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Read by Jana
Written by Bertie

Jake has an unusual best friend. His name is Birdy and he is a black crow. One evening, when Birdy tapped at his window, Jake was curious.

“Birdy, you’re a magical bird, right?”

“Well you could say that I’m no ordinary bird.”

“In that case, can you grant me three wishes?”

Birdy thought for a moment with his head on one side.

“Sorry, not my kind of service. But if you want to impress your friends, I could teach you a card trick or two?”

“No thanks Birdy,” said Jake adamantly. “Card tricks are fake. I want some real magic, you know, like in a fairytale.”

“Well it’s like this, If I gave you three wishes, you wouldn’t learn anything. Worse, you might learn the wrong sort of lesson,” he said sternly.

“Awwwe!” exclaimed Jake throwing up his arms. He wasn’t happy. Birdy sounded just like his Dad! Which wasn’t cool at all. In fact, when he woke up the next morning, he felt cross with Birdy for the first time ever. “It’s not fair Mum. I want three wishes,” he moaned, toying with his breakfast. And Mum replied.

“Well I’ll give you three wishes. I wish you’d eat up your porridge, get your shoes on, and get to school.”

The following Friday, Jake felt tired and moody after football practice. He slouched on the sofa, glaring through the window at Mum's old car parked outside. Its rounded edges and bright teal colour made it look like something out of an ancient TV show. To Jake though, it was the epitome of uncool.

Hello, Jake," Birdy greeted him after dinner. "What’s with the frown?”

“We’re visiting my aunty and uncle for their anniversary in a couple of weeks. Loads of people are going to be there and they’ll see Mum's old car. It’s embarrassing showing up at my cousin's house in Mum’s tin can. You know, my uncle’s two cars go from 0 to 60 in half a second. Mum’s would take a week. I wish you could use some magic?”

Birdy tilted his head. "Your mum’s car has character. But I predict your wish will come true."

Jake was excited, but the car stayed the same. “Did Birdy cheat me?” he wondered.

Out of the blue on Sunday morning, a man knocked on the door. “Sorry to bother you, but I couldn’t help but notice your car in your driveway. It’s a classic. I’ve been looking for one like that for a long time. Would you consider selling it?”

Mum, surprised, agreed to sell the car as he offered a very generous price. A week later, a sleek new car sat in the driveway.

“What do you think, Jake?” Mum asked.

Jake was pleased. “It’s awesome, Mum!”

And he was in a good mood all week .

Next Saturday afternoon, Mum called out, “Come on Jake, we’re going shopping for new clothes!”

Jake groaned. “Shopping is boring.”

But Mum was firm.

Jake dragged himself downstairs, to find his sister Elle bouncing around eager to get going.

“Mummy’s promised me I’m finally collecting my street dance uniform for my club, and brand new trainers too,” she squealed in delight.

Jake’s face turned pale with dread. "I wish I didn’t have to go shopping with Elle." For him, a shopping trip with his little sister was like being trapped in a horror film—an endless parade of girly shops that made him want to disappear into the nearest cave.

“All right,” sighed Mum. “But don’t blame us if we buy clothes you don’t like!”

“Don’t worry, I’ll choose really cool clothes for you Jake,” piped up Elle.

Later, when Mum and Elle returned home, Elle burst into Jake’s room holding up a shiny yellow shirt and 70s style bell-bottom Jeans with flowers on the thighs.

“No way am I wearing those!” Jake protested, horrified.

That evening, he whispered, “I am not wearing these ridiculous clothes.”

Birdy appeared at the window. “Look at this stuff, Birdy! What was Elle thinking, picking out these weird outfits? I’m going to be the laughingstock at school.”

Birdy cawed softly. “Fashion is subjective. But I can see you wish you didn’t have to wear those clothes?”

“Oh, please, Birdy!”
Birdy didn’t even caw, he just flapped his wings.

The next morning, Elle barged into her brother's room unannounced. “Jake, I’ve been thinking.. I don’t think these clothes suit you after all! Do you mind if I keep them?”

Jake heaved a sigh of relief. “You definitely can.”

Mum overheard. “Come down Jake, and we’ll order some new clothes online.”

Jake smiled. “Sounds good, Mum.”

And he whispered, “Thanks for granting my wish, Birdy!”

The week went by smoothly until Friday evening, when Dad looked up from his dinner plate and asked Jake to help him tackle the garage. “I’ve been putting it off, but it’s high time for us to get it cleaned out."

Jake's heart sank. The garage was a disaster zone, still damp and cluttered from the recent flood. Cleaning it out was the last thing he wanted to do.

After dinner, Jake retreated to his room, flopping onto his bed with a groan. His mind began to whirl with images of the garage—dark corners filled with creepy-crawlies, spiders the size of his fist, and who knew what else lurking in the shadows.

Birdy flew in, landing gracefully on Jake’s desk. "Trouble brewing?"

Jake sighed. “Dad wants me to help clean the garage. I wish I didn’t have to. ”

I’ll tell you what. On this occasion, I’ll grant you half a wish. You’ll have to help your dad with the garage, but you’ll enjoy it.”

“Enjoy it? You’ve got to be kidding!”

“Take it or leave it.”

Saturday morning arrived, and Jake reluctantly joined Dad in the garage. The air was damp, and boxes were stacked haphazardly, some soggy and some falling apart. Jake eyed the dark corners warily, half-expecting a rat to jump out at him. Dad rolled up his sleeves, giving Jake an encouraging smile.

"Let's get to it, Jake. The sooner we start, the sooner we'll be done."

They began sorting through the mess, tossing ruined items and organising what could be saved. As they worked, Dad took on the heavy lifting, while Jake focused on the shelves that had escaped the worst of January’s flood, when the river overflowed and reached their back garden.

Pulling down a dusty box, Jake coughed as a cloud of dust enveloped him. He opened the box to find a collection of his old toys: action figures, building blocks, and a well-worn teddy bear.

"Hey, Dad, look at this!" Jake exclaimed, holding up the bear.”

Dad glanced over: "I remember when you wouldn't go
anywhere without that bear. You used to call him Mr. Bud."

Digging deeper into the box, his fingers closed around something solid and metallic. He pulled out a detailed toy car, its paint slightly chipped but still gleaming.

His eyes widened as he recognized the model:

"Wow, this looks just like Mum's car!" Jake said, turning it over in his hands.

Dad walked over for a closer look. "Well, would you look at that? This was my favourite toy car as a kid. Your mum was driving this same exact model only for real, when we met.”

Jake studied the toy car, noticing the intricate details and classic design. Then he noticed a crack in the windshield and a chip in the paint. "It's pretty cool, but it’s a bit beat up."

Dad sighed. "Yeah, and it’s missing the original box too. You know, if it were in perfect condition with the box, it would be worth a lot of money now."

Jake nodded thoughtfully, realising how smart Mum had been to keep her old car in such good condition and sell it for a good sum. "I guess Mum really knows how to take care of things."

Dad smiled, clearly pleased. "She sure does. I was sad to see her old car leave the drive for the last time. An unusual car, full of memories.”

And Jake replied, “Yeah Dad, you’re right. I miss Mum’s old car too.”

They continued working, uncovering more treasures, including Dad's old comic books, one of which was all about a talking bird.

“Dad, is this just a coincidence?” Jake asked.

“Well, well,” said Dad. “This was my favourite comic. But it was just a story, you know.”

“But my Birdy is real,” said Jake proudly.

The hours flew by as they shared stories and laughs.

By early evening, the garage was clean and organised, and both of them were tired but satisfied. As they packed up the last box, Dad ruffled Jake's hair affectionately.

"Thanks for all your help today, Jake. Couldn't have done it without you."

Jake smiled at his dad. "It was actually kinda fun."

That evening, as the sun set and the sky turned shades of orange and pink, Birdy arrived at Jake's window with a little tap tap tap. Jake eagerly let him in.

"How did it go?" Birdy asked, settling comfortably on the windowsill.

"It was great! We found all sorts of cool stuff, like my old toys and teddy I thought I’d lost. We even found this valuable toy car that looks just like Mum's old one. I realised that her car was actually pretty awesome. Thanks for granting me half a wish. It was better than nothing.”

“I think it might have turned out just the same. Even without half a wish. The more you put into something, the more you get out of it. Wish or no wish. That’s just the way life is.”
“Thanks, Birdy. I’ll remember that,” Jake murmured, stifling a yawn, sleep suddenly weighing on him. The day had been exhausting in the garage, but totally worth it.

And don’t forget we have loads more birdy and other stories on Storynory.com, and on all the podcast apps, and on our YouTube Channel.

And older kids and grownups should check out our other podcast, Relaxivity.

From me Jana at Storynory.com,
Bye for now! CAWWWWWW!