... Of Surviving the Wilderness
Red listened patiently. “I know you don't believe me now but I do understand. Do you know why they call me Red? Look at my wing.”
With that Red stretched his wing out as far as it would go. "Have you ever seen a wren with a red wing before? The little wren answered that she had not, and asked as to how he had gotten it.
It had been over a week since she had seen Red and the sound of his voice startled her. Before she could stop herself she blurted, "I'm never going to fly again.”
“I am sorry to hear that,” responded Red “would you mind telling me why?”
The little wren knew she probably would never see Red again and the least she could do would to tell him why.
She began the story with "The last time I flew with someone it ended in disaster” and finished it with her failed attempt at landing on the branch of the oak tree, “I wanted to fly with you but it is impossible now".
Red went on to explain how when he was young he used to play near a barn. He and his friends would fly in through the hayloft, down the opening where the ladder came through, past the horse stalls and back outside.
One time when he was looking for a faster way outside he accidentally flew into a small storage room. Not being used to confined spaces he had panicked.
Flying wildly around the room he had bumped into a shelf and knocked over a can of red paint, which had spilled, over his wing. The paint glued his feathers together making it impossible for him to fly.
The farmer, hearing the noise, found him fluttering on the floor and brought him here, where the same lady that had looked after the little wren had taken care of him. Although she managed to remove the paint the feathers were forever dyed red.