On 100 Feet road (so named because in AD 1560 the road was the width of 100 feet, when measured sole to sole), there is a supermarket. To protect their privacy, lets call it LESS. But LESS is incidental to the above tale. Below LESS there is a small pet shop.
It consists of a small cubicle, measuring maybe 30 feet (again sole to sole) by 20 feet. In this space there live (or maybe exist), 2 small homo sapiens (presumably), three large fish tanks, each containing maybe 20 to 30 fishes of varying sizes, 5 years of dirt mixed with fish food and fish droppings. The water is murky and when the fish approach the glass, one does get to see a vaguely fishy silhouette. It is bit surrealistic and is akin to seeing something through the mist, as it approaches you. You can see the fish for maybe a microsecond, unless the fish finds you interesting, in which case it might hang around for some more time. But that is rare. The fish has seen all, knows all.
To keep the fish company there are a few birds. Each birdcage contains around 12 birds. I am guessing there are twelve birds since the standard watercolor set that you can buy contains twelve colors. All birds are white (or grey if you prefer that) when they are born. Then each bird is dipped in a different colors till they have a full standard color set (which is why they advise you not to get the birds near water once you take it home).
Besides the aquarium and birdcages the shop has couple of cardboard cartons. Most of them were left behind when the English left the country. A few which looks newer, are the ones that managed to fall below during transportation to the supermarket above. Hence their feed is an eclectic mix and might contain grains, soaps, plastic items, magazines etc. According to them all are edible and in fact are the favorite items of these animals. Perhaps they are right (since I have seen a cow once eating a plastic bag quite rapturously).
Into this divinely congested mini zoo, it so happened that one evening, I noticed a young couple strolling in. They were young and perhaps newly married or contemplating marriage. The girl was wearing a pink top of the type worn by all girls nowadays. Its only distinguishing quality was its color. You might have talked to her for an hour, and a day later, you wouldn't be able to identify her in a police lineup (if she was wearing a different colored top). She was wearing jeans and the overall impression one got was that she had recently discovered jeans. In brief she looked like every other girl in a pink top and blue jeans, which is to say every fifth girl in this city. The other four would be wearing blue, green, red and brown (fourth girls are always environmentally closer to dirt) and jeans.
I didn't notice the guy very well (if you are wondering why, see my profile) but he seemed to fit into the above pattern (only difference being, there are only three colors for boys). But between the Pink and Green ( could be one of the three) they both had hearts of Gold. They sauntered in or rather shuffled in rather shyly and started looking at the animals. One fish came to the glass, looked them over and turned back.
Pink & Green liked the birds. But they didn't want to keep them. They wanted the small Homo Sapien to release them. Naturally, he refused. They clarified that they would pay for them and then once the agreed amount of money had changed hands, they wanted to release them. This was eminently acceptable to the small HS. Dear reader, follow closely. As in the best of stories this parable has an ending! Bet you got confused! Don't worry this parable has a moral which only close scrutiny and incandescent brilliance can decipher.
Thus payments were made for two birds at 100 each, and the birds released. You must be wondering which color were the birds. They were Brick Red and Camlin Yellow. With no fanfare, no trumpets, no ribbons : the Pink & Green couple released the birds. The Brick Red flew a short distance, but just above the ground hit a bus and crashed to the ground and soon stopped moving.
Camlin Yellow, who it seemed was of a more vigorous disposition flew higher and perched on a tree. A couple of seconds later a crow came and ate it.
There is a moral and like all morals it is personal. I am sure you would have arrived at it. Perhaps it is that LaughingGoat is a teller of tall tales. But I swear this story is true ( I swear on the head of all the other Goats). Perhaps it is that a 'a thing of beauty is better left untouched'. Or perhaps cages are a safer place! You choose. And if it is interesting share it with me.