The dancing swans

Father and mother swans swim together with their children in the middle of the lake. Mother swan always knows where to find the best food for her children.

Sjssssst, father swan hisses at a bastard who pelts his children with stones from the shoreline. He flies up, makes a turn around the boy, and attacks him from behind and then the bastard falls forward into the lake.

‘Well done Dad, I almost got a stone to my beak,’ shouts one of his children.

‘Let us go across, near the garden from Noortje, there at least is it quiet. Have you eaten your belly full,’ asks Mommy?

‘Yes mom …’ they shout in unison.

‘Good, then we can immediately practice our wings,’ suggests Dad.

Mother counts her children and calls that they must follow her. Neatly in a row, one after the other connects and Dad is closing the row.

Noortje has not seen the swans for a while, because she was ill and after that she went out a lot with mom and dad. They will have accidentally missed each other every time, she thinks.

She sees them coming and jumps in the air from pleasure. She waves at them and shouts, ‘Here swans, I missed you all soooo much.’

Then suddenly mother swan turns away from her. ‘No, don’t swim away,’ Noortje shouts.

What Noortje does not know is that the mother has a completely different plan. Mother swan makes a large circle and the little one’s swim at the same distance away from each other.

‘You mean like that, Mom,’ asks the smallest.

‘Yes silly, you get that,’ grumbles her big brother.

‘You are a fine little girl,’ says Dad. ‘Now show Noortje what you can do.’

Noortje’s eyes grow wide with amazement. The swans swim perky in a circle and make an eight shape.

Noortje claps her hands and calls; ‘Wonderful, you are doing so fantastic. I’m so proud of you.’

The swans are far from finished with their skills and they will continue for a while. Then one of the smallest says. ‘Mom, I forgot what to do now.’

‘Oh no, no,’ the biggest shouts again. ‘It is always the same.’

Mother looks at him angrily and says: ‘Stop it now,’ and gives the smallest instructions what to do. ‘Come on, just keep doing your best.’

Noortje lies flat on her belly and enjoys the arts that the swan family exhibits.

‘What are those stupid swans doing now,’ shouts the crow that has now landed on top of her ass.

‘Keep your mouth, or just leave. I really like what they do, and I don’t care what you think of it, ‘Noortje replies angrily and shakes her ass to chase him away.

The crow flies up and flies around her. Suddenly he poops on top of her shoe.

Noortje looks angry at him. ‘I will still get you,’ she screams.

The swans suddenly start to flap their wings. Almost simultaneously, apart from the smallest one, she has still some difficulties with her wings. Then father shouts, ‘Now!’

One by one they release themselves from the water with enormous force. ‘Oh, how beautiful,’ Noortje shouts admiringly.

But then, the crow flies over the swans, dips down and is hit by the huge wing of father swan. It collapses into the water and remains there.

Noortje jumps up and sees the crow slowly drifting away. ‘Go save him. He’ll drown soon,’ she shouts.

‘Well, then we are nicely rid of him,’ replies Father Swan.

‘We are not going to do that. Please bring him to the side,’ Noortje asks.

Father Swan takes the crow and brings it to the shoreline. ‘If you ask me, we should have left him….,’ he says.

‘We don’t do that,’ Noortje replies angrily.

‘She’s right,’ says Mommy Swan. ‘That crow is not so bad. Just like us, he is trapped in the witch’s clutches.’ She turns around and swims back into the lake. The others follow her stately. ‘Too bad, we had so much fun,’ she says.

Meanwhile, the crow is lying on the grass and Noortje carefully picks him up. Presses on his tummy and tries again. Then she sees some water dripping from his beak and suddenly he bursts out a few times. He opens his eyes carefully and thanked Noortje for her help.

‘It’s all right. Do you think you can fly again?’

He spreads his wings and pops up. ‘I think I will succeed.’

‘Okay, then get out, because I’m still a bit mad at you.’

Noortje leaves him in despair and walks home.

 

The End