Once upon a time there lived a chubby girl with golden hair... Her name was Sasha. She looked like a princess, and why wouldn't she? She was blessed by all means. She used to love animals as they were different from her... She even had a bird, that she called Earnest. It was a unique bird as it didn't sing or chirp, but just used to look outside the window.
Today was her birthday, and on this occasion her father wanted to give her a surprise. She was told to get ready before her father comes home. With a pearl necklace around her neck, Jeans and signal red top, she was all ready to find the surprise. She looked beautiful but she wondered why her mom asked her to wear pants today instead of her favorite dress?
After waiting for not much long, her father came home. He lifted her in his arms, and kissed her on her cheek and went towards a jeep parked outside. She was too excited about today and finally they arrived at the destination.
"Daaaad...? What’s this place?", she asked curiously.
He smiled, "The surprise for you, my little princess."
He blindfolded her, and took her inside. She was so curious and excited as it was getting difficult for her to wait. Finally, he took off her blindfold.
She saw lots of animals; there was a spotted animal, animal with stripes, some with fur and some with a shell. She looked at everyone with excitement.
"Wow, Daddy I love you....” She ran towards her dad and hugged him tight.
"This is Spotty, as it has black spots on him.", she said looking at leopard.
"That’s Sheldon, since it has a shell on his back.", said she pointing at the turtles and snails.
"That’s Fury, as it has fur on him.” directing her fingers at the bear.
"That’s Clawdia, as it has big claws.” said she looking at the tiger.
Not only had that she named all the animals in the zoo on how they looked like. She named lion, oldie and giraffe, dinosaur as she was told a story of dinosaur that they are huge and it was the biggest animal in the zoo.
"Dad, why are they sad?" She asked curiously.
"They are not. What makes you think they are?" Dad asked her back confusingly
"They are not smiling or playing; they are just sitting and doing nothing."
"Animals don't smile honey, only humans do."
"Why don't they daddy? Why are they always sad?"
"God gave gifts to everyone... He has given spotty speed, and height of jumps. Dinosaur has been given long height of neck to graze from trees. Clawdia and oldie have claws, teeth and strength, Sheldon has shells, and Fury has fur. In the same way we are gifted with smile."
"But it is bad, that we only have a smile... They are given so cool powers daddy....” She sobbed disappointingly."I want to be like them. Make me that dad please....”
His father knew that she was being silly but he didn't get angry.... As it was normal for a young girl like her to think so...
"One day you will....” He consoled her.
That night she lay on her bed and wept. She looked at Earnest, her pet bird from her bed.
"You want to be like animals?" She was astonished... She heard the voice but there was no source to be found. "Do you want powers like them?"
"Yes," she replied confusingly.
"Come to my world let me tell you our story." She now realized that the bird was actually speaking to her. Within a blink of an eye, she was now somewhere else... She saw all those animals in the zoo roaming outside. And that bird on her shoulder...
"Follow me."
She saw the leopard running.
"Since you gave us names... We will call you Tomorrow. It’s your name from now. This is spotty... See him how happy is he running and jumping and with his spotty family?"
The leopard had small cubs and his own family with female leopard too.... They were cuddling each other... She saw some leopards running and hunting.
“See the Elephant with her cubs, and see the monkeys climbing here and there.... See the lions and tigers over there...
They saw elephants drinking water, bison bathing and lions in slumber.
All of them were not only smiling but looking very happy...
She saw the birds flying over the sky,
"I am one of them, and i used to fly too grieved the bird. You want to fly?"
"Yes I do." She said excitedly.
"Then do." She saw that in no time she unfurled her wings and started flying.
She flew through the skies, through the clouds and back, when she got tired she came back to land and started running.
She ran like a leopard through trees and bushes, jumped and climbed the tree as if she was a monkey... The feeling was heavenly... Running from trees to trees and swinging in its branches... She felt alive.
As she got tired she hid in a shell and rested peacefully near the ocean.
The bird came back and called her out.
"You wanted to know why we don't smile right?"
She was lifted up suddenly through a net. And trapped under the tree... She tried her best to escape, she yelled but she couldn't get herself out... She saw a big cage carried by the truck coming beneath it... She was dropped from above and caged in the prison. She cried and cried but it was of no use... The hunters had habit to hear such cries.
In no time she was placed in zoo... People were seeing her, throwing stones at her and laughing. She wanted to run and fly and climb but she couldn't the small space suffocated her... Though it was big enough for her to survive...
Thus she lost her smile.
"So now you understand why we never smile?" Asked the bird.
She had understood why the animals never smiled.
"Its humans who stole it.” They are always afraid in their own home of getting separated from their own homes... These powers are useless in prisons and the most painful thing is animals haven't done anything to deserve this."
"So, do you still want to be an animal?"
"No, I don't, I want to leave this cage... Please take me home... I beg you I will never complain."
She woke up tears still in her eyes she was on her bed in her room... She saw earnest seeing her, she asked why did he do that to her, she realized as if she could read mind of Earnest,... 'because you are tomorrow.' She promised herself that she would do everything in her power to free animals.
She opened the cage and led Earnest out. Earnest flew out of the window and winked at her, with a smile and flew away.
