Una lezione meritata (Spada prose story)
| Una lezione meritata | |
| |
| 1st publication: | Mandrake #1 (1972) |
|---|---|
| # of pages: | 2 pgs |
| Writer: | n/a |
| Artist: | n/a |
| Producer: | Fratelli Spada |
"Una lezione meritata" is an Italian made Mandrake prose story from 1972.
A Well-Deserved Lesson
The young man was walking along the path at the edge of the woods, whistling cheerfully. He was tall and sturdy, carrying a rough wooden box on his shoulder. As he reached Mandrake, he gave a brief nod of greeting.
"Good morning, mister!" he said.
"Good morning to you, my friend. Beautiful day, isn't it? Ideal for a walk!"
"Unfortunately, I'm here for work. You see," the young man confided, "I sell birdsongs, and they can only be found here!"
Mandrake looked at him, puzzled.
"Birdsongs? I don't understand..."
"Let me show you," said the young man, setting the box on the ground and opening it. Immediately, a chorus of chirps erupted from the box. Inside, stacked one on top of the other in the cramped space, were about twenty small cages, each just big enough to hold a bird. And each of them indeed contained one of these little creatures, which, despite the obvious discomfort of their prisons, sang at the top of their lungs, almost as if to greet the light that entered when the box was opened.
Mandrake watched the scene with a sense of pity. The young man must have mistaken it for interest, as he quickly asked:
"Are you interested, mister? I could sell you one for a couple of dollars!"
Without a word, Mandrake took out a handful of bills from his wallet.
"Deal!" he said. "I'll buy them all!"
He slowly took the cages out of the box, lined them up along the edge of the path, and then began opening their little doors. With a flutter, the birds shot up into the clear morning sky, disappearing among the branches of the trees.
"Hey!" exclaimed the astonished young man. "But they cost you so much money! You can't just let them go like that!"
Mandrake looked at him.
"Money!" he said with a note of disdain in his voice. "You can't understand that language! But how would you feel if you found yourself, through no fault of your own, in the situation of your victims?"
Mandrake made a gesture with his hand. Sturdy iron bars materialized out of nowhere all around the bird seller, trapping him in a cage. For a moment, the young man was speechless. He looked around, tried to shake the bars. It was useless. He began to sweat, clearly terrified by what was happening to him.
"Let me out!" he finally shouted. "Let me out! You can't keep me prisoner here!"
"And who's keeping you?" Mandrake replied. Indeed, with another gesture, the bars vanished like mist driven by the wind.
"Phew!" muttered the young man, wiping his brow. "I'd better go. I have things to do..."
He began to pack the now-empty cages back into the box.
"Do you intend to fill them again?" asked Mandrake.
"Of course! A few extra dollars never hurt anyone," the young man replied casually, heading toward the nearby woods. He wandered slowly among the trees, looking through the foliage. He was so absorbed in his "work" that he didn't notice Mandrake following him.
Suddenly, the bird catcher set his box on the ground and grabbed the trunk of a tree. As agile as a monkey, he began to climb and within moments reached the lower branches.
The nest was nestled in the fork formed by two branches. The young man reached out a hand. There had to be at least four occupants, he thought. Another eight dollars earned with little effort.
Suddenly, he withdrew his fingers. He remained frozen, straddling the branch. Before him stood a magnificent eagle. Its strong beak and sharp talons didn't promise anything good. Without a second thought, the bird seller let himself drop from the tree.
He was lucky; a moment later, he was back on his feet, running away as fast as the wind.
"Hey, young man!" Mandrake called after him. "You're forgetting your box!"
"To hell with the box!" the other panted. "And to hell with all the birds too! They'll have to cut off my head before I catch another one!"
Among the tree branches, mother finch, having recovered from the fear caused by the man's appearance, had resumed feeding her little ones, whom she had almost lost!
Reprints
This story has been published in the following publications:
France
- "Ouvrez... La cage aux oiseaux", Mandrake #355 (1972)
Italy
- "Una lezione meritata", Mandrake #1 (1972)