The Great Owl

THE GREAT OWL

By: Christine Perssia

He sits on his perch watching and waiting. He has watched for generations. The young turn old and the old die. He has fallen into legend. He has become a story told to children, who listen with eyes wide open in awe of this majestic creature who protects their family. But all legends and myths must start somewhere. All stories, no matter how extraordinary, hold truths that get lost with time. The story of a common barn owl that was not as common as he looked. But looks often are deceiving. As a young woman learned that day so many years ago.

The days were getting colder and the nights were longer, but the chores did not go away because the wind was unbearable. The young woman layered her clothes and wrapped her foot. The chores did not go away if you were born different either, you learned to pull your weight regardless. The young woman was looked down on by others for she could not move as fast or work as hard. She was born different. And in the eyes of her brothers, she was born weak, for if you could not work, what good were you? This was a time before machines and conveniences we have now. But nevertheless, her home was warm. The stove burned bright and the smell of bread baking could be smelled all over the farm. It was her favourite smell in the whole world and it comforted her when she felt tired.

The day that changed everything was no different than all the other days; cold, dark, and tiresome. The young woman put on extra layers to fend off the brutal wind and grabbed her crutch. It was her turn to go to town to fetch supplies. It was not a long walk but for her, it would take twice as long, as her brothers liked to remind her. So every time it was her turn she left earlier in order to return in time for dinner.

The day that changed everything not only changed the life of the woman but her whole family. For the rest of time. As with the woman who appeared small and, weak the owl she met on the day that changed everything was abandoned and left to die. But by the end of the day that changed everything, all would know the strength and perseverance of the young woman that no one thought possible.

The young woman walked for what felt like hours, her malformed leg causing her pain and slowing her down more because of the snow on the ground. She kept going, trying to ignore the pain to prove she could do it. She had never before walked to town with this amount of snow on her path. She had been extremely lucky, until now. She heard stories from her father and brothers about snow so deep or winds so strong you would take two steps, only to be pushed back one. The journeys took all day and most of the night. The young woman hoped she never had to deal with that kind of weather, for she was terrified she would get lost and perish before help came. She knew she would not survive those storms.

She was exhausted when she reached the town. The sun was still high in the sky so she decided to rest a while before heading back. The wind started to pick up and the snow started to fall. Slowly and softly at first but within 10 minutes she could not see her hand in front of her face. She knew she had to leave right away or she would get lost and not make it home. She quickly picked up the supplies, ignoring the stares of the people around her. They were sympathetic, but not entirely helpful as she gathered the supplies into her satchel and headed into the storm.

The layers were no match for the winter storm and her leg screamed in pain with every step. The snow was falling harder than she had ever walked in and she became afraid she had gone off the path. She hoped for the strength to get through this difficult task. Help would arrive soon, but not in the way she was expecting and it would take the young woman an hour to find this aid and the rest of the journey to truly see how this small detour would change her life forever. The woman kept walking, the snow blinding and hitting her face. She could not see the path anymore.

As fear gripped her she heard a small sound. The hoot of an owl not far off. She hesitated for only a second before walking towards the sound. The snow deeper now than it had been on what she thought was the path. As she trudged through she found the small barn owl covered in snow and struggling to stand. The woman wondered why it did not fly away to the safety of a warm barn when she noticed its wing. The bird was injured in a similar way to her and without thinking, she knelt down next to the small bird. He looked up at her without fear while it tried to stand. The woman noticed how it tried to move toward her, rather than most birds who would try to fly away. She knew she had to help him in whatever way she could. She would not leave this poor defenseless creature to die in the snow.

She picked it up and held it close to her heart, under the many layers. Once again the owl did not fight her or try to get away. But now the woman had to find the path again. The snow continued to fall around her and she knew she needed to get home. The light from the sun was almost gone and it would be nearly impossible to find the path without the small amount of light that filtered through the storm. She looked around for a while and recognized the sign for her home right beside where she picked up the injured owl. In that moment she realized how far off the path she had been. If it wasn't for this small owl she would have been lost for sure. A few hours later she finally smelled the smell of bread she loved so much. The owl stays quiet, next to her heart as if asleep. Her mother is in tears beside the oven, doing her work while mourning for her only daughter lost in the snow. The shock on her face is apparent as the young woman walks in and their eyes meet. Even the young women's brothers who mock her are relieved to see her. Her family is whole again.

She brings the supplies to her mother and goes off to the fire. She is freezing and in need of rest. She took the small owl from under her clothes and put him in front of the fire to warm up as well. He seems content to warm his feathers by the fire and the girl remembers how she would be been doomed if it weren't for this small owl warming himself in front of the fire. She would have been lost. She would never have seen her mother or brothers again.

This small owl was a gift from the forest and she will treat him as so. She shares her meager meal with the small owl and within hours he began to thrive. The young woman fell asleep shortly after, the journey was difficult but now she was safe at home. She woke only once and what she saw she couldn’t believe. The small owl grew large. His wings stretched out. He looked at the woman and she was not afraid. The not so small owl seemingly nodded at the young woman in thanks and flew off towards the barn.

The woman tried to tell her family the next morning but all thought she was crazy until they all saw him fly overhead. Over the next few days as the snow melted the rest of her family saw the Great Owl, as he soon became. The young woman was praised for bringing the Great Owl to her home, but she knew she was not to be thanked. For she would have protected any creature regardless of the outcome. She knows how it feels to be left on her own because she was different.

Over the next 200 hundred years, the family grew and prospered under the gaze of the Great Owl. The family changed over the years and never again treated someone who was different poorly because they knew that if it wasn't for the young woman all those years ago helping the weak, they would not be where they are today. And the lesson they taught their children from the day that changed everything was to care for everyone regardless of their ability. For we are all tested by the way we treat the weak and defenseless, but only some pass the test. For not everyone can be like the young woman who cared for a defenseless creature without worrying about the risk to herself. Not everyone would be strong enough to put aside their fear to help someone else. For the young woman was stronger than everyone knew. The Great Owl knew this to be true and through the young woman's bravery, the family became better and helped all they could. All because of a young woman who no one thought would go far in life, and how she risked it all to save one seemingly small and ordinary barn owl.