The Missing Egg

An ostrich once lay a beautiful egg. It was slightly darker than other ostrich eggs, and had tiny speckles on it, so she could recognize it from all the other eggs in the ostrich camp.  She sat and brooded on it day after day, dreaming it would hatch a splendid little bird. She never left her nesting site and waited patiently on her egg for the longest of time. Then one day she had to leave it for a while for she had to go and feed herself at the tray. When she came back, she saw that her lovely little egg was clean missing. She went into a panic and ran to all the other ostriches in the camp asking, 'Have you seen my little egg, it has little speckles on it, so you can't miss it?' But all the other birds said that they had seen no trace of this egg, and that all the eggs which they hatched, were their own. She looked for her egg all day long, but late in the afternoon she had to return to her nesting place, sad and disheartened. As she walked around aimlessly in worry, she suddenly spotted a cracked open eggshell nearby. It was dark and had speckles on it. It seemed to have rolled over to behind some rocks, close to her nesting place. It was certainly her egg, but what had happened to the little chick that was inside? Now she was more worried than ever. Just then Jack the Ostrich came walking by with a little baby ostrich at his side. 'Does this one belong to you, because it isn't one of my own.' She was so happy and pleased as she recognized her little chick immediately. She took her new born son by her side, and they walked away proudly into the sunset. Lost property often has a way of being returned.