2002-06-13|7:37 p.m.
Haitian Story of the Owl (altered by an American girl, sort of like Disney but with good intentions):
This owl, creatively named Owl, is very shy. He believes that he is so ugly that no one would want to look at him or see him. He thinks ugly enough to cause road accidents. He thinks ugly enough that babies will scream if they catch sight of his face. Because of this, Owl almost never goes out in the daytime. He waits until the dark, when his looks can be hidden by the obscure sky.
Once when he was out at night, Owl met a young American girl. They started to talk, and she invited him to stay on a branch on tree a tree near her house. He accepted, and she sat under the tree for several hours, talking with him. Owl liked her very much. And she liked Owl. She invited him to come back the next night. He did so, and again, they sat and talked until dawn. And at some point in the evening he came down to sit beside her. Night after night, Owl would come to visit, and night after night he would leave before dawn, so the girl wouldn't see what he looked like.
The girl's friends heard of her friend and began to ask her questions. Being close to the girl, they were pleased that she had met someone to make her happy. But, they were curious, too. They asked, "Why does Owl never visit during the day?"
"He works very hard" replied the girl, "and by the time he gets home from work and gets cleaned up and has his supper, it's after dark."
"We want to meet him," said the girl's friends. "Surely he doesn't work on Sunday. Why don't you have a big party for him? Then we could all get to know him."
The girl saw no harm in the idea and the next time Owl came to visit, she asked him to come to a party. Despite the Owl being very shy, he was actually quite pleased. "A party just for me, as the guest of honor? Oh my!" And he agreed to come on Sunday afternoon.
But when Sunday came, Owl began to get nervous. He and his cousin, a rooster, who was cleverly named Rooster, got on their horses and started off to the girl's home. But on the way, Owl started to look at Rooster and compare himself to Rooster. �Rooster is tall and brightly dressed and outgoing,� thought Owl, looking at Rooster's red, spiked hair, colorful, name-brand clothing, and his stylish, yellow boots. �I'm dull and drab,� thought Owl, looking at his own brown, thrift store clothes. �And, of course, I am also ugly.�
By the time they neared the party, he was in a panic. "Rooster," said Owl, "I've forgotten something. You go on, and tell them I had to go home and get something. Tell them I'll be here in a little while." Rooster was a cheerful, accommodating fellow, so he agreed to go in and give Owl's message.
Owl went away, and came back much later, after it was dark. He was afraid that the girl and her family might be angry that he was late, so when he went to the door of the house, he asked for Rooster. When Rooster came to the door he was quite startled. "Owl," he said, "what's that on your head?"
"It's a hat" said Owl. "Lots of people wear hats."
"Yes," said Rooster, "but they wear them on their heads, not over them."
"I hurt my eyes," said Owl, lying, "and they can't bear the light. The hat covers them."
"Your eyes and the rest of your head!" retorted Rooster.
"Don't mind about my hat," said Owl, "Are they mad at me for being late?"
"They'll be even madder if you don't arrive at all" said Rooster, and made as if to drag Owl inside.
"I'll come in, I'll come in," said Owl, "But promise me one thing first."
"What's that?" asked Rooster.
"I have to be home by sunrise", said Owl, "so would you be willing to crow a little before sunrise, to let me know the time, rather than at sunrise, as you usually do?" Owl was worried that if he stayed until daylight, the girl would see his face, even with the hat covering it.
"Sure, Owl, sure." said Rooster, and they both went inside.
Well by then, the party was in full swing. The drummers were playing, and the singers were singing, and it sounded something like this. Dong-aada-dong-aada-dong-aada-dong, Dong-aada-dong-aada-aaii-ee-oooo! Dong-aada-dong-aada-dong-aada-dong, Dong-aada-dong-aada-aaii-ee-oooo!
Well, the drummers were playing Owl's favorite song. He liked songs that went, �Dong-aada-dong-aada-dong-aada-dong, Dong-aada-dong-aada-aaii-ee-oooo!� And when he heard it, he wanted to dance. So, he found the girl, apologized for being so late, was forgiven, and went out on the dance floor. And you know, for all his shyness, Owl was really a very good dancer. He really loved music. Once he started to listen to it and move to it, he didn't think about where he was or feel embarrassed. So, he and the girl had a wonderful time, and danced all through the night. Dong-aada- dong-aada-dong-aada-dong, Dong-aada-dong-aada-dong-aaii-ee-ooo! Dong-aada-dong-aada-dong-aada-dong. Dong-aada-dong-aada-aaii-eee-oooo!
Owl was having so much fun that he forgot about the time completely, until he heard his cousin Rooster, who was quite drunk, trying to crow.
Cock-a-hick-a doo! Cock-a- hick!
Owl looked out a window, and panicked completely at what he saw. Rooster was so drunk that he'd missed the dawn! It was bright daylight out! Owl was certain that the girl would see his face, and realize how ugly he was, and hate him for it. He ran for the door. Shocked by his sudden flight, the girl called "Owl! Come back!" and ran after him.
But Owl didn't hear her or pay attention to what she said. Then, as he neared the door, he ran right into one of the drummers! Owl tripped, and fell to floor, and lost his hat. For the first time, the girl saw his face. Then Owl got up and ran. "Owl, come back!" yelled the girl, who was gaining on him as a result of the fall. But Owl made it to the door before she did, mounted his horse, and rode away.
The girl went back to the house, and helped clean up after the party. No one knew what to think of Owl's strange behavior. That evening, she sat outside by the tree and waited, hoping that he'd come over, but he didn't. "Oh well," she thought, "it was a late night and maybe he'll come tomorrow."
And she went to bed, and thought about him, about how nice he was, how well he danced, and how he looked. You see, she didn't think he was ugly at all. He had an almost round face, with big eyes, and a small nose. She thought it was a strong face, an attractive face. She liked his eyes. She didn't realize that he thought himself ugly.
She waited for him the next night too, but he didn't come back then, or the night after that, or the week after that, or the month after that. For a whole year she waited for him to return, but he never did. Finally she met someone else and married him. But even then, there were mornings when she would wake up, and hear the roosters crowing, and think about Owl, wondering why he had run away, as her heart swelled with longing.