A Bird Called King

Once upon a time, there was a bird with no name. He was the most talented musician you would ever hear play. Every night he would pull out his trumpet and play a tune that the heavens would dance to. He was so talented that other birds would come to know him as King. He would play everywhere for anyone and with anyone, it didn't matter. If King was playing, you knew it was amazing. And King was not only talented in music, but he had wisdom that rivaled Solomon. Birds everywhere would come to seek his intelligence. He met a robin one time that showed him a pretty smooth dance. King saw the dance and took it up a level. What a sight it was to see King dancing and putting the robin in awe. After that day, any time the robin would need a new move, he would come to see King. One time an eagle sought King's advice on how to compete for food. He had been famished for far too long, and he needed a new strategy. King thought a little and suggested that the eagle soar high, higher than anybody else, so he can see the whole field. And when he eyes his prey, he can dive before the prey even sees him. "Brilliant!" the eagle proclaimed, and he went back and reported it to the other eagles. Birds would come all over to see King. There was no bird he didn't welcome, and no place he wasn't welcomed to. Well, except one place. That place was known as the door. It was a mysterious swinging door that hardly any birds were allowed. 

One day, King ran into a new bird who called himself Jim. Jim claimed to be the only bird that was allowed into the mysterious door. "You must get to the other side of that door," Jim would tell King. "It is beyond your wildest imagination." At first, King didn't care to much about the door. He had many friends, a wonderful home, many successes, and could blow that trumpet like no other. So why would he need anything else? But Jim was persistent. "King, you are a nobody if you never get to the other side of the door. Is that what you want, to just be known as mediocre? You will be a real King once you get to the other side of the door." King paid him no mind until one day, King walked by the door. He thought he heard music coming from the other side of the door. It piqued his interest. "Say Jim, what is in there." "Everything you ever dreamed of." Jim knew he had King now. "How do I get in?" King asked. "First, you have to stop giving birds advice. They don't like when birds are cocky. You have to be humble." King was a little confused because he believed he was humble. "Oh no, you are far from humble, King. You think you know it all," Jim said in a sly voice. So now when birds would come to seek King's advice, he would glance at the door and then tell them "I don't know." It was hard for King to say at first because he did have an answer. But over time, it was an easy habit because he started to forget. Then slowly one by one, birds stopped coming for advice. Weeks later, Jim flew back around. "Jim!" King yelled to him. "I did what you said, can I go in now." "No, you are still not good enough," Jim said. "Then what do I do," King replied. "Well, they say you live too fancy. You should just give over your stuff." King thought about how he worked hard for what he had. He had even built it himself. Seeing his reluctance, Jim quickly said, "It is fine by me if you don't get to the other side of this door." King's imagination of what was inside had ballooned over the months. He often imagined such wondrous sights on the other side. So he ended up giving Jim everything he had, except his trumpet. "I think I will at least keep my music. We have been together for a long time." King said while Jim rolled his eyes. "Fine, I don't care. I will let you know what the decision is soon." King, now homeless, fixed himself a spot outside of the door thinking that any day now Jim will come back and tell him that he can come in. But Jim did not come. King spent many nights cold, hungry, and lonely just outside the door. Some nights, to keep his spirits, he would pull out his trumpet to play a tune. Jim would come around on some occasions to hear King play his sad tune. A few times Jim even asked King to teach him the songs. Having no one else to talk to, King would gladly teach Jim the songs until Jim said he had to go.

Over the next few months, Jim would come around and King would always ask if it was time for him to go in. But Jim would give the same answer and say that King wasn't good enough to get to the other side, yet. This saddened King, but he would still play his trumpet to pick himself up. Many days were lost for King as he sat on the corner, wondering when he can get in. One day, he noticed Jim welcoming other birds in the door. King decided that maybe Jim forgot that he was waiting, so he went to the door to meet Jim. "Hey Jim, what's going on?" Jim looked over to King and said "Hey buddy. We are just letting some friends in." Looking around, King noticed that many of Jim's new friends were King's old friends. He tried to greet them, but they felt King turned his back on them, so they ignored him. As the door squeaked back and forth, open and close, King received a peek at what was inside. To his surprise, everything looked very familiar. Mainly because it was identical to his belongings. "Is that mine?" King asked. Jim, acting offended, said "How dare you ask that. We have worked hard for what's on the inside of this door. And it's some of the best that you would ever see." King then heard a familiar tune. It was some of his music. "Is that my song?" Acting offended again, Jim got louder "You are just a liar King. What's beyond this door is all original and the best that anyone has ever heard." At that point, King was at a complete loss. But he decided to ask one more question. "Well, I did what you said. Can I come in as well?" Jim snapped back, "Come on King, stop begging. And look at yourself. You look and smell atrocious. It's like you have been living on these streets." King became angry and yelled, "Because you took everything I had!" "You see King, that's your problem. You are angry and loud, and you are just no good. You are not allowed to come to this side of the door because that's just who you are. And we are birds that are above that type of behavior." "That is not who I am!" King said with tears in his eyes, "you know who I am, or was." Jim smirked and slammed the door on King. Broken-hearted, King retreated into his corner. He pulled out his final possession and started playing.