VI

Bobbin the Robin

Mat 13:31-32 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, {32} "which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches." 

Bobbin was a robin.

Bobbin had a job. He was suppose to keep the vultures out of the tree. It was an easy job, even for a young robin like Bobbin. There had not been a report of vultures since before he was just an egg in the nest.

Big Daddy Robin could thrill little Bobbin with his tales of the day the vultures came. They came like a dark cloud, their wings spread wide in the sky, overshadowing the nest whereupon future Bobbin the Robin was nesting beneath Momma Romma Robin's stomach.

Quick! Like lightning speed they swooped down to steal the eggs. Big Daddy clawed and snapped his beak at one vulture; as Big Daddy would describe it, a particularly large vulture, probably the biggest and baddest vulture of them all.

"Scared him away, I did." Big Daddy would say. Then he would show Bobbin his claws to imitate how fierce it must have been.

Poor Bobbin would shake and hide under a leaf.

"That's why you have to be on guard." Big Daddy would remind him. "If they come back they will destroy the tree and it won't be safe here for us or for those who are coming."

"Who's coming, Daddy?"

Big Daddy pushed his red breast forward and lifted his beak. This made his neck stick out, showing the scar that he had received from the last attack of the vultures. It was that scar that helped little Bobbin to admire his daddy's bravery. 

Big Daddy, chest proudly forward, turned toward the east.

"They're coming, son, from the east." Then he turned his head in the other direction. "And from the west."

"Who's coming, father?" Bobbin had heard parts of the story before, but sometimes he would get confused. Were the vultures coming? Why were they wanting them to come?

"Why son, don't you remember? It's the robin reunion!"

"What's a reunion?"

"Son, a reunion is a time for all the robins to be reunited. They have been gone a long time. But, pretty soon they will all be here."

"Why are they coming here?"

"Because of the tree." Big D. spread his wings to point toward the branches of the tree.

"This tree, daddy? What's so special about this tree?"

"Bobbin, many many years ago, no one can really remember when, this tree was chosen as the one tree where all the robins would nest. It was just a sapling at the time. But, it was predicted to grow bigger than all the other trees of the forest."

"But, daddy," Bobbin interrupted. "This is a mustard tree. It's not the tallest tree."

"No, it's not. It's not necessarily taller and not especially wider. Why it's not even the most fruitful. But, one thing about it, as far as all the birds of the air are concerned, it is the safest. There is no better place in all the world than right here in our mustard trees."

"Do you mean the reunion will be in all the mustard trees?"

Big Daddy knew Bobbin's question was to verify that all the robins wouldn't come to just their tree."

"Yes, son, all the trees. There would not be room in this tree for all that are coming."

Bid Daddy looked up through the branches, gazing off into the sky and thinking about that day.

"At least all the ones who make it back in time." he said, faintly. His wings drooped and he seemed to lose the air in his red breast.

"Those who make it back in time?" Bobbin questioned.

"Yes, son. You see, the vultures, and some other birds who are our enemies, are trying to stop the reunion. I'm not sure you can understand this at your age, but let me tell you anyway. Our fellow robins are not having an easy time out there like we have it here. They are having to hide all the time. Some of them spend more time flying than they do in the trees because most of trees are either bare, so you can't build a nest, or they are inhabited by the vultures. Our brother and sister birds are tired and old and homesick."

"Why don't they find a big tree somewhere, like this one. Why do they have to come here?"

Bobbin was beginning to feel invaded. This was his home and he wondered why he had to share it.

"Son, it was decided a long time ago. It doesn't always make sense, but sometimes you must accept things that don't make sense or things you don't understand."

"Like flying, huh?" Bobbin said, drooping the shoulder of his wings.

"Oh, that's right, son. You have not yet learned to fly. Yes, flying is something you accept, even though you don't really understand it yet. But, you will - in time."

Big Daddy, using his beak, patted Bobbin on the head.

"And it's just like that with the tree." he went on. "No one really knows why, but many, many years ago all the robins lived in this tree - or very near here in other mustard trees. One day, the vultures came. They tell me that all the robins became so frightened that they took off into the sky." Big Daddy paused. "They never came back."

"What happened to them?"

"Most of them got lost. Some of them even became like the vultures."

"Why would they do that!" Bobbin demanded.

"Well, son, robins are robins, you know."

Bobbin thought about that for a moment. Suddenly he had an idea.

"Jesse the Robin isn't like that!"

"That's true, Bobbin. Jesse is the very one who helped us run off the vultures to make our tree home-safe again."

"And where is Jesse at now, Big Daddy?"

"Son, you ask too many questions. I will talk to you more later. But first, I want to get you sitting up on your perch so you can see as far as possible. Today I want you to look westward. Do you know what that means?"

"Yes, sir. It means the wind will be blowing in my face and I have to hold on tight. It's a long way down for a robin who can't fly."

"Yes, and it also means that the wind will be behind the vultures if they come from the west. They will fly faster than normal, so you need to be ready to sing out a warning."

Without saying another word, Bobbin, imitating his daddy's proud strut, began to inch his way toward the center of the tree for the long walk out on the westward limb look-out point. It would take five minutes for him to walk, hop and climb to the center of the tree and another five minutes to reach the end of the branch where he would be facing the cold autumn wind. As he began to walk away he turned back to his dad.
"Hey, Dad? If Jesse ran off the vultures why do they keep coming back?"

"I don't know, son. All I know is that Jesse is the only robin who ever stood up to them. And we can stand up to them, too, can't we, son?"

"In Jesse's name, yes, sir." 

And Bobbin marched off for his guard duty.

The wind was blowing harder than the autumn winds normally blew as Bobbin sat facing the west. His little feathers were being forced to blow with the wind and, at times, he had to catch himself from falling by spreading his wings and getting a tighter grip on the limb.

The distant sky was dark. It looked to Bobbin like rain was coming.

Then he realized something. It was a feeling of discovery. At first he wasn't sure what to think about it, but then he knew it must be true. The wind was blowing so hard and every time he spread his wings he felt his little body lift up a little. He knew now that if he would only let go of his grip on the limb that the wind could help him fly. He wondered if he should try it.

He tried it. With all his nerve he began to loosen his hold of the branch. As he did he flapped his wings. It was hard to wave his wings because the wind was so strong, but he didn't have any trouble leaving them extended.

If the wind hadn't been so strong he would have been able to fly. But not today. As he tried to flap harder and harder he suddenly let go of the branch. For one instant he flew straight up. And he truly believed he went forward into the wind. But, suddenly, he realized he was going backward. The wind was stronger than his wings and his body was so light that the wind seemed to toss him without effort. And, no matter how hard he tried, he kept going backward. Faster and faster - backward.

A second or two later he smashed tail-first into the main trunk of the tree. It hurt.

He began to fall, head-first. One wing clipped a branch as he toppled down the inside of the giant mustard tree.

There was only one thing to do; cover his face with his feathered wings and prepare for impact with the ground. Why he suddenly had his next thought at this time of danger he didn't know, but something Big Daddy had told him many times came to his mind: "Jesse cares about every robin that falls to the ground."
As he spread his wings, which is the first thing a robin must do to move them at all, he felt his descent slow a little, because now he was not just going down but he was also in the middle of tree where the leaves were cutting off the fierce west wind.

He closed his wings over his head and then closed his eyes. He was only inches from the ground when he decided to open his wings again. With all the strength he had left he forced his wings out as far as he could.

Then he shifted the back part of the wings down and began flapping.

Swoop! 

Just when he was ready to hit the ground his body leveled off and he was moving - flying - quickly at ground level. The tree branches were above him and the ground passed quickly below him as he continued flying.

Now that he was flying he wasn't sure if he could land or if he should even try it. He stopped flapping his wings. Being so close to the ground he dropped quickly, but landed on both feet.

"I can fly!" he whistled, now walking amidst the leaves and seeds on the ground. "All it took was falling and then responding to what I've been taught. Everyone said I would, one day." He could hardly breath he was so excited.

And, being a bird, he naturally wanted to get back in the air. Or in the tree. He knew he shouldn't stay on the ground for very long. 

"Back on guard duty! Oh, my! I've abandoned my post."

He began to run. Wings spread, back part down, flap, flap, flap. A small branch was before him, but he didn't see it in time. He tripped forward. His chest hit the ground and as his skidded forward his beak got stuck in the dirt. Flapping his wings wildly he was able to maneuver around enough to free his face. He spit out the dirt.

Now he was almost in a panic. He took off running again. This time, as he flapped and ran, he suddenly felt his feet leave the ground.

Up! Up! And away!

The west wind wasn't going to take him by surprise again. As he ascended he was using the strong wind to help him glide (birds call it soaring). He had to make several trips back down below the wind in order to get far enough away from the tree to use the wind to blow him back to the right branch.

He came in at an angle and just before he landed he looked westward - as if to mock the wind.

But, he saw something that startled him - so much so that the wind once again caught him off guard and he almost missed the branch as he began to fold his wings for landing.

He couldn't hardly believe how dark it had gotten.

"The vultures!"

"What do I do now?"

"Sing, Bobbin Robin, sing! Sing loud! The vultures are coming! The vultures are coming?"

Closer and closer the dark mass came. Soon, too soon, he could make out large groups of vultures. There must have been a million - or more!

He thought about running - or flying - away. The vultures were still many miles away, but their were so many that he was afraid he hadn't learned to fly well enough and had better get a head-start.

"No, I can't run. I must keep singing. My song will warn the others. Sing! Sing! Sing!"

His eyes were glued to the dark clouds of vultures in the distance. He wondered just how fast they could fly - and with the west wind helping them.

Suddenly, as if appearing out of nowhere, one of them flew up in front of him. He had feared them being so close, but he could tell they should not be this close. Bobbin Robin was scared. He was cornered. He almost lost hold of the branch again.

Then, he realized it wasn't a vulture after all.

"Where is your father?" the large robin asked.

"Vultures! Vultures!" was all Bobbin could sing.

"Where is your father?" the robin ordered.

"Who are you?" Bobbin asked.

"I've come a long way. Now tell me, where is your father?"

Bobbin pointed one wing behind him and said, "Looking eastward. Oh, please, sir, please tell him they are coming!"

"That I will do, young Bobbin." the large robin said with a smile.

He flew away and disappeared into the tree.

Bobbin turned his attention back to the song of warning, watching as the large dark cloud of vultures drew closer and closer. A moment later, Bid Daddy's voice was heard. Daddy and the stranger were singing as they came and perched on Bobbin's sentry branch.

"Daddy, Daddy, Big Daddy! Look the vultures are coming!"

"Vultures?" Big Daddy questioned.

"Yes, Daddy. Dark, mean, and so many."

Big Daddy looked at the visiting robin.

"You mean you didn't tell my son what was happening?"

"No," the stranger replied, "I didn't take the time. Besides he seemed to be at his job so diligently I didn't wish to disturb him, except to ask your location."

"What is it, Big Daddy? Tell me what's going on?"

"Oh, son." Big Daddy said, tapping Bobbin on the head with his wing and giving him a peck on his beak.  "You are so brave to still be here. When I was your age I am not sure I would still be singing if I saw the vultures coming. I am very proud of you."

"What else could I do, Big Daddy? Where would I go? Besides, if I didn't do my job the vultures would get us all."

Both the big birds looked at each other and laughed.

"Very good, Bobbin Robin. Very good!" said Jesse.

"What's so funny!" Bobbin asked.

Jesse turned on the branch and looked at Bobbin.

"Young Bobbin, theses are not vultures you see coming."

"They're not!"

"No. It's your family coming home."

"Do you mean that dark cloud is all the robins?"

"That dark cloud are the birds of the air coming to nest in these branches."

"And they are all coming to this tree?"

"Well, yes, this tree and the other mustard trees in the forest."

"But, why are they coming now?"

"It has been many years. They are tired. They have been lost so long. They have had no home. They have had no one to help them. Their wings are old and their feathers are faded. They won't last much longer. They need a place to nest and rest - forever."

"Why did they not come sooner?"

Big Daddy wanted to answer this question.

"That is what I have tried to tell you, son. The trees were not ready."

"Why not?"

"Well, some of them were not big enough. It will take very big, strong trees to keep all the birds. Their are so many now."

"This is the biggest mustard tree in the forest." Bobbin said proudly. "Has our tree not been big enough?"

"Yes," said Jesse, "this is the biggest of all the nesting trees. But, we have needed more than big trees. We have needed faithful guardians, and brave warriors, and willing singers. A full-grown tree must be a fruitful tree. And, we have needed to wait until the robins were ready to come home. It has all been a matter of time."

"And now is the time?" Bobbin asked.

"Just look." Big Daddy said, pointing westward.

In their conversation they had not realized the birds had gotten so close. What was once a dark flock of menacing and ugly vultures in the distance was now become a display of colors that even Bobbin recognized were not uniquely Robin-like.

Red, yellow and brown-breasted males. Thousands of white-tipped tale feathers; short and long.

That's funny, thought Bobbin, as he began to notice, after the first envoy arrived, that their were millions more coming behind them.

The robins flew overhead and disappeared over the mustard tree. But, still more came. And the colors were fascinating. Red, orange, green-purple mixes, jet black, robin-brown.

"That one doesn't even look like a robin." he said to himself.

And their songs! He didn't understand a word they were singing. And look how big that bird is!

"Hey! These aren't all robins!" he mentioned to his dad.

"No, son, but they are all God's creatures."

Bobbin scratched one leg with the other. He thought about Jesse's comment of needing brave warriors and singers.

"Well," Bobbin suggested, "I should stay here and keep an eye out for vultures." 

"Yes, son, I think that's a fine idea."

So, if you'll find the biggest tree you can and look up to the east or the west side you'll probably see a robin on guard duty. And if you give just a little whistle - like a bird-song - he will invite you to come nest in his tree. 

But, remember: No Vultures aloud!

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bless you.....................................Eugene H. Maze

This chapter and all chapters related to this website book entitled "Scripture Shorts" (copyright 1995, 2005) was written and published by Eugene H. Maze.  No portion of this book may be copied, sold or distributed either by electronic or other means in any fashion whatsoever without the expressed written permission of the author.  Permission for distribution may be obtained by contacting the author at ehylandmaze@aol.com.  Links to this and all previous and subsequent pages of this book entitled "Scripture Shorts" may be distributed freely without permission.

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