The Aviary School birds were thrilled. An assembly had been called in the break time. A break time assembly always meant that something exciting was in the pipeline.

“Good day, my little birds,” announced Wiz Rooster, the respected principal of the Aviary School as he perched himself on a high wooden platform in the school courtyard. The birds waited expectantly. Dazel could hardly conquer her restlessness.

“I have some exciting news for you. We have decided to take all of you on a field trip to a wildflower reserve this Saturday,” the rooster declared. A series of whoops and hurrahs filled the air and the principal had to pause for the animated chatter to die down.

“Now, I need consent from your parents by tomorrow so we can start making arrangements for the trip. But the most important thing is that Dr Owl will be coming to school tomorrow to check whether you all are fit to travel to the reserve,” the principal explained.

This seemed to give rise to a murmur of confusion. “What do you mean ‘fit to travel’, Sir?” asked Candy the canary.

The rooster smiled kindly, “The wildflower reserve is rich in pollen and we need to check if any of you might be allergic. Those who are found to be mildly allergic will be given some herbs to combat the allergic reaction but those found to be highly allergic will not be allowed to travel with the group,” the rooster said. The assembly came to an end but the birds could hardly concentrate in their classes.

“What does Wiz Rooster mean by ‘highly allergic’?” Swain the black swan, Dazel’s classmate, asked Kia the kingfisher, during their geography lesson.

“Spring brings with it pollen and tree allergies which can be very distressing. A few years ago when we took all the birds to the wildflower reserve a few birds fell so sick that we had to cut our trip short and return,” Kia added. This is just a pre-trip precaution.“

The birds nodded in comprehension. The next day Dr Owl attended the morning assembly at the Aviary School. “Oh dear, I hope I’m not allergic,” whispered Swain to Dazel as they eyed the doctor.

The entire morning was spent in the birds being pulled out of class and being sent to Wiz Rooster’s office where Dr Owl had set up his makeshift clinic. When it was Dazel’s class’s turn the birds all seemed to squirm in anticipa­tion. “There’s nothing to worry about,” said Ms Thrush, their vice principal.

But when Rita the robin came back to class teary eyed, Dazel didn’t feel quite as confident. “I can’t go for the trip,” sniffed Rita. “Apparently I am extremely allergic to tree pollen and a hoard of trees surround the wildflower reserve.”

“Are you serious?” exclaimed Dazel. But three other birds from Dazel’s class were declared ‘unfit’ to travel.

“I was given this sprig of rosemary herb to chew on,” declared Swain in amazement when he came back into the class after his checkup.

By break time, 20 birds from the entire school were not allowed to travel to the wildflower reserve. Even though Dazel was relieved to have passed the test, yet, there was an aura of discontent as the unfit, disgruntled birds were moping the entire day.

The others who were excited about the trip were now embarrassed to express their joy at the anticipated trip. They didn’t want to upset the birds who were not going.

Rita the robin looked especially crestfallen. “My mother is always sick and I never get to travel anywhere as I need to take care of her. This was one opportunity I had to explore D’Land with school,” she confided in Dazel at the end of the school day.

“Don’t be upset, Rita. I promise to bring back a souvenir from the reserve,” the duck promised, desperate to console her friend.

Saturday dawned bright and sunny and a flock of excited birds was ready to take off for the wildflower reserve. “The reserve lies in the eastern part of D’Land where the soil is very fertile and flowers of every kind grow wildly in profusion. We must take care not to do anything to damage this natural beauty. There is a flock of white parrots who live at the reserve and take care of it. They are very strict about maintaining its natural glory,” Wiz Rooster instructed.

It was midmorning when the flock of vibrant birds spotted the reserve. From their aerial view the wildflower reserve looked magnificent. “It looks like a floral rainbow,” exclaimed Candy as they swooped down. A strong scent of flowery perfumes greeted the birds when they landed at the entrance of the reserve.

“Welcome,” announced a regal-looking, white feathered parrot. A group of identical parrots stood behind him. “My name is Mazey and we look after this reserve. You are free to explore but any damage to any flower will be heavily penalised.” With those words the white parrots flew off in a flutter of white wings.

Dazel and Swain paired up to explore. “It’s heavenly,” Dazel sighed.

“I have heard that the white parrots only allowed us because of Wiz Rooster. Not everybody is allowed to enter. That’s how they keep the natural beauty of the reserve safe,” Swain shared.

It had been an hour since the birds were exploring the winding pathways surrounded by colourful, fragrant flowers when, suddenly, Dazel heard a whimpering noise. “What’s that sound?” she wondered. Just then she saw a bundle of gray and red feathers huddled on the ground amidst a patch of colourful yellow flowers.

“Rita?” cried Dazel in amazement. “What are you doing here? How did you get here?”

“I…I…followed you all…I…really wanted to come but now…now…I can’t…breathe,” wheezed the robin. “Oh dear,” gasped Dazel.

“Let’s get her out of here, it’s the allergy that’s making her sick,” Swain insisted. Together the two birds hauled the robin on their backs and flew out of the reserve. They lay Rita down in a clearing at a distance from the wildflow­ers. Rita’s breathing seemed to become better but she could hardly talk.

“We must take her to Dr Owl,” suggested Dazel. “Swain you go and inform Wiz Rooster and the other teachers about what has happened.”

“We can’t tell them that Rita followed us,” objected Swain. “Rita will get into trouble.”

“Ok…then just tell Wiz Rooster that I am not feeling well so you will have to take me back home,” said Dazel. Swain did not argue and flew towards the reserve again. Before long he was back.

“I lied to him; that’s not right,” the swan scowled.

“We will tell him the truth later. Right now let’s take Rita to the doctor,” replied the duck.

The flight was tough as they had to balance Rita between them. When they reached Dr Owl’s clinic the doctor gave the robin a tonic and advised that she stay at the clinic.

“She will be fine now that she is out of the allergen area,” the owl explained.

“I’m sorry,” apologised Rita feebly, “You missed the fun at the reserve because of me. I should never have come without permission. I realise now that whatever Wiz Rooster and Dr Owl advised was for my own good.”

“It’s okay, Rita. We all make mistakes. But if one admits to their folly and learns a lesson, then the mistake was worth it,” Dazel consoled her.

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