Seryozha and the Canary

Seryozha had a wonderful birthday. He received many gifts such as a toy wolf, a horse, and even some picture books. But the present he loved the most was a bird trap that his cousin sent him. The trap worked like this: at the entrance of the net there was a small wooden plate. If Seryozha scattered some grain on it and left it in the yard, the moment a bird landed to peck at the seeds, the plate would tilt, and the net would drop down, capturing the bird. Excited, Seryozha ran to show his mother. She frowned and said, “That is not a good toy. Why catch birds? Why cause them harm?”

Seryozha answered, “I will put the bird in a cage. I will feed it and make it sing for me.” Determined, he scattered grain on the wooden plate and placed the trap outside in the garden. He waited a long time, but no bird dared to fly near. Finally, he went in for lunch and left the trap behind. After eating, he rushed outside and discovered that the trap had already snapped shut. Inside, a small bird was struggling desperately. Overjoyed, Seryozha picked it up and shouted, “Mother, look! I caught a bird! Maybe it’s a nightingale. Oh, its heart is beating so fast!”

His mother shook her head. “That is a canary. Do not torment it, my child. It would be better to let it go.” But Seryozha insisted, “Don’t worry, Mother. I will feed it, give it water, and take good care of it.” He placed the bird in a cage, scattered grain, changed the water, and cleaned the cage every day. For two days, he was diligent. On the third day, however, he forgot to care for it. His mother reminded him, “You see, you already forgot. It is better to let the bird go free.” But Seryozha argued, “No, I will not forget again. I will clean the cage and bring fresh water right now.”

When he reached inside to scrub the cage, the frightened canary flapped wildly against the bars. After he finished cleaning, Seryozha left to fetch water. In his rush, he forgot to close the cage door. His mother saw and quickly warned, “Close the cage or the bird will escape. If it flies into the glass, it might die.” Before she even finished speaking, the bird spotted the open door. It spread its wings and darted out, heading toward the window. But it did not see the glass pane and struck it hard, collapsing onto the sill.

Seryozha ran over and scooped up the little bird. He placed it back in the cage. The canary was still alive, but it lay weakly on its side, wings spread out, breathing heavily. Seeing this, tears welled up in Seryozha’s eyes. “Mother, what should I do now?” he cried. His mother sadly replied, “Now there is nothing we can do.”

That whole day, Seryozha stayed by the cage, watching the struggling bird. It continued to breathe in shallow gasps, barely moving. When he finally went to bed, the bird was still alive. Yet Seryozha could not fall asleep. Every time he closed his eyes, he imagined the canary lying lifeless, its tiny legs stiff and straight. From that day on, Seryozha never caught another bird again.

By Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy