A Feathery Tale

Once upon a time there was a girl named Aurora. Aurora was beautiful and lived in a simple house with her parents. When she turned eight, there was a terrible accident and both of her parents were killed. With no one to care for her, Aurora was brought to the local orphanage where she lived until one day, a beautiful woman named Hulda came and rescued her.
“Aurora,” Hulda said, “I know that we will never be able to replace your family, but you are such a lovely girl that I want you to come live with us.“
Aurora moved in to Hulda’s magnificent home where she lived with Hulda, Hulda’s husband, Wilbur, and their daughter, Drizella. Aurora always missed her parents, but enjoyed living with Drizella’s family. Unfortunately, her relationship with Drizella was not the best. Drizella was jealous of Aurora’s beauty and her amazing singing voice. Aurora always found it strange that Drizella could be jealous of her. Drizella was rude, demanding, and conceited, but she had it all: all the money in the world and two parents who loved her. She made fun of Aurora, always looking down upon her as if she were nothing.
When Aurora turned 18, Wilbur and Hulda bought her an apartment nearby. She was pretty, smart, and all of the men who met her wanted to be with her. Aurora still hungered for the love and nurturing that only a mother could provide. Hulda was great, but she wasn’t her mother.
One day, as Aurora was leaving her apartment, she noticed an advertisement for a singing competition that was coming to town. She realized that winning the competition would be the perfect way for her to create a future for herself. The morning of May 3rd neared – the day on which the singing competition would take place. What Aurora did not know, was that Drizella was also expecting to participate in and win the singing competition. They would each try to win over the crowd with their magnificent voices.
When Drizella learned that Aurora was going to participate in the competition, she ran to her mother and said, “Mom, it is time for you to act like my mother: enough of Aurora. The singing competition is approaching and I must win! You must make Aurora miss the competition. You have ruined the family by taking her in; now you must get rid of her.”
Hulda looked down and a tear rolled down her cheek as she told Drizella she could never do such a thing. Drizella continued to beg until Hulda finally agreed. Hulda devised an evil plan and went to visit Abba, the sorceress. Hulda explained what she needed and Abba cooked a hot, simmering potion that would rid Aurora of her singing voice forever. She told Hulda to put a little bit of the potion in a drink for Aurora. Hulda went home and invited Aurora to come over for dinner. Aurora did not think much about it and gladly accepted the invitation as she often joined them for dinner.
After Aurora accepted the offer, a splendid feast was prepared: a meal fit for a queen. Shortly after the meal began, Aurora excused herself to go to the powder room and while she was gone, Hulda cunningly stirred the potion into her drink, chuckling. When Aurora returned, Hulda intentionally made a toast, causing Aurora to take a sip of what was unbeknownst to her, a venomous mixture. And that’s when her voice vanished. She could no longer sing, no longer do what she loved to do, and no longer perform in the competition that could change her life.
Aurora went home and cried herself to sleep. She awoke the next morning to find a white songbird perched on the windowsill, tapping on the window. Aurora opened the window and, to her surprise, the songbird said, “Aurora, listen. You can get your singing voice back. All you have to do is eat me, and my voice will become your voice.”
“You are so beautiful and such a wondrous creature. I could never do that,” cried Aurora.
And there she was, still without a singing voice. She went back to bed where she stayed all day crying, a river of tears. She awoke the next morning to find that the songbird was gone, but one of its white feathers lay beside her pillow. Had she swallowed the songbird in her sleep? She tried to sing, but again no sound came out.
She vividly remembered that when she was younger, before the accident, whenever she felt ill, she would drag herself to the living room in her pink pajamas and complain to her birth mother that her throat hurt. She would lie curled up on the sofa with a box of tissues beside her: her head hotter than the sun. Whether a cold, fever, or even the flu, her mother would always assure her, “Aurora honey, tea is the cure.”
Aurora had an idea. She jumped out of bed and made a hot cup of tea by pouring boiling water over the songbird’s lone feather until the feather disintegrated. After she drank the delicious tea and opened her mouth to sing, the most beautiful sound emerged. Her voice was back! And it was more magical and lovely than it had ever been.
The day of the singing competition finally arrived. When Drizella saw Aurora awaiting her turn, she was filled with anger and knew somehow that her devious plan had been foiled. Aurora was called to the stage and performed flawlessly. As she sang, she spotted the white songbird soaring gloriously overhead with one of its feathers missing: the white bird that not only saved her voice, but also her future. Aurora won the competition and went on to lead a life full of success and happiness. To this day, Drizella cries bitter tears whenever she hears one of Aurora’s songs playing on the radio.