Strange Creature
He walked into the vet as he held the cage as far away from his body as possible. He didn't know what the creature inside of the cage was, but he wanted to find out.
He was sleep deprived, he hadn't had a full night's rest since he started hearing the voices in his home. His hands would also begin to burn, and it all started from the moment he found the ugly creature in the forest. He had to get some answers before it was too late. What could this creature be?
Tourist Attraction
Despite its beauty, the Amazon Rainforest is an extremely dangerous place. Every year, thousands of tourists from all around the world travel to South America in order to see this forest in all its glory.
Paulo Silva was an avid hiker. He knew better than most people about the secret trails in the forest. Paulo was a Brazilian man, and he had spent his entire life visiting the Rainforest regularly. He couldn't get enough of it! He loved it there.
Secret Trails
As a young child and teenager, Paulo used to go hiking with his father all the time. He soon discovered his love for nature and animals, he could spend hours in places like these. As an adult, he still enjoyed taking lesser-known trails that he had explored with her father as a young boy. He liked how secluded they were. It was just him and the nature around him.
But Paulo never expected to find anything strange on these hikes. He never expected it to change his life forever.
Small Creature
It was just another Saturday morning. Paulo had gotten up early and went on his usual Saturday hike. But on this day, he found a small creature in the middle of the clearing. He wasn't sure what it was, but he made sure to slowly and carefully approach it.
As he got closer, he still couldn't tell what it was, but it did appear to be a baby of its kind. He knew it was too young to take care of itself. He couldn't bring himself to leave the poor creature behind, he knew he had to save it. He had no clue what it would grow up to be.
Saved It
He inspected it carefully and noticed its sharp beak, bulbous eyes, and sharp talons. Most people would have ran away from the scary looking creature, but Paulo knew that looks could be deceiving. He had to protect and look afer it.
He moved slowly as he used his jacked to scoop it up. He decided to end his hike then and there and to return to his city, Manaus. He didn't know what hair-raising transformation the little creature would have in just a couple of months.
Growing
Paulo didn't trust anyone to care for the small creature, not even his own vet. So he took matters into his own hands. He also didn't want to take it to the vet and risk losing the animal. Brazil had a zero-tolerance policy when it came to people owning exotic wildlife, even more so if the wildlife was dangerous. He worked carefully with the creature because he still wasn't sure what it was.
As the weeks passed, the animal was growing bigger and bigger. But Paulo could tell there was something odd about this animal, he just didn't know what it was. He would soon wish he had known what it was before taking it home with him.
Run!
Paulo invited a friend over to see the little creature. Paolo had taken good care of it, it had grown a lot bigger and it was healthy and thriving.
But when his friend saw the creature, he nearly ran to the door, screaming. Paulo didn't understand his friend's reaction. His friend recommended that Paulo get rid of it. But Paulo wasn't about to do that.
Allergic? Venomous?
Months had gone by and the creature had now developed colorful feathers, a black beak, and a long feathered tail. It was beautiful but there was a problem. Whenever Paulo would finish taking care of the animal, his hands would begin to itch and burn. He was starting to think that maybe he should've take his friends' advice. Was he maybe allergic to the creature? Or was it venomous.
Paulo applied an ointment to his skin, and sighed in relief when he felt that it was working. But what was making his hands burn?
Strange Sounds
The animal stayed in a cage right outside of Paulo's bedroom. At 10 pm every night, Paulo would lock the cage before coming to bed. But he soon discovered that it was a mistake having the cage there.
During the night, he would hear something that sent chills up and down his spine, the sound would make him regret ever taking the creature.
A Voice
One night, the sound of a man's voice woke Paulo up as he snapped his eyes wide open. He lived on his own.
He got up from his bed slowly and turned the lights on. He could hear that the voice was coming from the other side of his door. He held his breath as he opened the door. There was nothing there. But this wouldn't be the last time he heard the voice.
Getting To The Bottom Of It
The next morning Paulo raced out of his house, he had to get to the bottom of this once and for all. He decided to go to his local vet with the animal to find out what it was, hoping he’d also find out a reason behind what he had heard the previous night.
The vet’s eyes went wide in disbelief when Paulo showed the creature to them. He was grateful he had kept it in a cage just by the way the vet looked at it.
Relief
But the vet’s expression changed from surprise to relief. It seems that he recognized the animal and reassured Paulo that it was nothing dangerous - it was a Macaw, the biggest parrot species and a common sight in the Amazon Rainforest.
But what about the strange voice that Paulo had heard? And the rash? Neither had started before he took the animal in and it was what worried him the most.
Reassurance
The vet reassured Paulo that it was common for Macaws to mimic sounds they hear in their environment. The macaw could have heard either Paulo or his television and picked up a word or two.
Paulo blamed himself for being half-asleep for not connecting the dots. He was red with embarrassment but the vet assured him that he had still done the right thing raising the Macaw. But what about the rash on his hands?
An Explanation
The vet had an explanation for that too. He reassured Paulo that he must have touched a poisonous plant that gave him the mild burning when left on the skin. He said it would go away in no more than another week.
Paulo always had an appreciation for the wildlife that his father had taught him at an early age. After all, it was the reason why he had taken in the animal in the first place. He decided that he would keep the macaw and give it a home as well as a name - Manuel - after his father.
Strong Bond
Since learning that it was a macaw Paulo has grown a strong bond with Manuel and it doesn’t look like they’ll be separated anytime soon!
It goes to show that appearances can be deceiving and that kindness can result in having a lifelong friend. After all, Paulo and Manuel will be together for while since macaws live to be an incredible 50-years-old!