Eddie Qian age 11

by Eddie Qian
(Princeton, NJ, USA)

The 3,000 Migration

By Eddie Qian

The cumulus clouds dotted the blue sky as the golden sun shined brightly. Rufus the Rufus Hummingbird was about to take on a difficult task, flying from Alaska to Mexico in an amazing 3,000 mile long-“fly”. He had just mastered the skill of flying and wanted to fly along with his parents, but his parents refused. The law of the wild stated that hummingbirds never fly in flocks. In just a minute, Rufus’ mom flew first followed by his dad. The reason for their migration was actually simple, no food and no bugs. Sorrowful and yet scared, Rufus stayed in his nest. After 3 minutes of waiting, he took off into the freezing Alaskan air.

“This is not that bad, flying 3,000 miles. At least I get to have some sight seeing!” Rufus was flying very fast for his age flapping his wings 252 times per minute. He was at the border of Canada and North America. What Rufus didn’t know was that there was going to be a lot of trouble for him during his flight to Mexico. A praying mantis and a roadrunner were waiting for him.

“Salmon River isn’t a bad place to visit in my free time.” Rufus was now in Idaho. Flapping his wings and flying low in the grass, Rufus suddenly feels a painful, lightning speed jab in his throat. He falls down gasping for air. Again another forceful jab hits Rufus now in the stomach making him flying upward while “lying down.” When Rufus thought he had been wounded enough, another jab strikes him in the wing causing him to fly in circles a while. It took a lot of Rufus’ strength to man up and escape the predators ambush against him. He looked back behind him barely seeing a well camouflaged praying mantis. “My mother told me about one of those,” he thought, “I thought praying mantises were legends!” Indeed. A praying mantis is a high present risk against hummingbirds. Shaken by the attack of the praying mantis, Rufus flies away worried this trip may lead him to Hades’ realm.

Now in Arizona, our amazing escape artist is scared about the troubles in the future. He was attacked once and does not want that to happen again. Plus, he just saw his friend being eaten by a mantis 10 minutes ago. Ewwwww. There was one claw sticking into his body. There was a big blood spot in his body too. Little does Rufus know he has only finished half of the “race.”

While flying, about to enter New Mexico, he feels a big chomp on his tail. Ohhhhh, it was pain like none other, feeling like fire hot salsa in ones mouth! Head turning to see what other predator had nailed him, Rufus stares in horror as a roadrunner tries to eat him! Rufus is so scared he goes into hyper drive, flapping his wings as hard as he can making the attacker hop all over the place and making the roadrunner try to hold on to his dinner harder. Finally no energy left, Rufus is about to admit defeat when a snake comes to eat the roadrunner. The roadrunner, thinking a snake is tastier than a hummingbird, let’s go of Rufus and starts trying to jab the snake. Seeing this as an opportunity, he flaps his wings as hard as he can thinking he has flapped 1,000 times per minute, Rufus zooms out of Arizona and into New Mexico and into Texas and into MEXICO!!!!!!!!
Now, enjoying a sweet supper of nectar and bugs, our character learns to be ready at all times whether it is an ambush or an attack. Now Rufus has no trouble with migration any more.

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