The Old Gull

Ivor was an old Gull. In his past he had travelled in wonder circumnavigating the globe on the air currents that embraced it. He had flown high and low, fast and slow, eaten some of the finest scraps the earth could offer. Now, aged, it was all he could do to hover over and around the landfill site.

At night he would sit and reminisce about his wondrous adventures describing the sights of the world he had seen to any that would listen. Sometimes he would be joined by migrating Swifts making their journey to and from Africa. Most of the Swifts took the old Gull's stories with a pinch of salt but one young bird was astonished by Ivor's tales.

'Tell me more please,' said the Swift, 'tell me more of the astonishing places you have seen.' So Ivor would start again. Being a simple bird without an understanding of perspective he talked of a land full of little people when the air currents had lifted him high above the earth's surface. He talked of a land of giants, when the foul winds had barely let him fly above the ground. He talked and he talked and the Swift began to worry he would never be able to remember it all.

So, when the Swifts had flown on to find their nesting ground the little Swift would use his time writing down the old Gull's stories.

One day, as the old Gull rested having wearied himself hunting the landfill for scraps, the Swifts returned. Soon he saw the little Swift he knew flying awkwardly towards him. It landed with a thump on a branch near him. The Gull could see a strange object trapped under its wing.

'Here,' said the little swift dropping the small object in front of the Gull. 'Here are all your adventures written down in a book, as best as I can remember, and so I will never forget.'

The Gull felt a tear trace his beady eye. 'I'm afraid I cannot read well as Gulls are not as clever as many birds, but this book has my adventures within its pages?' he asked.

'Yes,' said the Swift.

'I'm afraid we Gulls are rather rude as well,' said Ivor, 'and I have never troubled to ask your name.'

The Swift spoke his name and the Gull's eyes fell to the cover of the book as he tried to read the title. Finally he stumbled through the words so lovingly scribed.

'Gull Ivor's Travels by Jonathan Swift.'