It took me a while to decide, but finally, I went for the canary. The bonus was they came in a pair…hehehe
I remembered it was a yellow female and blue/green male. They looked beautiful and always lovey dovey - standing side by side. The canaries are really timid birds because everytime I go near the bird cage, they would fly frantically, as if I am gonna eat them. Sometimes, when I put water and seeds into their feeding containers, their droppings will land on my hand…eew!
After a while, due to the birds timid behaviour, the bird cage was full of feathers and bird dung. I decided to clean the bird cage and gave the birds a bath. My dad help me and we took the canaries to the toilet in their bird cage. My dad washed the tray and cage with a cloth, while I took the water hose and tried to sprinkle water on the canaries. As expected, the canaries panic and was hopping like mad in the bird cage.
After my dad finished, I took the packet of seeds to refill the feeding containers. While I was about to put the seeds through the opened door, suddenly the male canary hop to the door and flew out. I tried to catch the canary, but it was too fast and flew out through the small ventilation window in the bathroom. My heart sank as I looked at the yellow female canary left in the bird cage.
A few days passed and my dad told me that he saw the male canary still around the neighbourhood. He told me that birds need to have their freedom to fly and it is a pity to keep them in captivity. He said the male canary is actually around as it is waiting for the female canary to be released. They are a pair anyway.
My heart was very heavy to release the female canary, but my dad encouraged me to do so. One day, he found the male canary on the wire where my mom hang clothes, not far from the female canary in the bird cage. He quickly called me to have a look. I saw the male canary and my dad advised me again to release the female canary. He said it is such a pity as they are a couple.
It felt like the hardest thing for me to do and after a few days, I gathered enough courage and told my Dad that I want to release the female canary. My Dad made me promised not to cry. He took down the bird cage and open the door, the female canary was still inside the bird cage as if it was afraid to escape. My Dad actually told the bird to go, "You are free, go..go.."
I just stood there and watch, trying to hold back my tears. The female canary finally flew out of the bird cage. My Dad gave me a reassuring look, to let me know that I have made a correct decision.
Apart from the release, it was a really uneventful day, I was still hoping to see my canaries, both of them together now…
