather in our area is unpredictable. On top of that, the birds were released in the evening, so they had to get home on a dark night. And at night, pigeons, as you know, do not fly. So they still needed to spend the night in the mountains.
Return of the prodigal pigeons
So, the pigeons flew from point A to point B, where the owners were waiting for them. The winner was entitled to a tidy sum.
By all accounts, the birds should have returned by the evening of the next day. But the owners were still on duty near their dovecotes, even at night. Among them was my friend, breeder Peter. And what was the general surprise when his dove returned to the dovecote the next morning, at sunrise!
At this time, the birds were supposed to be only in the middle of the path. The participants could not believe their eyes: they carefully checked the name ring on the paw with the entry in a special journal. No one had any doubts – this is exactly the bird that was released together with others in the neighboring city.
The rest of the competitors, as expected, returned home in the evening of the same day. Everyone congratulated Peter on his victory and presented him with a cash prize. But many were worried about the question: how did Peter’s pigeon get ahead of its “comrades” by half a day? That was incredible. But the fact remained that the pigeon arrived first.
Winners are not judged
Peter himself did not understand how it happened. He learned the truth a little later.
Once they got into a conversation with a neighbor. She said that just that day she was leaving for her hometown by train and accidentally noticed pigeons sitting on the roof of the carriage. It would seem, what’s wrong with that? The usual thing.
At the next stop, she again saw the same birds on the carriage. After a few stops, nothing has changed – “the same faces and the same scenery”.
Accordingly, while the rest of the “participants in the competition” waited out the night and the wind in the mountains, Peter’s dove calmly rode on the roof of a passenger train. This, of course, is not entirely fair, but, as you know, the winners are not judged.
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