Chapter the-wise-parrot: The Wise Parrot | Short Questions

The merchant's reaction was quite selfish and possessive. When the parrot asked to be set free so it could taste the joy of flying, the merchant refused. He told the bird that it was very dear to him and he could not bear the thought of it going away. Instead of granting the parrot's wish, he asked it to request for anything else. This shows that the merchant prioritized his own emotional attachment and entertainment over the parrot's actual well-being and freedom.

When the merchant delivered the parrot's greetings to the birds in the forest, their reaction was very dramatic and unexpected. One of the parrots, upon hearing the message, suddenly dropped from the tree like a stone and fell to the ground, appearing to be dead. This was not a real death but a clever signal or a piece of advice sent back to the caged parrot. The other wild parrots remained silent, allowing this specific action to convey the secret method for escaping captivity.

The merchant felt distressed because he genuinely believed that the wild parrot had died because of the shock of hearing his message. He saw the bird fall suddenly to the ground and stay still, and he felt responsible for this tragedy. Being a person who cared for birds, the sight of a beautiful creature seemingly losing its life filled him with sorrow and guilt. He did not realize at that time that the bird was actually performing a clever trick to help its caged friend.

As soon as the merchant finished describing how the wild parrot fell to the ground, his own pet parrot immediately mimicked the action. It fell from its perch onto the floor of the golden cage and lay perfectly still. The parrot had understood the message hidden in the merchant's story and realized that this was its chance to escape. By acting dead, the parrot forced the merchant to believe that it had also died from the shock, leading to its eventual release.

The merchant unknowingly helped the parrot by being the messenger between the wild birds and his pet. First, he carried the caged bird's greetings to the forest. Then, he returned and described the wild parrot's 'death' in great detail. Finally, when he thought his own pet was dead, he gently took it out of the cage and placed it on the windowsill. By providing the bird with the information on how to escape and then physically removing it from the cage, the merchant facilitated its flight.

As the parrot flew away into the open sky, it thanked its friend from the forest for showing it the way to escape. It told the merchant, 'My friend showed me how I could escape and now I can fly in the sky. Goodbye!' These words served as an explanation for its clever trick and a final farewell to its life in captivity. The parrot's goodbye marked its successful transition from a decorative pet in a cage to a free bird in the wild.