Talon, Come Fly with Me: Inspirational Story About Friendship

By Aurora House

Nine year old Matica lives in a remote village on a dry plateau in the Andes of Peru. She moved to Peru when she was five with Australian missionary and schoolteacher parents. Because Matica is trapped in the body of a two year old, her growth handicap has caused her to be rejected by the local people and they would not accept her into their community or allow her to play with the children.

With patience and a sense of adventure Matica befriends a pair of condors. A strong bond and love develops between them.

Matica rescues the egg the condors, Tamo and Tima, are trying to protect from poachers and nurtures it to hatching. The egg hatches on her 10th birthday and she names the new fledging Talon.

Many adventures unfold, including her finally being accepted into the local community. And something totally unexpected...

This is the beginning of many incredible adventures with Talon and Matica. It is a story of inspiration, friendship, love and children's self esteem.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Aurora House
• Release date: Jan 28, 2021
• ISBN: 9780992339937

Aurora House

We bring books to life! We nurture them, love them and give them the finesse they deserve, then spread them worldwide for everyone to enjoy.Specialising in print on demand and ebooks our books enjoy the connection between author and publisher. Aurora authors are involved every step of the way and benefit from learning about the publishing process, encouraging them to write more.With our worldwide distribution, close author contact and professional approach we put you on the path to success!Genre includes fiction, non-fiction, adventure, spiritual, mystery and more. We publish children's books!

Book preview

1

Looking for a Food Gift

Matica, where are you? Ah, there you are. What are you doing?’ Four year old Aikon, Matica’s very clever and bright brother, found her crawling under the big tree near their hut, trailing a small cloud of dust behind her. Putting his hands on his hips, he accused her, ‘You’re not looking for a food gift for Tamo, are you? So, what are you doing?’

Close to tears, she answered, ‘Y-e-e-s, I am looking, but I can’t find anything, not even the tiniest worm.’ She hit the dusty ground beside her with the flat of her hand. A small dust cloud rose up and tickled her nose and throat. She coughed, then sneezed. Not looking, she plonked on the only spot of grass under the tree.

Cluck, cluck-cluck, cluck, cluck-cluck-cluck. With flapping wings, a chicken ran away. Matica sat down awkwardly.

Laughing, Aikon scooped up the chicken and held it in his arms, stroking it. ‘Look at her, how cute she looks. Tsk, tsk. You don’t want her to end up in the pot, do you? Poor thing. She’s not ready for the pot yet, you know. Mum needs her eggs.’

Matica pulled a face.

Still laughing, Aikon let the chicken go. ‘Here you go,’ he said to the chicken, then looked at his sister. ‘Was she helping you?’

‘Mmm, she tried for the last ten minutes but hasn’t found anything either. She liked being with me though.’

‘She likes being with you?’ He looked after the chicken. ‘All right, then. Come on, we’ll find something now.’

Aikon crawled away from where Matica was sitting. As he passed her, she saw his sparkling eyes — like a glow-worm, she thought. He must have played with Emelio before, his best friend. These two are one of a kind, they really are. If only I… She stopped. Self-pity was something she didn’t want to fall into.

Matica crawled after him. Her long, wavy, sandy-blonde hair fell over her face; she brushed it behind her ears. She was dressed in a blue and white traditional short dress and looked gorgeous with her golden brown skin, tanned by the scorching sun high up in the mountains of Peru, where they had now lived for the last four years. Aikon also had the same golden brown skin.

A colourful dragonfly flitted past Matica and sat on a leaf beside her. ‘Aikon, look!’ Matica pulled his foot to get his attention. Fascinated, they both examined it. ‘What a beauty, hey? But I won’t catch it for Tamo. It’s too nice.’

Stretching her hand to touch it with her finger, she wrinkled her face and said impulsively, falling into self-pity now, ‘Some animals are so small and, and… some humans are as well,’ she grumbled very softly. ‘But others can be so big...’

Aikon looked at her seriously for a few seconds, not smiling. Finally he said, ‘You mean your condors, Tamo and Tima, and you as well?’

‘Hmm, big, Tamo and Tima, small, me.’ She sighed. ‘I feel smaller than them. Why do I have this growth problem? Why can’t I be like you — normal?’

Aikon shrugged his shoulders. ‘Matica, don’t say that. If you think that, you’ll be sad, so stop it. We can’t change you. You have to stay the way you are.’ He lifted his hands. ‘I wish you were the right size and not smaller than me, but Emelio has never said anything bad about you.’ His brown eyes sparkled with truth.

‘Why do you have to be so smart, Aikon?’

He stood up and stretched himself, then tapped his chest. ‘Because I am.’ He fell down beside her and grinned.

She smirked. ‘Okay, thanks for your kind words, but…’ she paused a little, ‘I really wish I didn’t have that… that challenge. It would be so much easier for me.’

‘I know.’ Aikon put his hand on her arm. ‘Do you know that I… Oh, no!’ Aikon snapped his fingers and dropped his shoulders. He looked glumly at the ground. ‘I can’t have forgotten that word already. No, no, I never forget new words.’

Matica waited and frowned.

‘Mum told me a new word this morning. It starts, I think, with an a and a d… ad… yes, got it. Admire. Yes, I do admire you having the condors, but...’

‘Really?’ Matica interrupted him. Surprise and disbelief glowed in her green eyes. ‘You really mean that?’

‘Oh, yes, I do.’ He nodded.

‘And, like always, you’re fond of big words.’

‘Yeah.’ He grinned slyly, then his expression changed to annoyance. ‘But we haven’t found anything for Tamo yet.’ Brusquely he turned and crawled away.

Wondering about his mood swing, Matica followed him, then she heard him mumbling, ‘For two years, every day we have to find something for Tamo. Humph!’

‘Hey!’ Matica called. ‘Are you complaining? You don’t need to help me, you know. I can find something myself. Besides, I thought you liked to help me.’

‘Yes, I do.’ He sighed. ‘It’s only sometimes I’m not in the mood.’

‘Like now, I see. Is Emelio waiting?’

‘Yes. I told him you would probably need my help.’ A smirk split his face.

‘Wow,’ Matica said, stunned.

‘What’s the matter now?’

‘You looked just like Dad.’

‘Yeah?’ he said, cheered up and with big, round eyes. ‘I like that.’

Matica, looking sad, said, ‘Aikon, you said you admire me having the condors. I admire you having friends.’

Aikon crawled towards her and kissed her on the cheek. ‘Don’t I count?’

‘Yeah, but still… you know.’

‘Did you find something?’ came a small voice from behind them. ‘Would this do?’

Aikon looked at Emelio, who was holding a live and clucking chicken under his arm. Aikon started to laugh but shook his head. ‘You don’t mean that, do you?’

‘Well, isn’t it better than nothing?’

‘No!’ Matica called out. ‘We can’t give Tamo a live chicken. No way.’

‘Okay.’ His voice was cheerful as he let the chicken go. It fluttered to the ground clucking and ran away, happy to be free. ‘Can I help finding something dead, then?’

Emelio’s black, oval eyes were pleading with them. Short, straight, black hair surrounded his pleasant, round face. He wore bright blue shorts and a yellow shirt. It suited him well with his dark golden skin.

‘Come on, then,’ Aikon invited, laughing.

Happy to help, Emelio crawled in the dust with Aikon and Matica. Shortly after, Emelio whirled a dead lizard triumphantly over his head. He gave it to Matica and both boys ran off.

2

The First Shot

HHow happy they are, Matica thought, watching them. I wish I could have a friend like Emelio. Oh, well, at least I have Tamo, but he’s a bird, not a human.

The dragonfly was still there and she said to it, ‘You are supposed to be small, but not me. If only the Indians could understand.’

Presently, the dragonfly hovered around the tree in the bright afternoon sunshine. As she followed it with her eyes, it flitted back and forth. ‘Your life is so carefree, but not mine.’ She sighed as the dragonfly sped high into the sky, returned and came to a dead stop in an instant, hovering in the heat of the day. Speeding up again, it disappeared amongst the branches of the huge tree.

Looking at the small hut where they lived — it was rustic, built from logs and stood at the edge of the village — all her sorrows disappeared. Her mouth blossomed into a grin. As she jumped and whirled around, hair bouncing and throwing her arms into the air, she dropped the dead lizard, but before it hit the ground, she caught it again.

She whispered, ‘In spite of all my misery at being so small, I love my home and I love the village of Pucara. I love the view of the great Andes and in particular, I love Tamo and Tima, my birds, my condors.’

Pucara, with seven hundred and eighty-three Indians, was located high on a vast, open, sandy, plateau of the Andes about a thousand metres up in Peru, South America. Matica could look in any direction she wanted and see everything — the green and barren mountains, forests and grassland, green or brown valleys, small hills and deep, steep canyons.

The plateau was dry, the grass mostly brown from the lack of rain, even though they lived so close to the equator and were surrounded by tropical rainforests. That made the climate very balanced and mild. Beech trees, conifers like monkey-puzzle trees, oak trees and others grew there, plus many bushes and shrubs. These could survive long periods without rain.

Happy again, as Matica was never sad for long, she skipped and cart-wheeled around the courtyard. At that moment, her mum Mira stepped outside. She too had light, golden brown skin and was also wearing the traditional wide and colourful dress. She had shoulder length, brown, curly hair and brown eyes.

‘Matica!’ her mother called.

‘Yes?’

Bang!

Matica froze, then looked at the mountains, horror stricken. ‘No!’ she yelled. ‘Not again!’ Her shoulders sagged and tears built in her eyes.

Bam! Bam! Another two shots. One after the other.

Shocked and alarmed, Matica collapsed into her mother’s arms. Mira guided her to the bench. They sat down. Matica covered her face with her hands.

Mira considered her daughter’s words, then asked, ‘You mean the poachers are on the move again, like last year?’

Matica took her hands off her face. ‘No one else would shoot around here.’

‘True. It’s the same time of year as well, I believe. Do you know if Tima has an egg again?’ Mira asked, putting her hand on her daughter’s skinny shoulder.

‘N-o-o. If… I didn’t notice if they had an egg.’ She wiped her wet cheeks. ‘Is it my fault, then?’

‘No, don’t blame yourself. It’s not your fault.’

Matica stood up and stomped her foot into the dirt. A dust cloud rose up. ‘Wasn’t it enough that the poachers stole their egg last year? Mum, they can’t lose it again. I won’t let it happen!’

‘I know. It wouldn’t be fair.’

Devastated, Matica paced up and down with her hands behind her back. Making a quick decision, she stopped and said, ‘Mum, I can’t live with not knowing if the condors are in danger. I have to find out. I’ll go and have a look, see if I can see them. Remember, I saw the poachers last year. I know what they look like.’

‘It will probably be too late already, don’t you think? They’re there now.’

Matica frowned. ‘Maybe they’re shooting some other animals. Wouldn’t be good, I know. Or… maybe, just maybe they are only having a look.’

‘You wish!’

‘Can’t I have good wishes? I’ll tell the Indians so Dad can follow me to Ramah, or even better, beyond Ramah where we can see what’s going on.’

She ran into the house, grabbed her poncho, threw it over her head, then started to run.

‘Don’t you show yourself to the poachers if you see them!’ Mira yelled after her. ‘They might be ruthless! You never know!’ She looked after her daughter, not happy at all that she went alone to find the poachers, yet she was aware she couldn’t hold her daughter back. Nothing would.

3

Run to Ramah

Dashing through the village, Matica saw Mito in his potato field. Aware that the Indians didn’t like her because of her small stature, she wasn’t sure if Mito would tell her father. She asked him anyway if he had heard the shots. He had. He answered me, she thought. That’s a first. He might tell father then. ‘Please tell my father that I’m on the way to Ramah to see what’s going on. And please tell him that he should follow me as soon as possible.’

‘Tell Crayn, I will,’ he said and walked towards the community hall.

He is telling him, Matica rejoiced and raced off, grinning. She loved the funny way Mito spoke.

Every day she walked for fifty minutes to meet Tamo at the place she had named ‘Ramah’. Beyond the village and the fields of the Indians, her path first went slightly up through bushes and shrubs then down through a little valley and up again. Next she would go through a rainforest — not much to see in there; it was too small — then through open space again.

Her Ramah was a big, oval clearing, enclosed by a few bushes and big conifer trees. In the middle lay a huge boulder where she would often sit and talk with her friend Tamo, who would lay his head in her lap and listen to her.

Once outside Ramah, she would travel across land sloping steadily down onto grassy ground with occasional shrubs and other big trees until she came to the foothills of the Andes. Today, by running, her trip took her only twenty-five minutes. Her anguish had urged her on.

Out of breath, she arrived and sat on the big boulder to rest. As her breath slowed down, she could hear the distressing screech of her condors. She sprang up but couldn’t see them because she could only see the high peaks of the Andes and not the foothills. So, she ran on.

After a few minutes, she could finally see the foothills and fell to the ground behind a shrub to observe what was happening.

What she saw took her breath away.

4

Frustration

Matica looked at the high cliff and the rock platform where she knew the condors had their nest. It had one small tree growing on one side and a bush on the other. It didn’t look big, but right

Reviews for Talon, Come Fly with Me

[uvi_poznansky · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This story opens directly into a dialog between Matica and her brother, just as if you happened to pass by them and catch the sound of their voice and a glimpse of her crawling on the ground to search for a worm to feed Tamo. Despite her predicament—a nine year old girl trapped in the body of a two year old toddler—the way she looks is endearing: “Her long, wavy, sandy blond hair fell over her face, so she brushed it behind her ears,” and to anyone who experienced isolation, the way she feels is moving: I wish I could have a friend like Emilio. Oh, well, at least I have Tamo, but he’s a bird, not a human.”In this children’s book, the author, Gigi Sedimayer, gives us language that is rich, and the sound of it is fascinating: “The hens… fluffed, ruffled and puffed up their feathers then ran away, loudly clucking and flapping their wings.” Her deep knowledge about the life of condors enriches the story and is imparted with a light touch: “Two months later, Talon was now ten months old and fully grown though he still had his brownish-geey coat of feathers.” The connection between the growing condor, Talon, and little Matica is an intimate one. “Matical lay on him, wondering what to do next. Should I slide down? Is Talon OK now? Is he calm?”Talon, Come Fly With Me is about taking flight, overcoming your predicament, and forming bonds that free you—“To grow—or not to grow, as it is with me.”Five stars.

[gisela.sedlmayer · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

My review of Talon, Come Fly With Me by Gigi SedlmayerBy David BroughtonTalon, Come Fly With Me is one of the most interesting books I've read in a long time, of any genre. (I review a lot of books, so I see more than most people.) The lead character is young Matica is from Australia but now lives in Pucara, located on a high and open, sandy, vast plateau of the Andes about a thousand meters up in Peru, South America. Matica finds and befriends a rare condor, and eventually the condor's family. The condor family becomes part of Matica's family, in a way, after Matica and her father do their best to protect them from poachers. Everyone in the family helps hatch their egg ... that's just the beginning of the story.There is a lot in this book, in many ways, it's a unique story a great read, but there must be more than a hundred lessons it can teach children, without them ever knowing they're learning anything. There are lessons about ecology, family, native ways, just to name a few. This story somewhat leaves me at a loss for what to say about it. All the superfluous words in my arsenal fail to do it justice. Talon is so good on so many levels, that adults will enjoy it, so will children, whether the children can read it themselves of have it read to them. There is drama, humor, and a flight of fancy or two throughout Talon.The only odd thing that caught this editor's eye was the British (and Aussie) spellings and punctuation style. Once I got used to that, it flowed beautifully. This book is a keeper, that's for sure. If you buy it, you'll want to hand it down through the family for generations to come, it's that good. I guess that's all I can say about the book; the author on the other hand, is a story waiting to be told. I'll let her tell it, when she's ready, it should be quite the interesting story too. You'd never know from this book that English is her third language.

[lawonder10 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Matica was a lonely, distraught girl with a disability. She felt desperate. Her parents were very supportive, loving and encouraging but was that enough?Her parents were on a mission in Peru among an Indian tribe. Her brother was energetic and had his own friends but he also loved his older sister.When Matica felt all was in vain, she miraculously made friends with very unusual beings. Was it just by chance or from divine intervention this most unusual situation occurred? She was too elated to discover which it was. It just gave life meaning. From this point on, Matica's world was opened up to a whole new existence.Join Matica and her family in the extraordinary events that ensued the changes in their ordinarily routine lives .This is the first book of a series. It definitely sets the foundation for the following books of the series. Without the first book, the reader would miss key events.The book cover very well portrays the story. It is bright and eye-catching. The title also defines the story very well.The story is a creative fantasy that will seem very real to the vivid imaginations of youth. It is a remarkable tale.The writing was a little ambiguous at times. The emotions following a statement didn't always coincide with events. Yet, at other instances the emotions seemed overdone. The conversations and some actions of the brother were not synonymous with his age - much too mature. Other than that, it was a delightful tale.This would be a wonderful book for youth from ages 9 to 19! I feel some adults would find it entertaining as well. It would be a great series for family reading and discussion. I give it a weak Four Stars rating in this book's review due to the above mentioned problems.This book was generously sent to me by the author for an honest review, of which I have given.