to himself, “A window wall?” When he got closer, a golden cagebird stood in the front center of the window and inside was a golden mechanical medal bird sitting on a golden swing.

 

          “Dylan,” someone called his name from a distance away from where he was. But Dylan did not answer, for he was mesmerized by the beauty of the golden bird. DJ opened the cage door and started to reach for the golden bird. At this, a large hand grabbed hold of his arm. This startled young Dylan, and when he turned around, he realized it was his grandmother. Immediately, he said, “Sorry, grandma, I was –.”

 

          “You were touching things that don’t belong to you,” interrupted the grandmother. “Is that what you were going to say, Dylan? the grandmother asked. Young Dylan held his head down and replied, “Yes, Grandma, I’m sorry.”

 

          The grandmother started to smile and stared over at the golden bird. She reached into the cage to pick up the golden mechanical bird and turned to the winding key on the back of the bird. She started to wind up the bird until she couldn’t anymore. Then she put the bird back on the swing and slightly pushed the swing to move back and forth. Young Dylan felt excited about the bird. For the first time, he would see the bird move. The golden mechanical bird started moving its wings and beak, but no sound would come out. Seeing this, young Dylan asks his grandmother, “Why isn’t the bird singing?” The grandma looked over to young Dylan and answered, “Well, it’s a long story. I may bore you with it. And besides, it's a sad story too. You don’t want to hear sad stories, do you?” Young Dylan answered, “Yes, Grandma, I want to hear it.”

 

        The grandma was moved by Dylan’s answer and said, “Oh! And what about it being a long story? Doesn’t that bother you? Surely you don’t seem to be the boy who sits through stories for a long time.” Young Dylan was adamant and answered in excitement, while jumping up and down, saying, “Yes, Grandma! I do want to hear it, Grandma.” The grandmother smiled after hearing young Dylan’s response and said, “All right then, Dylan. Come here and sit with me.”

 

        Dylan smiled with glee and ran over to the chair his grandma was heading to sit in. When she sat down on the rocking chair, young Dylan climbed onto her lap. He was ready for his grandma to tell the story that he was so excited to hear. Grandma chuckled at his excitement and then glared at the golden bird in the golden cage. Young Dylan mimics his grandma by staring at the bird in sequence. The grandma broke the sequence by looking at young Dylan. She took a deep breath and said, “Well, where should I start?” Dylan shrugged his shoulders and said, “Anywhere, Grandma.” The grandma responded, “Anywhere? Very well, okay! Let’s see, I’ll start with the name of the bird. Its name is Songbird.​​​​​​

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