[Shard] - Sosaria
[Type] - Literature
[Book] - Red - 20 pages

[Title] - A Lesson Learned
[Author] - Tempus Tacet

[Page 1]
One sunny day on
the shores of a small
town called cove, a lone
miner was hard at
work. Sweat was
dripping from his
brow as he listened to
the clanking of steel

[Page 2]
on stone. Absorbed
fully in his work, the
miner dug away,
dreaming of the day
when his expertly
crafted armor would
be known throughout
Britainia. He was

[Page 3]
suddenly startled by
the high pitched
melody of a nuthatch
nearby. Turning, he
saw it perched on a
branch, oblivious to
his precense.
Creeping quietly

[Page 4]
closer, the miner
grabbed the bird with
lightning speed.
Grinning, he imagined
the wonderful smile
on his wife's face
when he gave her this
beautiful creature as a


[Page 5]
present. However, as
soon as it was caught,
the bird ceased its
musical song, and
spoke to the miner.
Astonished, and with
wide eyes, the miner
listened closely. "Sir,"

[Page 6]
said the bird, "I
implore you not to cage
me. I am more than
a bird...I am a wise
wizard, imprisoned in
this form. If you
release me, I will
confide in you a piece

[Page 7]
of wisdom which I
have found
transcends time." The
miner, mulling this
over in his head,
decided that he could
always catch another
bird, but a chance like

[Page 8]
this would not often
present itself. So,
looking at the bird, the
miner said, "Tell me
this pearl of
knowledge, and I will
release thee." The
bird spoke in a barely

[Page 9]
audible whisper, "You
must learn...you must
learn to never lament
the past, and to not
believe what cannot be
true. " His speech
concluded, he
reminded the miner of

[Page 10]
his promise. The
miner, dissapointed
by the advice, shirked
from his promise and
set out to give the bird
to his wife. On his
way home, he tripped
and in falling,

[Page 11]
released the bird.
Flying to a nearby
pirch high up in an
oak tree, the bird
laughed loudly. "Dear
stupid man," said the
bird, "little do you
know that not only am

[Page 12]
I a wise wizard, but
there is a pearl within
my body worth more
than any gem." The
man, agrivated by his
fall, and frustrated
further by the bird,
attempted to ascend the

[Page 13]
tree. Midway
through his climb, he
fell, breaking both of
his legs. The bird
floated to the ground
just outside of the
man's reach, and said
slowly and

[Page 14]
purposefully, "I told
you not to lament the
past, and you tried to
catch me after you let
me go. I told you not to
be taken for a fool,
and you believed that
there was a pearl in

[Page 15]
my body. How
quickly you forget..."
Leaving the man on the
ground, the nuthatch
took to the sky in
bright song.