• “The thrill, the excitement, the simple joy of game; there's nothing like it, my boy,” my father told me with a broad grin upon his face. He held out his precious hunting gun, his most prized possession that lay locked up in the old oak cabinet like a golden trophy. ”She's a beauty, ain't she, boy? Ah, Lorelei, we've had many a good run together.” he said with a melancholy tone in his voice. Eagerly, I grabbed it and I was shocked to see how heavy it was. My father chuckled when he saw me struggling to balance myself from the weight of the gun. “Don't worry, boy, you'll get used to it soon.” I proudly looked up at him and it was that defining moment in my life that made me want to grow up to be like him- a hunter. The next day, I went out with the Lorelei to the small alcove beside our house. Anticipation was swelling up inside me as I felt the cool ocean breeze brush my face and I could feel my heart pounding with every step. Today was the day, my first hunt and I could not possibly be any more happier. As I ran across a small patch of cobalt frostflowers growing near the sand, I caught sight of something that caught my attention. Quickly, I lay in the frostflowers with the gun, and the air ran blue as the flowers as I held my breath. There, two birds on golden legs- slim as dream things- ran like quicksilver on the golden sand and I almost couldn't believe my luck. Finally, I could try out Lorelei on something worthy of it's beauty. The time had come, I settled the end on my shoulder and concentrated on my aim. “Almost..., almost..., There!” I said to myself as I pulled the trigger, “Ha! Gotcha!”
    BOOM! BOOM! The sounds of the shots stood ringing across the headland, and I rushed over to claim my prize. Only, it was not in the least what I had expected. As I followed the trail of scarlet blood wavering in the waves, I could see those birds running on broken wings in the distance. Farther and farther, I ran to catch up with them- but it was in vain, they were too far out. I sat disheartened in the sand with the ocean waves lapping over my feet as I watched those two birds swim such a long way off out into the sea. Suddenly, I heard a piercing cry from the distance- like two sorrowful high flutes- and I could feel my heart sink as my conscious grow heavier with every note that was played. Tears began to stream down my cheeks and I could taste their bitter regret and guilt. It was then and there that a sudden and cruel realization came upon me- I had mercilessly taken the lives of these poor innocent souls, and my hands were stained with their blood. It was the greatest sin of all- to take the life of another- and I had committed it without thinking about the consequences of my actions. Scenes of my mother taking me to church to hear the day's sermons popped into my head, with the sorrowful eyes of our Lord's son Jesus stating deep into my soul. I could no longer stand to look at my hands and fiercely wiped them on my shorts though- no matter how hard I tried- that scarlet gleam persisted upon them. My thoughts returned to those birds, and I could not help but think about how fervently they continued their desire to live, never once giving up the hope to return to their home in the blue sky as they swam with their heads held high out to the sea. Two airy things forever denied the air! Dark clouds hovered over the alcove and no longer did the ocean breeze sweetly caress my face-no, it now howled at my face shouting at the top of it's lungs “How could you, you heartless murderer!” I could no longer help it, regret and remorse gripped my heart as I broke down bawling- pounding my blood-stained fists against the sand. I stayed there until I could no longer see those birds in the distance. My salty tears now mixed in with the falling droplets of rain and it made me think about the myth about the rain being God's tears and how he now shed those tears for those unfortunate victims to my foolish and reckless insensibility. I lifted myself up from the ground and knew what I had to do. I grabbed the Lorelei and silently walked over to the edge of a rocky cliff. With every ounce of strength I had, I threw the Lorelei into the deep blue ocean and the jagged rocks that surfaced from it, knowing that it would never harm another creature again. Then, grabbing a handful of the frostflowers and some driftwood, I made two small graves in the sand and decorated them with seashells and two silver feathers. For days, I would visit those graves and hear those cries whenever I walked near that headland, those slender flutes of sorrow never ceasing to play their woeful song and I never stopped hoping that they- and all that is wild, airy, and beautiful in the world- would forgive my guilt.