jataka · Day 164 · Week 24
The Small Quail Who Spoke to the Fire
In week twenty-four, the small one inside you is already beginning to learn the steady rhythm of truth — the steady beat of your heart, the steady tone of your voice. Today's story is for the quiet courage that needs no wings.
I cannot fly. My mother is gone. But I have never told a lie. May this truth turn the fire aside.
Once, in a forest of sandalwood and tall grass, a pair of brown quail built a small nest under a clump of ferns.
They laid one egg. From that egg, after many warm days, a tiny quail chick hatched. His feathers had not yet come in. His wings were no bigger than a thumb.