My story for this week @wrestlingdesires is inspired by the photo of the African Darter by @papilloncharity

**The sun** 

Paula was a beautiful large bird, she had shiny dark feathers and was admired by her friends and family. They didn’t know how she could manage to look so good even after the years had go by. 

When she would fly over she would cast a shadow as large as a tree 🌳 and everybody would know Paula was in town. Somehow all the birds in the area are attracted to her. You want to know why…? 
She would sit in the courtyard where the other birds would gather and she would tell them stories of her adventures and from times long gone. Not only because of her looks, she was a good story teller 😎
Nobody really knew how old Paula must be. But all of them know she was there long before them. She is wise… and has seen things.
They never dared to ask her about how old she was. They just enjoyed her company. Her stories.
As time passes their little ritual continues… old birds disappear and new birds join the gathering, to listen to Paula’s stories. Paula never leaves and always comes to tell stories.

One day: Paula flies over the town and lands in the courtyard where most of the birds are gathered to listen to her like they always do. She tells the most amazing stories, and every time a different one. She never repeats one. They are captivating.
This time as she landed she noticed some of the regulars were not there. She looks worried around. And asks the others: “Where are they?”
They answer: “some of us heard a little black bird is missing, and we want to find it before the storm arrives tomorrow.”
Paula looks around. “Why didn’t you tell me that earlier? We need to find it.”
The other birds look around at each other. They thought not longer and fly up into the sky to search with the others. Paula follows quickly and flaps with her large wings a few times and is high up with the other birds. They fly around town to search for the little black bird. 

After a little while they don’t find the little bird. And decide they should look further afield. 
So the area they are searching in gets larger and larger. They fly over rivers and forests. And get deeper into the mountains. 
Some of the birds get tired and decide to go back. As they are just small and can’t travel so far into the mountains. Paula is still flying… she doesn’t want to give up until she finds the little black bird. 
More birds are returning home and will search in the valleys along the way. 
Luckily Paula can go further up into the mountains as she is so large and strong. She is questioning herself though. Would this little black bird even have flown this far? Would it even get up into the mountains? Should I continue to search up here or fly back like the others. Something in her is telling her to keep looking, to continue higher and higher up the mountains. So she does do that. 

It gets colder and colder as she flies higher up. The air is so crisp her longs start to hurt and it gets damper too. Soon her feathers are getting wet and cold. But she doesn’t give up. She continues her search. And flies and flies…
Suddenly on the side of the mountain, on a ridge, she sees something. A glistering. ✨
What could that be? She flies towards it 🏔and discovers the little black bird. 
Paula is happy she found it. ☺️ She asks the little bird how it got there. 
It answers: “The strong winds took me with them, I was tumbling in the air… further and further away… and after hours and hours… it dropped me here on this ledge. My feathers are wet and I’m so cold 🥶 I couldn’t fly back anymore. I was hoping somebody would find me.” 
Paula smiles and puts her large wings around the little black bird. She warms it up. After a little while it’s warm enough to fly a short while. Together they fly quickly down the mountain 🏔 now the little bird is a bit warmer again. 
Paula is still cold and wet. As soon as they are in the valley they stop at the lake. They have to.
Paula says to the little black bird: “We have to rest here for a few moments. I have to dry my feathers in the sun ☀️ to be able to fly all the way home to our town. You do the same.”
And so they do… both of them… spreading out their wings to let the feathers dry. The sun ☀️ does do wonders, in a little while her feathers are dry again and also the little bird’s ones. It is so happy 😃 

After they fly further they reach the town after a long journey. All the other birds are so happy to see the little black bird again. They listen to its story about how it ended up all the way, high up in the mountains. They are mesmerised by its story… please tell us more they say. 
They thank Paula for helping and finding it and listen further to the little bird tell its story now 😉
Paula listens for a little while but she is tired now… and flies off again… she needs to rest and recover.
“Until soon she says.” 
But will it be… 

The end

(Are you writing a story this time Joe? @joetunex would be cool to read yours… and gets your mind off of things😉)