The
Talking Bird
Written by Saviour Pirotta Illustrated by Louise Pigott
79359_KVGD_TalkingBird_Ruby.indd 1
20/09/2016 16:43
Chapter 1 Old Rashid was the head keeper of the king’s gardens, the most beautiful and well-tended piece of land in Persia. Despite his important position, Rashid was terribly lonely. His wife was dead and he had no children to look after.
2
79359_KVGD_TalkingBird_Ruby.indd 2
20/09/2016 16:43
One afternoon, Rashid was walking along the canal in the rose garden when something in the water caught his eye. It was a wicker basket, stuck in the reeds. Rashid sent a gardener to fetch it. Inside it was a newborn baby. A boy! He was sucking his thumb. “Poor child,” thought Rashid. “He’s been abandoned. I’ll take him home and look after him. His name will be Bahman.”
3
79359_KVGD_TalkingBird_Ruby.indd 3
20/09/2016 16:43
A year later, Rashid was playing with Bahman on the banks of the canal when a second basket came floating by. Inside it was another newborn baby boy, this one staring about him with big, dark eyes. “We’ll call him Perviz,” said Rashid to Bahman. “He’ll be your little brother.” 4
79359_KVGD_TalkingBird_Ruby.indd 4
20/09/2016 16:43
Bahman and Perviz grew into busy little toddlers, always wanting to play. One evening, Rashid took them to feed the swans in the canal, and what should they see? A third basket floating on the water! This one had a baby girl inside it. She was kicking against the basket as if she wanted to get out. “You’ve a sister now,” said Rashid to Bahman and Perviz. “And what a bold one she is. We’ll call her Parizade.”
5
79359_KVGD_TalkingBird_Ruby.indd 5
20/09/2016 16:43
The three babies blossomed into happy children. They filled Rashid’s cottage in the king’s garden with noise and laughter. Gone were the days when the old man used to sit on his own, wishing he had someone to share his life with.
6
79359_KVGD_TalkingBird_Ruby.indd 6
20/09/2016 16:43
“I’ll be old enough to retire next month,” he said to the children, one day. “We’ll have to leave these beautiful gardens. But, don’t worry, we’ll go and live in a magnificent house in the country.”
7
79359_KVGD_TalkingBird_Ruby.indd 7
20/09/2016 16:43
The country house was bought and Rashid filled it with treasures. The library was packed with hand-sewn books, the aviary stocked with exotic birds, and the playroom crammed with toys. Sadly, Rashid didn’t enjoy the house for long. Soon after Parizade’s twelfth birthday, he passed away. The three children were sad for a long time, and not even the cook and the servants could comfort them.
8
79359_KVGD_TalkingBird_Ruby.indd 8
20/09/2016 16:43
Then one day, the housekeeper said, “It’s time to start living again. Your father’s gone but his spirit will always be with us.” “Yes,” agreed Bahman, opening the windows that had been left closed since Rashid’s death. “Our father’s spirit will always protect us.” Parizade smiled at her brothers. “We’ll grow up together in this house and nothing will ever separate us.”
9
79359_KVGD_TalkingBird_Ruby.indd 9
20/09/2016 16:43