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Tutor Yukari Maller 's Column

セキセイインコの話 A story of a budgerigar

May 23, 2012

 

 

 イギリス人は野鳥を保護しようという意識が非常に高く、あちこちの家の庭に鳥達に餌を与えるためのバードテーブルやバードフィーダーなどが置いてあります。

うちの裏庭にも毎日たくさんの野鳥達がやってきます。間近で見る鳥達は本当に愛らしいですよ。

 

私も日本にいたときは、「好きな鳥は?」って聞かれると「地鶏」って答えていたんですけどね。


 ところで、先日「イギリスでも鳥を家の中で飼っている人はいるのだろうか?」と疑問を抱き、夫に質問したところ、「さあ、分からないけど、インコなんか飼っているんじゃない。」

「インコといえば、友達がBBCラジオを聴いていたらこんな話が流れていたんだって。」と披露してくれた話・・。


一組の若いカップルがおりました。

二人の仲はとてもうまく行っており、将来も約束していたのでしょう。

ある冬の寒い日、彼は彼女の両親に会うために彼女の家を訪れました。

しかし両親は外に出ていたため、彼女が二人を呼んでくることになりました。


彼が彼女に案内されてリビングに入ると、両親より先に紹介されたのが、一羽のセキセイインコでした。彼女の両親が目に入れても痛くないほどかわいがっていて、普段は家の中で放し飼いにされているそうです。


彼はしばらくそのリビングで待つことになったのですが、広くて素晴らしい部屋に暖炉の火は赤々と燃え、なんとも暖かくていい気持ち。

 インコも元々人懐っこい性格なのか、リラックスした様子で部屋中を飛び回って彼を歓迎しているようです。彼もすっかりリラックスし、暖炉のそばの肘掛け椅子に深く腰かけ、本を読み始めました。


インコも彼にすっかり慣れて、彼のひざに止まろうとしたまさにその瞬間・・・

彼が足を組もうと足を上げると、インコをポーンと蹴って、燃えさかる暖炉にシュート!!してしまったのです!

これはもうオウンゴールしたどころの騒ぎじゃありません、慌てふためきながらも何とか火ばさみで鳥をつかんで取り出した!そのとき、ドアが開き・・・・


そこには凍り付いた表情の彼女と彼女の両親の顔が・・・。


「何とかインコを救出した瞬間」

           ↓

「大事なペットのインコを火にくべようとする悪魔の瞬間(どんだけ極悪非道)」


で、あのう・・結局私の質問の答えは・・・どうなりました?


 

British people are very conscious about protecting wild birds; bird tables and bird feeders are commonly seen in their gardens.

 

Lots of birds come to our back garden, the ones you can see up close are very cute!

When I was asked “ What's your favourite bird?”, I used to answer, “jidori” though. (Very delicious chicken)

 

By the way, the other day, I asked my husband,“Are there any people who keep their pet birds in their houses?” then he answered, “ Well, I'm not sure about that but some people may keep budgerigars.”

 

Speaking of budgerigars, this is the story that my friend told me which he heard on the BBC radio.” He started to tell it to me.

 

There was a young couple. They had been getting on very well and were planning to marry.

 

One cold winter day, the man visited his girl friend's home to meet her parents. They were out, so she went to fetch them. He was shown into the living room and she introduced him to her parents' pet budgerigar. She told him that it is the apple of their eye, and they usually let it fly freely in the house. He was going to wait for them for a while, in the big and wonderful room. There was red-hot fire in the fire place, how warm and nice ...it made him feel pretty good.

 

The budgerigar may be friendly by its nature, it seemed to be flying around the room like it was welcoming him.

 

The man also fully relaxed and started reading a book sitting in the arm chair next to the fire.

The bird got completely used to him. It was about to land on his knee, when he crossed his legs and kicked it, making it shoot straight onto the roaring fire!

 

This was the more terrible accident than scoring an own goal! He was in a panic but he grabbed the fire tongs and managed to pick up the poor bird from among the flames. At that moment, the door of the room opened.

 

He looked up to see his girlfriend and her parents staring at him with shocked and frightened expressions as they saw him roasting their poor budgie on the fire...

 

But what about my question about pet birds? He never answered me...


 

 

                                              

This column was published by the author in their personal capacity.
The opinions expressed in this column are the author's own and do not reflect the view of Cafetalk.

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