Why the Rooster Cannot Fly

by Courtney Gentry

The next thing on our trip itinerary was to visit Grandma Hisayo’s brother’s farm. Today would be my first time to meet my great-uncle, so I was looking forward to it!  We had an early breakfast first.  As soon as we were finished, Grandma Hisayo told me to get my light jacket.

“Are we going for a ride to the farm?” I asked her.

“No, we’ll walk,” Grandma Hisayo replied.  “It’s only half a mile down the road!  My family likes to live close to each other.”

I put on my jacket, and we headed out the door.  The weather was even cooler today, and the sky had cleared up since yesterday’s thunderstorm.  The sun’s rays were peeking behind the clouds. 

We walked down the dirt road that led us into curved pathways.  I could see some people working on the rice farm and plowing the dirt by the road.  They were wearing cone hats and carried rice in large sacks on their backs. 

“We’re almost there,” Grandma Hisayo said.  “See that big house over there?  That’s your great-uncle’s farm house!”

An old man was standing in front of the house waiting for us with a big smile.  He began to wave at us and called out to Grandma Hisayo in Japanese.  She called back to him in reply, and we both walked up to his farm house.  It was so big and surrounded by beautiful greenery.

He gave me a hug and spoke to me in Japanese.  I had no idea what he was saying, but I nodded back and smiled at him.  Grandma Hisayo translated for us and told him that she wanted him to show me the farm animals there.  She had been telling me on the plane that my great-uncle had some animals that looked different from the ones in Oklahoma.

My great-uncle showed us the beautiful koi pond by the house first.  It was so big with big slabs of stones outlining the pond.  I caught glimpses of silver, orange and yellow shimmering beneath the surface.  How peaceful it was just to watch the fish swimming gracefully in the water.

“Come, he will show you some farm animals!” Grandma Hisayo said.  We followed him to the other side of the farm where he kept the animals. 

He had some cattle, chickens and pigs.  He was also growing a lot of plants and flowers for the gardens.  Grandma Hisayo told me that he also planted vegetables for some money.  All of this looked like a lot of work, but being here to enjoy the beauty was well worth it! 

“Wow, this rooster is gorgeous!” I said to Grandma Hisayo when I spotted this beautiful rooster with a black tail in his cage.  She translated for my great-uncle, and he responded with a big smile and spoke to Grandma Hisayo in Japanese.

“He wants to know if you’d like to hear a story about the rooster.  Before, they could fly like the other birds, but now they can’t,” Grandma Hisayo translated for him.

“Sure! I’d love to hear the story,” I said enthusiastically.

My great-uncle began the story.

“God molded and shaped the world for us to live in and he was pleased with his work.  He went back to live in the sky.  How could he check on the world below to make sure everything was good?  He had an idea.

Rooster, where are you?

I am here, my Lord.

I want you to do a task for me.  Go down to the world that I have just created and check it for me to make sure everything is working well.  I want you to come back up here at once and inform me of your sightings. 

As you wish, my Lord.  I will return immediately.

Having said that, the rooster flew down to the world that God had just created. 

The rooster was very fascinated with the beauty of the new world and thought that everything was marvelous.  He would forget about his duty and wander around, not paying any mind to the time.  After some time, he finally realized that he should return to the sky before God would get angry with him.

The rooster flew back up to the sky, and as he was soaring through the clouds, he felt a hard slap and was thrown back to the earth. 

God had thrown him back down!  The rooster had disobeyed him, so God punished him by making him stay down forever and took away his ability to fly.

That is why the rooster cannot fly!”

“What a delightful story!” I told him.  “Thank you for sharing it with me!”

Join us tomorrow for another adventure…