Twelve Colored Birds

It was time to give Nella the gift.

Sir Pants and Sir Reddy climbed the stairs up to her room in the tallest tower of Caraway Castle. They climbed ten steps. An orange owl flew right above their heads.

"What was that?" exclaimed Sir Reddy, who had not been expecting anything to fly over his head.

Sir Pants was a bit shaken himself, but he said, "It was an orange owl," very matter-of-factly.

"Pretty," said Sir Reddy, looking after it.

It was soon gone.

Sir Pants and Sir Reddy climbed twenty steps. A purple owl flew over their heads.

"What was--" said Sir Reddy, but then he realized what it was. "Oh."

"That was a purple one," said Sir Pants.

"Pretty," said Sir Reddy.

The purple owl was soon gone from their sight.

Sir Pants and Sir Reddy climbed thirty more steps. A red owl flew right over their heads, so close they could hear its wings beating the air.

"Whoa!" said Sir Pants.

"A red owl," Sir Pants and Sir Reddy told each other, at the same time.

"Pretty," said Sir Reddy.

It was soon gone in the same direction the other owls had flown.

"Where do you think they're going?" asked Sir Reddy, as he and Sir Pants climbed more steps.

"Who knows?" said Sir Pants. "Maybe the same place we're going." He smiled. He was just joking.

A green owl passed over their heads.

"A green one, now," said Sir Pants.

"Pretty," said Sir Reddy.

After that owl was gone, Sir Reddy said, "Let's try to guess what color the next one will be."

"How do you know there will be a next one?" asked Sir Pants.

"It's likely," said Sir Reddy.

"Brown," guessed Sir Pants.

"Blue," said Sir Reddy.

A blue owl flew over their heads.

"You cheated," said Sir Pants. "You must have seen that one coming."

"I wasn't guessing," said Sir Reddy. "I was telling you what color it was. Not brown."

"Yes," said Sir Pants a little grumpily.

After a pause and a few more steps, Sir Pants said, "Yellow? Do you think the next one will be yellow?"

"Either that or brown like you said, or black," said Sir Reddy.

"That covers a lot of territory," said Sir Pants.

The next owl that flew over them was yellow. Very soon after that a black owl flew by.

"Will there be any more?" Sir Pants wondered.

A white owl flew over them.

Sir Pants and Sir Reddy climbed fifty more steps. A brown owl flew overhead.

"Are...we...almost...there?" asked Sir Reddy, panting. He was very tired from climbing all those steps.

"I...wish...we...could...have...flown...up...here," said Sir Pants.

Before they could knock on Nella's door, she opened it. Out of the door flew an orange owl, a purple owl, a red owl, a green owl, a blue owl, a yellow owl, a black owl, a white owl, and a brown owl. They flew out the top window of the tower and were gone. Sir Pants and Sir Reddy went into Nella's room. In it sat a gray owl, harrumphing and settling its feathers down. It shook its head back and forth a few times.

"He gets a little territorial," said Nella. "Would you like some tea?"

"We brought you a gift," said Sir Pants. He didn't want to have to look for another tea cup.

"Ooh!' squealed Nella. "What is it?"

Sir Pants and Sir Reddy handed her a bird feeder.