The birds save the day

“Woo-oo!’’ Diana cries. “Aa-ah! I don’t want the onion in my soup!”

Diana had a long day today. She is tired and hungry. But she doesn’t want to eat the soup. If only she could have éclairs!

“At least eat the broth,” her father says calmly.

Diana takes a spoon.

“The spoon is dirty!”

Her father washes the spoon.

“Now it’s wet.”

Everything seems wrong to Diana, and she cries.

Suddenly there is tapping on the window:

“Oop-oop!”

A hoopoe flies in. It has a long beak and a funny crest.

“Oop-oop! Because of your screaming I can’t catch a beetle! My feathers are standing on end!”

“Your crest looks like a tail on your head,” Diana smiles a little.

“Don’t tease me, girl,” the bird complains. “My wife likes it very much!”

Her father, who is almost bold, sighs:

“I wish I had such a crest.”

The hoopoe looks straight into Diana’s eyes:

“I see tears. What happened?”

“Nothing is the way I want it!”

“Maybe you’re just hungry? Wait!”

He flies out and immediately returns with a worm.

“Here!”

“Ew!” Diana covers her face with her hands.

“I’ll be back soon,” the important hoopoe says and flies away.

At once they hear:

“Kep-kep!”

A small red bird with a crooked beak flies in.

“You were crying so loudly that I got scared and fell off a tree!”

“Did you fall on your beak? Why is it crooked?”

“I’m a crossbill. I use it to get seeds out of cones and feed my little ones.

What happened to you, girl?”

Diana whispers in his ear:

“I don’t even remember why I’m crying. Just don’t tell Dad.”

“All right. Maybe you need something tasty? Food always cheers me up. Here,” the caring crossbill says, fetching a pine seed from his feathers.

Diana smells it and pouts:

“I don’t eat that.”

Suddenly they hear:

“Krak-krak!”

A tall heron walks into the kitchen.

“Krak-krak! I was standing on one leg and fell because of your crying!”

“Maybe you’re just clumsy?” Diana giggles. She already feels less sad.

“Me? Clumsy? Girl, I might get offended. Quickly tell me something nice.”

“You look elegant.”

“Thank you! I know that. And look at my beautiful feathers! See how I can stand on one leg. And what a great fisherman I am!”

Just then a fish suddenly flies through the window. The heron catches it.

“Tsrik-tsrik!” comes from heron’s beak.

He opens his beak. The fish falls out, and with it — a small blue bird.

Diana smiles:

“How beautiful you are! Blue with speckles. Who are you?”

“I’m a kingfisher. I love to dress up, and I love to sing. And this is my fish — I brought it for the party.”

“What party?” Diana asks.

The hoopoe returns:

“I invited him. Let’s have a party, let’s sing!”

“That’s a good idea,” her father winks at the bird, “but I can’t sing.”

“I’m a great singer,” the cheerful heron boasts. “Sing like me. Krak-krak! Krak-krak!”

Diana covers her ears and giggles.

“I think I can do that,” her father says happily. “Krak-krak!”

“I can too,” Diana laughs. “Krak-krak, krak-krak!”

The kingfisher chirps:

“Tsrik-tsrik!”

The hoopoe runs across the table and dances:

“Oop-oop!”

The crossbill sings with everyone:

“Kep-kep!”

The kitchen is noisy and merry. The birds whirl and flap their wings. Diana laughs. Her father smiles.

At last the hoopoe says:

“How wonderful. When you laugh, you don’t feel like crying anymore.”

“Our chicks are waiting for us. We have to fly. Goodbye,” says the crossbill.

The birds fly away.

“Will you fry the fish for me?” Diana asks. She is in a good mood.