He dreamt of a bird

The little boy awoke to the gentle whispers of his mother, telling him to open his eyes and look out the window, and unlike many kids his age, he obeyed her orders with a smile of compassion upon his face. When his eyes were greeted by the sight of her kneeling down beside his bed and gazing at him with an affectionate stare, his smile widened and he felt a surge of warmth seizing his body. In his mother's eyes that looked like two emeralds stolen from the crown of a goddess, the boy could see his own reflection, lying down on the bed with his limbs sprawled out across the mattress. The goddess who had woken him up then began to caress his tender skin, and her lips, just like her son's, curled into a smile, one that only a mother in love with her child could imitate. They remained in the same postures for what seemed like an eternity (in reality it had been no more than a few seconds), until the mother whispered once again, "Son, you ought to get out of bed and look out the window. The sun has finally graced us with its presence and warmth!" 

Once the little boy heard these words, a sudden rush of euphoria and joy pushed him to jump out of his resting corner and run to the window. His mother remained in the same position, her right hand on the pillow where the boy's head had been resting only moments ago. She fixated her stare on her son's timid body as he pushed the crimson curtains aside and opened the window. By doing so, sun rays penetrated the translucent veil separating the boy's world from outside, and the furniture in his room were caressed by the generous touch of the globe of fire floating in the sky. For only a few minutes, the boy imagined himself running in the green meadows, chasing after butterflies and playing hide and seek with other lonely kids. As he stared at the thin layer of clouds traveling through the sky, he thought of himself as a bird, flying in any direction he desired. The smile of before widened once more after the emergence of these thoughts, but then, another thought (this one much more menacing than the ones before) took control of his mind: being outside was tantamount to leaving his mother. Even the mere vision of living in a world where he could not hear his mother's voice brought tears to his eyes. Suddenly, he felt her touch on his shoulders. After slightly tightening her grip, she bent down and whispered, "That is enough for today, son. You must go back to bed. I will bring you your breakfast! And then, I will read you your favorite book!" Then, without a moment's hesitation, she closed the window and pulled the curtains.

The little boy knew that his moment of euphoria had passed. As his precious sun fell from grace behind the crimson curtain, its light now filtered through a thick layer of fabric before reaching the heart of his little world, the boy wiped his tears and smiled again. He then turned to his resting corner, and with the grace of a free bird he made his way to where his mother had asked him to go. Seconds after, the boy was lying down on his bed with his limbs sprawled across the mattress. His mother stood in the doorway and waited for him to go underneath his blanket before saying, "My little boy, mommy will always be there for you, and I know that you will always be there for mommy". Her figure then disappeared from the doorway, and the door slammed shut upon her departure. The boy smiled and closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep. That day, he dreamt of a once caged bird who flew too close to the sun and burnt its wings.