Wilbur's Song

By Robert A. Tinney Sr.

Wilbur's Song is the story of Wilbur, a young yellow canary who cannot sing at all. By a series of unfortunate events, he is trapped by a great falcon named Franco and is prevented from migrating south for the winter with his family. He is all alone to spend the freezing winter in the Town of Courage. He is befriended by a thirteen-year-old girl and her four siblings, who take him into their home for the winter. Wilbur soon meets the family's Rottweiler, Achoo, who is old and weak. Wilbur brings the dog back to life as they go through adventures together. Achoo teaches Wilbur how to connect his heart to his song. Wilbur's Song was originally called "Wilbur the Yellow Bird." A story the author had made up to tell his oldest daughter, Amanda. Soon they were joined by Samantha, Bobby, Sadi, and Cody. The author added all the kids into the story and their family Rottweiler. As the children grew up together, Wilbur was their most requested story. Wilbur's Song is dedicated to the children, the great black and tan dog, and the little yellow imaginary bird that tied it all together and touched their hearts.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Oct 2, 2015
• ISBN: 9781503555297

Robert A. Tinney Sr.

Robert (Bob) A. Tinney was raised on a working cattle ranch in the White Mountains of Arizona. He lived the life of a cowboy and rode bareback and saddle broncs in rodeos through junior high, high school, and shortly thereafter. He wrote many short stories but never published them. He currently has fourteen books in the process covering police drama, science fiction, westerns, and two documentaries. At the age of twenty, he pursued his father's footsteps as a lawman in the state of Arizona. He has served as an Arizona highway patrolman, deputy sheriff, and city policeman. His career has taken him down many roads and experiences in life. He has served as a police training coordinator, DARE officer, patrol sergeant, sergeant over a Hostage Negotiations Unit, and captain. He recently served over his department's internal affairs division and is currently assigned to federal adjudications. He is a certified police general instructor and specializes in RADAR certification and police professionalism and ethics. His thirty-year law enforcement career, as well as being a father who has raised five children, has prepared him to pursue his biggest life dream of becoming an author and bringing his many stories to life. Bob currently lives with his oldest son, Bobby, in San Tan Valley, Arizona.

Book preview

37678.png

Copyright © 2015 by Robert A. Tinney Sr.

ISBN:   Softcover   978-1-5035-5528-0

eBook   978-1-5035-5529-7

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted

in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system,

without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the

product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance

to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Rev. date: 11/09/2015

Xlibris

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

708605

Contents

Chapter One Preparing for the Migration South

Chapter Two Wilbur Finds a New Family

Chapter Three The Lessons of Winter

Chapter Four Wilbur's Song

Dedication

This, being a teen revision of the original Wilbur's Song and still representing my life's dream coming true in my second published book, is dedicated to my Mother, Diane, who realized my dreams and creativity at a very young age. I also dedicate this to the five children depicted in this book, who mean the world to me, and a black-and-tan dog that stood proudly in our home, and to all the pets waiting for good homes everywhere, this is for you.

Chapter One

Preparing for the Migration South

144818_FIN_01_correx.jpg

The season of fall was creeping upon the quiet little Town of Courage. Standing next to a two-story house in a plush green yard was a tall, proud tree called an American elm. Toward the top of that tree was a cozy nest that was the home of a small yellow canary named Wilbur. Wilbur was covered in smooth little bright yellow feathers. His average canary body supported a ping-pong ball--sized head with two little black dot eyes above a golden beak.

Now, this tree was no ordinary tree; it was not just the home to Wilbur and his mother and father. It was a singing tree---famous throughout the land. Many people and creatures would gather around in the evenings to listen to Wilbur's mother sing beautiful music from high in the branches. For canaries, that was unusual as the male canaries are usually the best singers. But the tunes that came from that beautiful canary were mesmerizing. The worries and woes would disappear, and the hearts of every living thing would fill with happiness and beat with love.

Wilbur would sit next to his mother every evening and try to sing, but his chirps and chips would sound more like fingernails chopping on an old-school blackboard and cause those around him to duck and squint while covering their ears. Some of the younger birds would laugh and tease him, pointing their wings at him and taunting, Wilbur's calling in the cats again!

Wilbur would become so embarrassed each time he tried. Every failed attempt was met with his kind mother's soft wings brushing his head and a kiss on his cheek. In her comforting voice, she would tell him, Wilbur, my precious son, your song warms my heart like no other. She would add, Save it for me later . . . I want to listen to it all to myself.

Wilbur looked up to his father, standing next to him. His father looked down and shook his head and whispered, I'm sorry, son, you got that from me . . . I can't sing a lick. As male canaries, we are supposed to be the carriers of notes and singers of songs. But somewhere, somehow, something went wrong. He continued, Tunes and songs, I sure don't know 'em . . . but I can sure take words and rhyme and make you a darn good poem. Wilbur and his father would roll in the nest laughing. All worries went away when Wilbur shared his time with his family.

Wilbur had a best friend, a round, plump bluebird named Billy. They would fly around the neighborhood, watching people and playing in the center town park with the other neighborhood birds. Billy's bright blue colors and Wilbur's yellow feathers made them quite a pair to see. They stood out from the many sparrows they played with.

Now, there were two things that birds had to be careful of in the Town of Courage---cats and falcons. The cats roamed in groups of hunting packs on the ground, and sometimes lone falcons would soar in the skies above, searching for small birds to prey on. The bird community had warning calls when either a cat or a falcon was in the area, giving birds time to take cover and hide.

One brown-speckled falcon named Franco ruled the skies above the farm fields just east of the Town of Courage. His reputation spread near and far for his hunting abilities and the dark swooping shadows he cast as he patrolled from above. Franco was the leader of a gang of falcons who had recently started hunting closer to town and terrorizing the smaller birds that lived there. But the rules had always been for the smaller birds to stay away from the farm fields as they were sure to be hunted there.

One day, Billy Bluebird and Wilbur flew to the town park and were playing in the treetops above the playground. Several boys and girls were playing on the swing sets and merry-go-rounds below them. A group of children were seated on a blanket, enjoying a picnic lunch to the side of the playground. A small boy of about seven years old with blonde hair glanced up to the tree and spotted Wilbur's bright yellow color and Billy's coat of blue feathers. The boy called out to the oldest girl. Look, Amanda, it's the yellow bird and his friend.

The five children gathered under the tree, looking up at its branches. Thirteen-year-old Amanda took a slice of bread from within the wicker picnic basket on the blanket and began breaking small pieces of bread. She threw them on the ground near the base of the tree, and they all ran back to the blanket and sat waiting. Wilbur and Billy excitedly flew down to examine