Natalia Divarti and the Birds

   Natalia Divarti loves birds. She's enthusiastic whenever she talks about birds. Natalia loves taking pictures of birds. Whenever she and her father go for a walk in the forest, Natalia brings her camera along with her.

"I think Natalia will study birds when she grows up," the neighbors would say to Mr. and Ms. Divarti.



   One night, after her mother and father read her a story, tucked up in and kissed her good-night. Natalia begins to dream.

  She is standing in the middle of the forest. It is dark and there is mist so thick that Natalia couldn't see a lot of the trees.

"Where am I?" Natalia said to herself. "And how did I get here?"

  Natalia wanders around this strange, seemingly-dark wood until she see a bright, yellow light. Natalia run towards it. There is more then one light, there are many lights. "Maybe it's a house," thought Natalia...but it isn't a house. Natalia has come to a giant TREE! bigger then any tree she has ever seen with her father on their walks and as tall the building her mother works in.

"Hello there!" calls a small voice.

"Who said that?" said Natalia.

"I did," replied the voice. Natalia looks around and on a bush behind her was a little blue jay.

"Hello," she said.  "My name's Natalia. What's your name?"

"My name is Rocket," said the jay.

"Why are you called 'Rocket'?" said Natalia.

"Because I'm really fast," Rocket replied; and he takes off at great speed with loop-de-loops and darting swoops.

"Would you like a tour of our kingdom?" said Rocket.

"Oh yes!" said Natalia.

    Rocket leads Natalia inside the tree. In the tree's center is a city with many storage spaces full of various berries and nuts. The smaller spaces housed birds of all kinds: junkos, robins, owls, sparrows, finches and many others. And outside each window of each nest apartment, is a platform for birds to take off into the sky.



    Natalia's eyes (as a big as a dog's bouncy ball) never leave the gaze at all the tree's wonders.

"Do you want to meet our king?" said Rocket.

"Yes I would," said Natalia.

  As the pair head upwards to the king's perch, Natalia asks Rocket where did the name 'Rocket' come from if he's never seen a real rocket. Rocket said that since he is bird and when birds fly everywhere in the world they learn about humans and the things they make. When he was hatched, his father saw a rocket zooming through the sky and decided to name him that.

  Soon Natalia and Rocket come upon a door-way with two tawny hawks guarding each side.

"We want to see the king," Rocket said to the guards.

  Before the guards could speak or do anything, a booming "Bring them!" rang from the throne room. The king of the tree-kingdom is a regal, muscular eagle with a gold crown on his head and a cape lined with weasel tails. From his perch, he peers at the two youngsters with his big amber eyes.

"Who are you?" he bellowed.

  Rocket bows and said "Your Majesty, my name is Rocket and this is my new friend Natalia," as he points to Natalia. "I have bought her here to see you."

"Please to meet you, Your Majesty," said Natalia and she bows. "I love tree kingdom."

"Thank you, little Natalia," said the king. "I am glad you love our home. But you have come to visit us at a bad time."

"Oh what's wrong?" said Natalia with a gasp.

"It's the bats," said the king with a grim shake of his old head. "They want to invade our tree and take control of our sky space."

"Sky space?" said Natalia. "What's that?"



"You see Natalia," said the king. "The bats are jealous of being the second flying creatures, and had declared war on us birds! but I have a few soldiers. The rest of the army are in the forest looking for food...We wouldn't stand a chance!"

  Natalia has learned from her parents that fighting does not solve a problem. But then, she thinks of an idea (after remembering a bedtime story), and whispered her little trick to Rocket. Rocket loves the idea and is glad to be part of it.

"Your Majesty," said Natalia to the king. "I have an idea." And she tells him her scheme.

   So the plan is set in motion: Rocket enlists the help of a beaver family to find a tree that is almost as big as the bird-tree. Natalia and the king find some fireflies for lighting the way.

  When the right tree was found, the beavers set to work making the interior exactly like the inside of the bird-tree. When the beavers have finished, Rocket flies to Natalia and the birds to let them know everything is ready.



   Sure enough, the bat army arrive, like a giant pitch-black cloud, they are ready for the invasion; but them...

"Look there!" calls a bat soldier.

"It must be a beacon on the birds' tree," said the king of the bats. "ONWARD!" he shouts and the bat army follow the direction of the light - straight to the tree. A firefly flew to a row of bushes where Natalia and her feathered friends are hiding.

"Mission accomplished," said the firefly.

"OK!" said Natalia with enthusiasm.

   At the tree, the bat king orders a soldier to go inside and tell the king of the birds to surrender or the bats will attack. But when the bat is inside, something tells him that something is wrong. Rocket who is watching the whole thing gives a signal to the beaver family.

"Now!" he calls and quick as a wink the beavers begin to gnaw and chomp at the tree. Inside the bats feel a great tremor and start to topple ans slide to the left side.

"RETREAT!" cries the general. "The tree is falling over!" And with tremendous speed, the army of bats escape just in time to watch the tree go CR-RASH! to the ground.



  Natalia and the birds throw a net made of creeper vines on the bat army.

"Release us at once!" snaps the bat king.

"Alright," said Natalia. "But promise us no dirty tricks."

"Promise," said the bat king grimly; the birds take the net off the bats.

"I must know, little girl," replies the bat king. "What made you come up with this trick?"

"Well, Rocket and I thought of switching trees," explains Natalia. "And the next part was from remembering the story of "Jack and the Beanstalk" where Jack cuts the beanstalk...I did it to scare you."

  She then turns to the bird king. "My mom and dad always say that fighting is very bad, and the sky is big and wide for all of you to share."

  The two king stare at each other for a bit and realize that the little human girl is right...they have been silly.

"Now please make up and be friends," said Natalia with stern frown.

"Alright," said the two kings simultaneously; they shook wings and apologize. All the birds and bats cheer...the feud is over.

"Thank you, little Natalia," said the bird king.

"Yes thank you," said the bat king.




"From now on," said Natalia. "Birds and bats can be friends." The cheering and clapping of wings rang good and loud. Until...

"Natalia. Natalia get up." Natalia opens her eyes and finds herself in her bedroom; her mother is calling her from downstairs.

"Natalia, breakfast is ready," calls Ms Divarti.

"Coming!" shouts Natalia and then thought to herself. "It was all a dream...but it was a fun dream," as she goes downstairs.


THE END