The original, 2-page short story version of

'AND WEVE GOT THE BIRD'

Copyright © 1975 by Roger M. Wilcox. All rights reserved.
(writing on this story began 6-Mar-1975)
The original draft was written on a mechanical typewriter, single-spaced, with no right margin, before I'd learned about those pesky little things called "paragraphs." It was inspired by Jean Craighead George's 1959 young-readers novel My Side of the Mountain, which we were reading in 4th grade (yes, fourth grade). All spellings, punctuation, strings of exclamation points, capitalizations, colors, etc. are as in the original. Unfortunately, without scanning it in and presenting an image, I can't really convey all the typewriter overstrikes and formatting oddities I had to slog through in the original.

You have been warned.




CHAPTER 1: ALMOST SCRAMBLED EGG..................................................

Well, it all started one day when I was walking through the forest, when I found a tiny egg lying on the ground. I took it home, & was about to scramble it, when out came a tiny bird. And I just didn't have the heart to cook it. Well, it looked like it would grow up to be a humming bird, but after 9 days, it looked like it would grow up to be a robin. Well, we fed it on wild bird seed for a wile, but in 9 days, he seemed as if he would grow up to be a buzzard. Well, 3 days later, I noticed that on the left side in the row with its wings, there was a small lump forming........................................................................

CHAPTER 2: WATTA STRANGE BIRD...................................................

Well, after 9 days of feeding him, he seemed as if he would group up to be a falcon, but not only that, the lump was 75% bigger, and a tiny lump was forming on his right side. Well, finally after 3 days, the left lump formed 4 fingers, & the right bump was 75% bigger than it was. Well, 6 days after that, he seemed as if he was going to grow up to be an eagle. Well, after 3 more days, finally the left fingers turned into claws, & the right lump turned into 4 fingers as well. Well, 6 days after that, the fingers finally turned into claws, & he seemed as if he would grow up to be a condor. I was amazed by it having 4 claws instead of 2! Well, 9 days after that, it was a full grown condor, & on the same day, it caught a rabbit......
February 12: the condor caught a turkey, & on the same day, we named him swooper. One day he caught a deer, his biggest game of all. Well, 7 days after that, he learned his first trick. How to bow. Well, after 5 days of practice, he learned how to juggle 1 ball, 4 days after that, 2. I was amazed by its beeing able to do that. One day he had gone away. I looked and looked for him, but no sighn of him. Then I saw him, he had caught a bird. I was glad that he didnt fly away, to migrate. And, 3 days later, I taught him to come when I called (a whistle). And finally he was ready for the big test, coming when I whisteld.. blindfolded! I set him 350 yards away (with a blindfold on him) & whistled for him, & he came! That was the only condor that I know that could do that!..........................................

CHAPTER 3: THE ONLY BIRD LIKE IT.................................................

Then the biggest test of all; putting him on 1 side of the mountain, and me on the other.. with him blindfolded... and he made the test! He was again the only condor I knew that could do that!! Why, there are some acting birds, but none like this one! One day, he flew away, never to return again (I knew because he didnt come back for days) & I thought he was going to migrate, or go back to his own home. So I ran away from home. I brought a suitcase with a 13 pack of fritos and 2 6-packs of hawiian punch (red). I also brought a bow-&-arrow with me; incase I run out of food. I also put on my new watch to tell what time it is. I also brought; a jack knife, a hachet, 8 hinges, & 3 windows (2 bigger than the other 1). I also brought a mattres stuffed up into a trash can (to put my trash in). & 1 More detail in his suitcase, a blanket to keep warm at bed time. And I ranaway into the catskills. I founed a perfect tree to hide out in. I cut open a space with my hachet, & used the wood piece for the door & I screwed the door to the hinges (for I had also brung a screw driver & 3 screws), made holes for the screws, & screwed the hinges to the tree. Later, I made a closet in the same way (for I also brung 4 door knobs), and a cubord by hinging, carving a small door knob, & screwing the knob onto the door (for I also carved 6 more screw holes). Later, I chopped holes for the windows, made slits for the windows (1 in the door, 2 on the sides of it), put them in, & sealed them with some clay from the bank of a nearby lake. One day, I was out hunting for food. I saw a bird in the sky, I was about to shoot him down with my bow & arrow, when I saw it was him, my condor. Then with great exitment, I yelled, "swooper!!!" Because I was so exited. Then swooper came right down onto my arm. I was so glad that I jumped almost 7 ft. up! Never in my whole life had I been so happy!!!!!!.....................1..............................:..::..........

CHAPTER 4: IN WHITCH I COME HOME....................................................

Well, since the condor was back, I went home. & I made $3,000,000 out of show busines with him.


THE END!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



A 'WILCOX' PRESENTATION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!




Author's notes from 2013:

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