Chance and Persistence

Two eagles flew low just up over the deep blue ocean. One of them slowed down, and glanced deep into the water. It was the smaller one. Whatever it was seeing (or thinking) no one can possibly tell. The other one however, did not stop even to wait for it. It seemed to fly even faster, leaving the smaller one behind. Refused to mimic the smaller bird, the bigger one, with more whites on it, decided to ascend, farther and farther away.

Two sunsets and two sunrises have they flown together, not even once they stayed side by side, as if they were not in the same group. In fact, it appeared that they were competing with each other. At least that’s what people would think when them. The history they put behind was perhaps far too tragic if not horrendous to discuss by common people that they decide there’s no way people are ever going to understand. “So let’s just fly as strangers”, that’s what they decided.

The first bird, the smaller one, was a lab rat. One of those birds that the Discovery Channel people would show on one of their programs. One of those who was bred in captivity to serve its purpose: becoming human’s research object. The bigger one was the wild one. Born in nature after long days hatched by its mother and freed itself soon after. One that taught itself how to hunt and to prey, all by mere observation.

These two eagles met by a coincidence. The big eagle (let’s refer to it by “Chance” from now on), flew near the lab site on its hunting spree when it saw the smaller one (called Persistence) on one of its test sessions. Chance saw Persistence and fell in love with it instantly. Chance has always grown wild and this time it saw Persistence, something so delicate and pure and it just wished they had grown up together. On another instance, Chance decided to descend its flight and make for Persistence. The smaller bird, just like the bigger one, fell in love instantly. Being raised in a cage all its life, it wanted to break free and taste the wild nature.

Chance came to Persistence on another instance and two before the smaller one finally decided to tag along with the bigger bird on its quest. It will be a great journey, so the bigger one said. Yes, it will - the smaller one replied, we will be a perfectly strong couple and nothing will come our way, we will get whatever we want.

The first week of their trip went smooth. The different nature they both had complemented them. Chance would hunt their prey, while Persistence would skin them. Chance, always on the brighter side would stark up new routes to take, new ventures to go through, while Persistence would calculate the risks in going forth with them. However minuscule the risks are, they’re still risks and will only open for possibility of danger. With this in mind, they both decided to fly with ease, and nothing important really came their way.

Four weeks passed in their journey, not once did they not have a disagreement. Persistence, being the lab rat always wanted to slow down and smell the air along their way, while Chance, always growing up in the wild never ceased to increase its speed for if it didn’t, it would be left behind from food, it said.
Chance would blame Persistence for its slow speed, and Persistence would defend itself with being careful. They’d stop arguing when it was time for their meal. This, they shared their common interest. The long and seemingly mundane disagreement they had did not cease but only strengthen their cooperation. Chance got to know Persistence’s rhythm, and the smaller bird knows what the bigger one really wants. Somehow, along their journey, they have stopped talking and communicating with the heart instead. What more do they need now that they’ve become one dynamic duo.

Shortly they arrived at the ocean. A whole new challenge. Chance wanted to just fly ahead and enjoy the adventure, whatever it may come. But Persistence told it to stop awhile. The ocean was far too great and risky for them to go on unprepared. It said, it would cook up the calculations first to decide the best time to go on. This, however, was never realized. Persistence seemed to have hold off its plan to do the seizing, and Chance began to lose its patience.
“If we don’t cross the ocean now, we might never cross it, because it would be more and more challenging by the day, and we will become weaker and weaker that we probably couldn’t make it”, Chance said. But Persistence seemed to have prepared a defending case against Chance. And it seemed that its years in the laboratory finally paid off. Both Persistence and Chance finally decided they would circle the ocean and not go through with whatever may come had they flown straight across it.

Chance was relieved. But somewhere deep down inside it felt this urge to storm the ocean, to prove that it is indeed one strong bird. However, the smaller bird persisted on taking a detour, and wait awhile until the weather cooled off to let them through. That never happened though.
The last week of their trip together was spent in silence. Silence and disagreeing sighs.

They both flew back to the shore, and started to make for the calmer sea on the other side. Persistence tried to convince Chance that they go back to the land and count the risk once more to cross the harsh ocean. But this time, Chance had something else in mind. Chance decided to go on its quest alone, fly over the ocean with nothing at stake and see if it could somehow meet other eagles or seagulls to go on its journey together. Persistence was devastated to know Chance had decided to go on the trip alone, but still too shy or too afraid to break its own argument.

Persistence didn’t go back to its lab. But it flew behind Chance slowly, trying to make sure it didn’t hit a tornado along its way, while still keeping its distance. Persistence flew low and easy, glancing down most of the time, and only look up to see where Chance is going. Chance, on the other hand, only increased its speed, and soared even higher, as if trying to catch as much air as it possibly can. There’s no way these two birds are ever going to fly through the ocean together.

Chance and Persistence decided to fly as strangers.