Donald Bisset “The Lost Birthday”
Once upon a time tliere was a duck who lived in Africa. She was an English duck and her name was
Miranda. Her one wish was to come to England and play with the girls and boys who lived there. So she said good-bye
to all her friends: to the lions and tigers and monkeys but not to the crocodiles. She hated crocodiles. She felt sad to
leave her friends, but she flew away bravely. For miles there was nothing but forest; then she saw the sea.
Then she came to Italy. She could see children at the sea-side, they were playing with the sand. The mothers and
fathers were sitting and doing nothing at all, and Miranda thought it was so silly.
Then she came to some mountainsand had to fly high to get over them. The air grew colder and colder; snow began to fall. She heard the sound o!
singing. It was coming nearer and nearer and Miranda recognized a popular French song.
Out of the mist flew a whole flock of French swallows, it was flying south to Italy. As they passed they ah
dipped their wings in salute .And M iranda dipped hers. She was getting very tired and hungry. The snow fell
faster and faster. She couldn’t see a yard in front of her and flew on blinded by the snow, frozen with the cold.
And all the time she thought of summer days on English ponds and of the children she was going to meet and play
with. Her beak was always pointing towards London. She flew on for hours like this. The wind and the snow suddenly ceased.
Above her she could see the stars, and below the bright lights of a big town. It was London.
She flew down and landed on a pond near an lnn. There was a little island in the middle of the pond, with
an empty nest on it, just as i f it was made for her. She was pleased. She ate some pond grass and got in the nesl
and was just going to sleep when she heard someone shouting, “Miranda Duck! Miranda Duck!”
“Неге I am!” she said, and jum ping out of the nest she swam to the bank of the pond, and there was a messenger boy. “Telegram for you,” said the boy, “sign here,
please!” Miranda signed. Then /with the telegram in her beak she swam back to her nest.
Oh! she was happy. She opened it. It was from the girls and boys in Africa, and in it was written:
Miranda, Miranda, Miranda Duck,
Here is a m essage to wish you good luck;
From the children of Africa, oh Ducky dear, do
Look after yourself, we’re thinking of you.
The lights went out at the inn across the road. She could hear the people saying good night to each other.
Then all was quiet. She put the telegram under one wing and her head under the other, and went to sleep.
