Seryozha was excited for his birthday. He received many gifts, including a toy wolf, a horse, paintings, and more. But the gift he loved the most was a bird trap sent by his cousin. The trap worked like this: a small wooden plate held some seeds outside the cage. When a bird landed on it to eat, the plate would tip, and the cage would snap shut. Overjoyed, Seryozha ran to show his mother. She frowned. “That toy isn’t good. Why catch birds? Why hurt them?” she asked. Seryozha replied confidently, “I will put the bird in a cage and take care of it. I’ll let it sing.”
He sprinkled seeds on the plate and placed the trap in the garden. He waited patiently, hoping a bird would come, but the birds were cautious and did not enter. After lunch, he ran back and was thrilled to see the trap had closed. A small bird was caught inside. He quickly brought it inside. “Mom, look! I caught a bird. It must be a nightingale. Its heart is beating so fast!” His mother shook her head. “That is a white swallow. You should not hurt it. It’s better to set it free.” Seryozha insisted, “Don’t worry, Mom. I will feed it, give it water, and take care of it.”
For two days, he faithfully fed the bird, changed its water, and cleaned the cage. On the third day, he forgot to change the water. “You forgot about the bird. It would be better to let it go,” his mother said. Seryozha replied, “No, I won’t forget again. I’ll clean the cage and change the water right now.” He reached into the cage to wipe it clean. The swallow panicked, flapping its wings wildly. After cleaning, Seryozha went to get fresh water. His mother noticed that he forgot to close the cage door and shouted, “The cage isn’t closed! The bird could fly away or even die!”
Before she could finish, the bird saw the open door. It flapped its wings and tried to escape through the window but didn’t see the glass. It hit the window and fell to the floor. Seryozha rushed to the bird, carefully placing it back in the cage. The swallow was alive but exhausted, lying flat with its wings spread. Tears filled Seryozha’s eyes. “Mom, what should I do now?” he cried. His mother shook her head. “There’s nothing you can do now.”
Seryozha spent the entire day sitting by the cage, watching the small bird. It still lay flat, breathing heavily. That night, he couldn’t sleep, imagining the white swallow lying on its back, stiff and helpless. From that day on, Seryozha never tried to catch birds again.