Her life was a series of shadows, each one cast by a regret too deep to forget. The mistake she made years ago clung to her like a relentless specter, whispering in her ear, draining the color from her days. Then, one morning, she noticed a red bird, its vibrant feathers stark against the gray sky, repeatedly striking her window. It was relentless, almost desperate, as if trying to break free from an invisible prison.
For days, the bird persisted, its body slamming against the glass, a flurry of crimson and futile determination. She watched, transfixed, the bird’s struggle mirroring her own inner turmoil. Finally, unable to bear its plight any longer, she gently opened the window and cradled the tiny, trembling creature in her hands.
Nursing it back to health became her sole focus. She fed it, tended to its wounds, and spoke to it in soft, soothing tones. The bird’s fragility and its fight for survival resonated with her, stirring something long dormant within her soul. Each day, as the bird grew stronger, she felt a small part of her own burden lift.
When the day came to release it, she carried the bird outside, her heart pounding. She opened her hands, and the bird hesitated for a moment before spreading its wings and soaring into the sky. She watched it go, its red plumage a streak of hope against the endless blue.
As the bird disappeared from sight, she felt a tear slip down her cheek. It wasn’t a tear of sorrow, but of something she hadn’t felt in a long time: release. The bird’s flight became her own, a silent promise of redemption. For the first time in years, she took a deep breath, letting go of the past, ready to embrace the possibility of a brighter, lighter future.
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Immanuel Mwendwa Kiilu is a writer with the African Coalition for Development and has earned several awards in writing, most recently as the overall winner of the inaugural AfCFTA Dialogues African Youth Essay Competition 2024. He is also a fellow at the 2024/2025 African Liberty Writing Fellowship.
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