Ryan had always been a proud cardinal. Every day, he would wake up, fly off to the most prominent of trees, and perch upon it for all to see. And why not? There were few who could compare to his pretty-bird looks.
Of course, that is how he would have liked it to go. The reality was that this ritual was commonly thwarted by the appearance of his double. Ryan tried not to be jealous. Such a display could prove most unbecoming of the pretty bird, but it was obvious that more action would have to be taken.
“I see you over there,” said the cardinal. “You think that mocking me by copying my every move will make you great. Pshaw. Such actions will benefit you not.”
The other bird had spent the entire conversation mimicking every beak movement, every mannerism, and every bit of Ryan’s beautiful posture. It could almost be considered a crime to do such a thing. Well, at the very least, it should be a crime.
“Am I really that much of a joke to you? Is it really not a waste of your time to perch in front of me and display such a crude mockery of myself?” Seeing the other bird still mimic his every movement, the cardinal ruffled his feathers and turned about. “I will ignore you. After all, I am the better of the two of us.”
It seemed like the perfect plan. Just turn around, and Ryan would not have to deal with the annoying reprobate anymore. For a while, the cardinal was content. Now that he did not have to worry about the annoyance, he would proudly tweet so that the others would know of his majestic presence. This worked for a while, at least.
Regardless of his denial, Ryan would occasionally glimpse the other bird out of the corner of his eye. So what if he could not see him; the cardinal still knew that he was there. And what of his grand assortment of admirers? They would see the mockery even if he could not. The conditions were simply unacceptable.
One day, the cardinal looked behind him. There was the other bird. He was still mocking his every move. Anger began to fill Ryan’s heart. With this bird constantly sitting behind him, he would still be considered a joke to the passersby. Slowly, he turned around on the branch and angrily stared at the other bird.
“Your joke has gone on long enough. I expect you to leave immediately.” The bird still mocked him. “Are you deaf?! I said I wish for you to leave this instant!” The bird still mocked. “If you persist in constantly making a joke out of everything I hold dear, then I will be forced to attack!” The other bird never stopped.
“I have a very important routine! Regardless of how you feel about me, I am the most majestic creature in this part of town! To be mocked by something no more than a… a second-rate is more aggravating than I can imagine! So, I ask you to desist!” The other bird still persisted.
Ryan glared into the other bird’s eyes. Those eyes were just as angry as his own. Something like that could not be faked. “So! It all comes out! Jealousy! Just petty Jealousy! And for this, you have come here, day after day, just to make my life miserable! I have had enough of you! I have absolutely had enough of you and your incessant ridicule! Do you want a fight?! Do you really desire to do battle with me?!”
The expression on the other bird was clear. As Ryan reared himself ready to strike, so did the enemy. “Have at you then!”
Ryan leapt off of the branch and darted directly towards the other bird who did the exact same thing. Their beaks struck and both flew away to go for another pass. Ryan cried, “I hate you! I hate you with every fiber of my being! I wanted to be beautiful, but because of you, I am just a joke!”
Once again, the two beaks collided. Ryan flew away to a farther branch. He glowered at the other bird with so much hate. With everything he could muster, he screamed at the enemy, “Enough with these games! No more mocking! No more injustice! I am going to kill you! I am going to kill you for ruining my life!”
And with that, Ryan sprung from the branch, flew up into the air as high as he could, and then darted downward towards the offending bird. He flew with such swiftness that he was sure to destroy him in one fell swoop. When the moment finally came, Ryan heard a loud crunch and everything went dark. He had broken his neck on the window.
-Author Notes-
This was intended to be an amusing yet dark parable about self-image. It is pretty obvious that the bird was only seeing his reflection and perceiving it as hostile (which really does happen.) But there are some people that can look in the mirror and truly despise what they see. I sometimes think this is why people go out of their way to change their appearance. It is almost like a mask that makes them feel more comfortable when they have to look at themselves.
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