the birds . a short story by Barbara Comyns . little Hal was like a boy made of butter - yellow complexion and yellow hair . after his mother &apos;s death , his thin little face contorted into sudden grimaces . his younger brother Charlie held up his chubby arms with love towards Cousin Nelly , who kept house for their father now he no longer had a wife ; but Hal would sit behind the shed door , grimacing under his large straw hat , his long yellow fingers twisting the tags at the back of his boots . that boy &apos;s highly strung , Nelly would say to his father . he do n&apos;t seem natural . why do n&apos;t you get him a pet , Bert - a kitten or a dog ? he &apos;ll be all right when he goes to school , Bert would answer , and he would give the robust Charlie a poke with his earth-grimed forefinger , which caused the little boy to roll about with laughter , then disappear under the green serge tablecloth until Bert prodded him again and there would be more laughter . there &apos;s a boy for you , Bert would proclaim with pride , and Hal &apos;s unnatural behaviour would be forgotten . Hal was not all right when he went to school . he was afraid of the other children and was sick in the Plasticine box on the first day . he refused to speak a word , and kept leaving his desk to stand by the door and make faces . the following day he behaved in the same way , except that he was n&apos;t sick . as he stood by the door , a sinister wet patch appeared round his feet and the children shouted , please , teacher , that there Hal has wet himself . the teacher , very red in the face , gave Hal a smack on the hand with a ruler , and put some of the sawdust that the chalks had been packed in on the wet patch . Hal did not cry , but the rims of his eyes became red as though he had , and he sat quite still for the rest of the morning just watching the door . when Nelly came to fetch him home the teacher said , that Hal of yours lives in a world of his own . he does n&apos;t seem to be all there . Nelly looked rather put out and replied that he was quite all right , only the poor little chap was highly strung . his dad &apos;s going to get him a pet . he &apos;ll be all right then , you &apos;ll see . when Bert came home for his dinner she said , what about that little cat or dog you were going to bring home for Hal , to give him an interest in things . the boy wet himself at school today . it do n&apos;t seem natural at his age . Hal &apos;s eyes became red rimmed again , but he did not speak . he seldom did . his father said , well , I &apos;ve got him a little bird , but I must buy a cage first . you &apos;d like a nice green bird , would n&apos;t you , Hal ? the boy just nodded his head , but Charlie said , Charlie wants a green bird too . will it lay green eggs ? and Nelly picked him up and , hugging him , said he was a caution . the next day , when Hal returned from school , there was the bird in a wooden cage with bars in front . his father showed him how the cage should be cleaned and the seed and water containers filled ; and he told him that the bird could be taught to talk if you speak to it nice and quiet . Hal put the cage on the table and gazed at the bird , fascinated . he put his face close and whispered something very softly , then put his ear close , hoping for a reply . at that moment , Charlie came running up and put his fingers between the bars , shouting hallo , green bird , and the terrified bird fluttered into a corner of its cage . Hal turned to his brother and slapped his laughing , pink face . Nelly jumped to her feet , yelling you &apos;ve no call to do that . Hal , afraid that his new treasure would be taken away from him , picked up the cage and dashed from the house to the garden shed , where he spent the afternoon softly talking to the bird and watching it . he became devoted to the bird . he was allowed to keep it in his bedroom under the eaves , where it was safe from Charlie . usually , when he came home from school , he would free the bird from its cage , and it would fly around the room , picking up little things with its beak and sometimes settling on Hal &apos;s head or hand . he talked to it and he said it talked to him , but no one knew if this were true because it flew back to the safety of its cage as soon as anyone else entered the room . the teacher said Hal was doing better at school - not that he learnt anything , exactly , but he did sit still and behave better , and sometimes drew birds in his copy-book . perhaps he would get around to letters later , she added . then , one afternoon , a fearful thing happened . he was up in that little room of his , with the bird sitting on his shoulder . he was talking to it very quietly , and perhaps the bird was talking back - no one knew for sure . outside the door , Charlie was listening hard because he wanted to hear the bird talk too . suddenly he burst the door open and cried , I heard it , I did . the bird left Hal &apos;s shoulder and , afraid , flew across the room , searching for its cage . not knowing about reflections , it first flew straight into the old brown-framed mirror on Hal &apos;s chest-of-drawers and then , in panic , out of the open window and away . Hal knew at once that his bird had gone and would never come back . it was after the bird &apos;s disappearance that Hal had his first sort of fit . he never mentioned the bird again . perhaps he had even forgotten all about it , but as he almost never spoke now no one really knew what he was thinking about . he had taken to sitting behind the shed door again , and sometimes he could be heard talking to himself . it was in September that Bert brought home the two cockerels , one white , one black . they were leggy young birds , just growing their wing feathers . the father said to his boys , there &apos;s a bird apiece for you . I want you to fatten them up , and when they are fit for eating we &apos;ll have a great party and Nelly will become your mother . now see which of you can make his bird grow the biggest . Charlie chose the white bird and Hal had to have the black . it was slightly on the small side , but the difference in size soon changed and Hal &apos;s bird grew and grew . on the way home from school he gathered corn from the sides of the fields and stuffed it in his pockets , and as soon as he came in by the gate the cockerel used to run to meet him . Nelly said , well , Hal , I must say your cock is growing into a fine bird . little Charlie &apos;s can n&apos;t hold a candle to it . Hal gave one of his rare smiles and looked at his bird with pride . it certainly was almost twice the size of Charlie &apos;s . the cockerels grew very large , and early in December Bert said , Nelly , those birds are ready . we must see about the banns . when Hal heard his father say this he knew that one day when he came home from school his cockerel would not be there to meet him . it would have to be sacrificed if there was to be a party and Nelly was to become his mother . he could imagine everyone &apos;s surprise when Nelly began to change . he wondered if she would be wearing mama &apos;s blue dress with the lace on the collar . perhaps , as it was winter , it would be the brown one trimmed with braid , in patterns he thought resembled snail shells . the days passed and still the glossy black cock waited by the garden gate for Hal &apos;s return from school . some days he felt he could not bear it any longer , and he would plan to ask his father to cancel the party so that his bird would be saved ; but this would mean that Nelly would not turn into his mother , and that would be terrible . the black cock would have to die . he almost wished it would peck him so that he need not love it so much . Charlie had given up feeding his because it had pecked him right across the nose . Nelly had thrown a stone at it and shouted , your days are numbered , you bad old bird . then , one afternoon when Hal came home , there was no cock waiting by the gate , and the knob on the kitchen door had blood and feathers stuck to it . he went to the back of the shed and was sick . when he saw Nelly he asked her when it was she was going to turn into his mama . why , fancy you remembering that , you clever boy ! in two days I will be your mama and cousin too . Hal sat on his stool by the fire and tried to work this out in his mind . later , he asked , will you have two heads ? and Nelly said , bless the boy . whatever is he thinking about now ? the day of the wedding came . Hal and Charlie had new blue shirts and new belts with buckles to fasten them , shaped like snakes . Nelly had a green velvet dress and a hat with pansies on it . when Hal asked her why she was n&apos;t wearing his mother &apos;s brown dress , she replied , oh , that old thing ! why the moths had it months ago . the cottage became filled with people , and there was a lot of noisy talk and laughter . then it was time for the party , and they all sat down to devour Hal &apos;s and Charlie &apos;s birds . when Hal could bring himself to look at the steaming brown carcasses he could see how much larger his bird was than his brother &apos;s , and although he felt a great sadness there was a feeling of pride as well . a man with a large waxed moustache and a mop of curly damp hair , whom Hal thought might be his uncle Fred , said , that &apos;s a fine bird you &apos;re carving , Bert . Hal waited , breathless , to hear his father tell everyone that it was his bird that was so large , but Bert was too preoccupied with carving to answer . sweat was pouring down his face , and he did not like to take his jacket off in company . later , he turned to Hal and said , you &apos;d like a little of the breast and perhaps some stuffing , Hal ? and the boy replied that he would like to eat some of the smaller bird , please . he could not eat his own ; it was dreadful to see it there all cut about . every now and then he &apos;d look down the table at Nelly , who was sitting there looking flushed and very pretty , but not in the least like his mama . the cocks had been killed and were almost eaten now and the party had been going on a long time , but there was no sign of his mother &apos;s return . perhaps there was some mistake . the last knife and fork had ceased to rattle against the plate , and the bottle of port had been opened . for a moment there was silence ; then Hal braced himself to ask , dad , whose bird was the largest , Charlie &apos;s or mine ? everyone turned towards him in surprise and , with half a smile on his face , he waited for them to know whose had been that splendid bird . Bert considered for a moment . then , remembering that Hal had asked for a slice from the little bird , he answered , they were both real fine birds . I was proud to carve them . yours was very tender but I think Charlie &apos;s was the largest . 