MELODY

The bird shifted uneasily inside the cage, all the while being watched greedily by Meena. It was a tiny, tiny thing. She could have grasped it in the palm of only one of her tiny hands. She ran her hand along the bars of the cage, causing the bird to squeak in alarm. It ruffled its feathers, displeased.

Meena went inside, and headed to the kitchen where the maid sat slicing and dicing vegetables for their lunch. Her mother was out, busy with a client she supposed. She had been spending more and more time with the maid in the kitchen and on the living room floor than she had in the arms of her mother. She couldn't say she minded though -- the maid didn't scold her for not being able to read properly or for watching Hindi movies on TV. She had more control over the TV remote than any other seven year old she knew. It felt grand.

Today she was curious, and she looked at the maid thoughtfully who was artfully slicing away a carrot into thin, even discs.
"Khala…"
"Hmmm?"
"Why is the bird so annoyed?"
"What do you mean. How can you tell it's annoyed?"
"It doesn't sing. I only wanted the bird so it would sing for me whenever I wanted it to."
"It's a bird, love. They can't be trained like that."
Meena looked at the maid inquisitively, who answered without looking up from the carrots.
"You need to give it a reason to sing."
*
It was early in the morning. She didn't have school today, thank God. She hated school, being told what to do and how to do it. She had spent the whole night wondering what it would be like to always be told what to do, to be confined in a space so small that she would have no voice of her own. She realised she had to give a voice to those who couldn't speak for themselves.
So she found herself in the verandah in the early hours of the day. The bird was awake, but it gave no sign of seeing her. Meena felt a bit intimidated to approach the bird, but she knew it was the right thing to do. A deep breath, and in a quick movement she had unlocked the door of the cage, swinging it open on its hinge, and stepped back, half-expecting the bird to fly out at her and peck her eyes out.

The bird didn't move, not at first. It seemed to be testing Meena, to see if it was a prank of some sort. But then the bird hopped forwards, perching on the edge of the cage, finally letting out one musical note before flying off into the misty morning.
"Why did you do that?"
The maid was standing behind her.
Meena kept her eyes on the flying figure for as long as she could.
"I wanted to hear it sing."