The Aviary School birds were thrilled. An assembly had been called in the break time. A break time assembly always meant that something exciting was in the pipeline.

“Good day, my little birds,” announced Wiz Rooster, the respected principal of the Aviary School as he perched himself on a high wooden platform in the school courtyard. The birds waited expectantly. Dazel could hardly conquer her restlessness.

“I have some exciting news for you. We have decided to take all of you on a field trip to a wildflower reserve this Saturday,” the rooster declared. A series of whoops and hurrahs filled the air and the principal had to pause for the animated chatter to die down.

“Now, I need consent from your parents by tomorrow so we can start making arrangements for the trip. But the most important thing is that Dr Owl will be coming to school tomorrow to check whether you all are fit to travel to the reserve,” the principal explained.

This seemed to give rise to a murmur of confusion. “What do you mean ‘fit to travel’, Sir?” asked Candy the canary.

The rooster smiled kindly, “The wildflower reserve is rich in pollen and we need to check if any of you might be allergic. Those who are found to be mildly allergic will be given some herbs to combat the allergic reaction but those found to be highly allergic will not be allowed to travel with the group,” the rooster said. The assembly came to an end but the birds could hardly concentrate in their classes.

“What does Wiz Rooster mean by ‘highly allergic’?” Swain the black swan, Dazel’s classmate, asked Kia the kingfisher, during their geography lesson.

“Spring brings with it pollen and tree allergies which can be very distressing. A few years ago when we took all the birds to the wildflower reserve a few birds fell so sick that we had to cut our trip short and........

© Dawn Young Magazine