00:00The
00:27Pinkish, Purplish, Bluish Egg written by one of my favorite authors, Bill Pete.
00:37Myrtle was sad and completely depressed. As she sat staring down at her empty dove nest,
00:44her children had flown off and left her that day. It was hard on a mother to send them away,
00:51but her instincts had told her that they were full grown and ready to start a life on their own.
00:57She held back her tears for as long as she could,
01:01till they'd flown out of sight on their way through the wood.
01:08Then she fluttered far back in a dark cave to brood and try to get over her miserable mood.
01:15As she swooped through the gloom with a woe-be-gone sigh, an odd-colored oval-shaped
01:21rock caught her eye. But Myrtle, on closer inspection, could tell that the rock was an egg,
01:28for it had an eggshell. I must hatch it, she cried, or at least try my best,
01:35if there's some way to get it back up to my nest.
01:41This problem of Myrtle's was solved right away by some frisky young squirrels who'd come there
01:47to play. They took off with the egg in a wild free-for-all, sent it bouncing along like a big
01:54bowling ball. Out of the cave door, across the rough ground, and straight for the tree it went
02:01whirling around. And to Myrtle's surprise, in less than a minute, they were up to her nest
02:07and plunked the egg in it. Soon, all sorts of birds began flocking around to see the big egg
02:17that Myrtle had found. Blue jays, and redbirds, and noisy magpies, and a big stuffy owl who was
02:25worldly and wise. It won't hatch, said the owl. That egg is stone cold. Why, for all that we know,
02:34it's a thousand years old. If it does hatch, a jay said, I bet it's a turtle, for after all,
02:43you are a turtle dove, Myrtle. But the dove didn't listen to what the birds said.
02:48She was bound and determined to go right ahead.
02:56Early one day, when no birds were around, Myrtle awoke to a faint scratching sound.
03:03It came from inside of the egg. She could tell something was trying to break through the shell.
03:09I knew it, I knew it, she gleefully cried. The egg's going to hatch. There is someone inside.
03:22And once more, the birds crowded Myrtle's treetop to watch as the egg cracked apart with a pop.
03:29Then a feathery thing poked his little head out. Bewildered and frightened, he looked all about.
03:36Happy birthday, the dove whispered softly to him, and he felt more at home and hopped out on the limb.
03:48At first, all the birds were just too stunned to speak, but finally a jay blurted out,
03:54it's a freak. Just look, the thing is half lion, half eagle. I'm sure it must be unsafe or illegal.
04:04No, no, said the owl with a long, thoughtful look. It's a creature straight out of a fairy tale book.
04:12The thing's called a griffin. It doesn't exist. But as a precaution, I firmly insist that we
04:20ought to get rid of this brute right away, or it might grow up and cause trouble someday.
04:29This was too much for Myrtle. Fire flashed in her eyes, and she ruffled her feathers to look twice
04:36her size. You old fool, she exploded. You mixed up old bird. That's the silliest thing anyone's ever
04:45heard. If a griffin's not real, then how under the sun can a thing not at all ever harm anyone?
04:53With a furious charge like a mad bumblebee, she chased the owl back to his old hollow tree.
05:03The commotion and noise made him so terrified that the griffin crawled back in his eggshell to hide.
05:11Myrtle called softly, come out. It's all clear. The birds have all gone. I'm the only one here.
05:23So the griffin crept out on the tree limb once more with slightly more courage than he'd had
05:28before. That's better, said Myrtle. Now the first thing we'll do is pick out a name that sounds just
05:36right for you. There's an old bible name that I think rhymes with meek. I know, it's Ezekiel.
05:43For short, that is Zeke. And now Zeke, if you'd like, I will teach you to fly. You've a fine pair
05:54of wings. Let's give it a try. But first, she announced, you better watch me. And she sailed a
06:02short distance away from the tree. It seemed very simple and easy to him. So Zeke spread his wings
06:08and sailed straight off the limb. For a minute, it looked like a pretty good start. Until all of a
06:15sudden, down went his hind part. He fought his way frantically back through the air and just reached
06:25the limb, but with not much despair. Your last half, sighed Myrtle, doesn't seem to be trying.
06:33It has no natural instincts, no interest in flying. But don't worry, Zeke, leave that end up to me.
06:40I have an idea that will work, wait and see.
06:48Then, by holding his long lion tail in her beak, Myrtle supported the last half of Zeke, and the
06:54griffon went gliding along on the breeze, while the dove gently steered him around through the
07:00trees. As they went sailing past, the owl hooted and sneered, while the mockingbirds mocked and the
07:07blue jays all jeered. But the dove didn't care. She expected them to. That's always the way when you
07:14try something new. This first flight of Zeke's was a very short hop. Before long, they made a refueling
07:24stop. Then Myrtle went bustling around on the ground to show him just where the best bird food was found.
07:36In crumpling old stumps, they found grub worms and slugs, and under flat rocks, they found swarms of
07:43fat bugs. So bugs, said Myrtle, have vitamin A, and so you should eat quite a few every day.
07:51But don't overeat. That's a wise old bird rule. A flyer who gains too much weight is a fool.
07:58So while Myrtle was teaching her Zeke how to fly, she gave him a set of good rules to live by.
08:08At the end of each day, Zeke would stretch out to rest high on the tree limb beside Myrtle's nest,
08:15and softly she'd coo an old dove lullaby while he dreamily stared at the moon drifting by.
08:22For Myrtle had said, if you look for a while, you can see the moon's face and its bright happy
08:28smile. And in this way, he fell off to sleep very soon, trying to make out the face on the moon.
08:36When spring came again, Zeke had reached his full size. He turned out to be huge, which was no big
08:42surprise. What amazed everyone was his skill as a flyer, for that is the thing all the birds most
08:50admire. He's a marvel, said Myrtle with a satisfied smile, and he flies as you see in the classic
09:00dove style. He flies too well, the owl said, to suit me, as he quivered and quaked in his old
09:10hollow tree. And if we're ever attacked by that powerful brute, our chance of escape wouldn't be
09:17worth a hoot. Myrtle tried to ignore what the old owl had said, but she couldn't quite put it into
09:27But she couldn't quite put it all out of her head. So wherever Zeke went, the dove followed along,
09:34just to make sure that he did nothing wrong. Late one afternoon, as they wandered around,
09:40they passed by the cave where the egg had been found. Now that's strange, said Zeke as he peeked
09:46in the door. I have a feeling I've been here before. It's just the right place for a big
09:53brute like me. Besides, I'm too big now to sleep in a tree. If you sleep here, said Myrtle with a
10:00shiver of fright, foxes and wolves might surprise you some night. They're bloodthirsty creatures,
10:08the dove pointed out, and there's no telling when they'll come prowling about.
10:16One night, as the griffon stretched out on the limb, Zeke felt as if someone were staring at him,
10:22and there, sure enough, down below on the ground, the foxes and wolves had come prowling around.
10:29Somehow they'd heard of the fabulous beast, so they were all set for a fabulous feast,
10:35and Zeke was so worried for fear he might fall for the rest of the night that he slept hardly at all.
10:42He awoke the next day with a fierce eagle scowl, and from deep in his throat came a low lion growl.
10:50I could tear all those scoundrels to ribbons, snarled Zeke, with these great eagle claws and
10:57this powerful beak. This came as a shock to the delicate dove, the symbol of peace and of motherly
11:04love, and she tearfully pleaded with Zeke not to do it. I'd die, Myrtle moaned. I couldn't live through it.
11:12Violence is wrong, and it's sinful, I say. If you'll only be patient, they might go away.
11:28But they weren't going to leave for all Zeke could see, and he just couldn't stand one more night in
11:34the tree. So Zeke left the woods and sailed off through the sky while Myrtle was chasing a big
11:40dragonfly. When he finally decided he'd gone far enough, he went gliding down to roost on a bluff,
11:48overlooking a region so bleak and so bare that only the vultures could stand living there.
11:55This place, said Zeke, is as strange as can be, so maybe it's meant for a creature like me. But I couldn't
12:03stand living out here on these rocks. It's a much better place for a wolf or a fox. Then all of a
12:10sudden he sat up with a jerk. Why, there's an idea, he said, that might work. And he hurried along
12:19And he hurried along toward the woods at top speed, anxious to see if his plan might succeed.
12:30When he came to the forest, Zeke dropped from the sky with a loud lion roar that was part
12:36eagle cry. All the birds were astounded and so terrified that they went streaking off in the
12:43bushes to hide. But the foxes and wolves all came running out to see what the unearthly noise was
12:54about and were swept off their feet, jerked up by the tail. Then over the treetops the scoundrels
13:01set sail, helplessly howling and wailing with fright, for this, you see, was their very first flight.
13:13Zeke made the long trip without dropping one fox and set them down gently on one of the rocks.
13:20Then as he departed, the griffon called out, that'll teach you scoundrels to go prowling about.
13:26If you ever come back to the woods, don't forget, I'll take all of you on a much longer trip yet.
13:33When Zeke told the dove about what he had done, she was so very proud of her gigantic son that
13:39she scurried about as fast as she could to tell every bird in that part of the wood.
13:45And now at last there wasn't one doubt, but what the fierce griffon they'd worried about
13:50was a peace-loving creature and tame as could be. Why, even the owl finally had to agree.
13:58But I'm right, the owl said, on one thing at least. He doesn't exist. He's a mythical beast.
14:06Does he mean, worried Zeke, that I'm not really here? That most any minute I might disappear?
14:13It's nonsense, scoffed Myrtle. He's a silly old bird. But if it makes him feel better,
14:19let him be. He's a mythical creature. He's a mythical creature.
14:25But if it makes him feel better, let him have the last word.
