The magical fruit let you call birds and see through their eyes. It grew in a walled garden on a holy mountain. A single dried berry was worth a fortune.
The thief found a map to the hidden monastery where they grew it and snuck his way inside. He found a giant tree covered in red berries, and stuffed his pack with them.
But a single berry fell out as he was climbing out, and was snagged by a passing bushtit.
The sudden sensation of being thrown into the air brought him to his knees long enough to be captured.

“Black-throated bushtit at Godawari” by Hari Paudyel is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Everyday Drabbles © 2025 by Hugh J. O’Donnell is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0