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The hoopoe and the Internet
From the book Chimera (short stories)
By Dr. Hossam Badrawi
The hoopoe is a species of bird whose primary habitat is forests. It is distinguished by its color consisting of shades of dark brown to chestnut. It has black and white wings, and a long, dark black tail. The head that the hoopoe has is its exceptional feature, as it has a head surmounted by a crest in the form of an erect crest of feathers. It also has a long, cylindrical beak, with a pointed head and a slightly curved head, to help it catch insects and worms to feed on.
The hoopoe is considered a quiet, shy and loving bird. Its presence in a specific place is evidence of its cleanliness, purity, and freedom from pollutants such as chemical pesticides. It is an environmentally friendly bird.
He walks proudly and with calm steps,
The general appearance of the feathers on his head is evidence of his condition, as he raises them up when he feels fear, and lowers them down as evidence of his feeling of security, and when he feels threatened and in danger, he sprays a bad-smelling black liquid from his tail, which would keep the enemy away from him and his children.
The hoopoe is distinguished by its strong vision, which helps it see where there is water to settle around. It has a beautiful voice, and the male uses a soft, repetitive sound to attract females.
In recent years, the isolation of the hoopoe, the hero of our story, has increased, as he began to hear strange sounds other than the sounds of the wind, the chirping of birds, and the usual rustling of tree leaves… He feels currents in the atmosphere that differ from his feeling when he stands on the telephone and electricity wires that have almost disappeared…
He was escaping from the interference occurring around him by standing on the ground, rather than standing on wires and tree branches, and even that did not protect him from new pollution in the air, in which strange waves intersect that he was not accustomed to, as the Internet runs underground… where the Internet is transmitted between countries. Through wires extending across the seas and oceans to reach different countries, then it is transmitted through Internet providers, which are called telecommunications companies, via land wires, until it reaches the home of every human being, meaning that every person’s device is connected to a land wire in his country and through the sea wire in the United States of America or Europe.
Millions and millions of signals are transmitted, and the hoopoe’s head can no longer bear them and does not want to bear them… His ancestors lived in absolute peace and quiet, then man introduced electricity, telephone, wireless, wired, then mobile, and now the Internet… which runs in cables everywhere…
The hoopoe chirped and said to his companion, “I can no longer stop the foul smell coming out of me because I feel that we, all peaceful birds, are in constant danger….”
Yes, I live in isolation, but man increases my isolation as if he is at war with all of us…
This idiot does not understand that our existence, animals, bees, and even worms, insects, and bacteria, is the reason for the balance and survival of his life….
His companion responded gently and said, “Do you see what humans do to their own kind? They kill each other without mercy, tear apart nations, and destroy their environment without embarrassment. Do you think they might think about us hoopoes?”
Our days are numbered, so let us tweet when we can, spread our wings when we want, and protect our children from human beings….
From the book Chimera (short stories)
By Dr. Hossam Badrawi
The hoopoe is a species of bird whose primary habitat is forests. It is distinguished by its color consisting of shades of dark brown to chestnut. It has black and white wings, and a long, dark black tail. The head that the hoopoe has is its exceptional feature, as it has a head surmounted by a crest in the form of an erect crest of feathers. It also has a long, cylindrical beak, with a pointed head and a slightly curved head, to help it catch insects and worms to feed on.
The hoopoe is considered a quiet, shy and loving bird. Its presence in a specific place is evidence of its cleanliness, purity, and freedom from pollutants such as chemical pesticides. It is an environmentally friendly bird.
He walks proudly and with calm steps,
The general appearance of the feathers on his head is evidence of his condition, as he raises them up when he feels fear, and lowers them down as evidence of his feeling of security, and when he feels threatened and in danger, he sprays a bad-smelling black liquid from his tail, which would keep the enemy away from him and his children.
The hoopoe is distinguished by its strong vision, which helps it see where there is water to settle around. It has a beautiful voice, and the male uses a soft, repetitive sound to attract females.
In recent years, the isolation of the hoopoe, the hero of our story, has increased, as he began to hear strange sounds other than the sounds of the wind, the chirping of birds, and the usual rustling of tree leaves… He feels currents in the atmosphere that differ from his feeling when he stands on the telephone and electricity wires that have almost disappeared…
He was escaping from the interference occurring around him by standing on the ground, rather than standing on wires and tree branches, and even that did not protect him from new pollution in the air, in which strange waves intersect that he was not accustomed to, as the Internet runs underground… where the Internet is transmitted between countries. Through wires extending across the seas and oceans to reach different countries, then it is transmitted through Internet providers, which are called telecommunications companies, via land wires, until it reaches the home of every human being, meaning that every person’s device is connected to a land wire in his country and through the sea wire in the United States of America or Europe.
Millions and millions of signals are transmitted, and the hoopoe’s head can no longer bear them and does not want to bear them… His ancestors lived in absolute peace and quiet, then man introduced electricity, telephone, wireless, wired, then mobile, and now the Internet… which runs in cables everywhere…
The hoopoe chirped and said to his companion, “I can no longer stop the foul smell coming out of me because I feel that we, all peaceful birds, are in constant danger….”
Yes, I live in isolation, but man increases my isolation as if he is at war with all of us…
This idiot does not understand that our existence, animals, bees, and even worms, insects, and bacteria, is the reason for the balance and survival of his life….
His companion responded gently and said, “Do you see what humans do to their own kind? They kill each other without mercy, tear apart nations, and destroy their environment without embarrassment. Do you think they might think about us hoopoes?”
Our days are numbered, so let us tweet when we can, spread our wings when we want, and protect our children from human beings….
