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Little Parrot knows she needs help, yet asking for help isn’t always easy. The stories: Chinny Chin Chin; Gang Action; and Help Troubles; explore complexities involved in asking for help.
Chinny Chin Chin Gang Action Help Troubles Little Parrot (Tibet)
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 77 years later, I can still see him. Feel his gentle hands on my face. His caring.
My parents, sister and I were on a ski trip to Catamount Mountain in upstate New York. We’d taken a ski train from New York City, filled with skiers and skis and poles and boots and bags. When we got off the train to get on a shuttle to take us to the ski area, the cold was biting. The wind made me shiver despite wearing a warm sweater, hat, heavy coat, and mittens. Despite the frigid weather, I was looking forward to skiing.  In 1965 I started Magic Circle Theatre, situated in a poor neighborhood of Wilmington, Delaware. From the beginning I recruited urban, suburban, Black, white, young, and older people to participate in any way they chose. I wrote and directed plays for children. Volunteers helped design sets and costumes. Our “ticket” was an ice cream cup top with details of the performance printed on it. The cost was 25 cents for adults, 10 cents for kids. At the entrance, the ticket taker would twist off the little tag and direct the person down to the performance space in the basement.
 After being accepted as a participant in the Hairy Cell Leukemia (HCL) protocol in May of 1985, I had to figure out a way to get to the National Cancer Institute (NCI) facility in Frederick, MD. It was about a two-hour drive from my house in Delaware and I didn’t have the energy to drive myself. In the beginning I had to go once a week for blood tests and medication (interferon). After a few weeks it was every two weeks, and eventually, once a month, always on a weekday.
 Little Parrot loved the jungle. Every morning she would fly over the greenery, look at what lay below, and count herself fortunate to live in such a place. Only when she was sure that all was well did she fly back to earth and eat her breakfast. One morning, while flying overhead, she saw nothing but thick, dark smoke. The jungle was on fire! Little Parrot flew over to the river as fast as her small wings permitted, took a huge gulp of water, flew back to the fire, and spit out the water, trying to quench the massive flames. Back and forth she went, from the river to the fire, from the fire to the river, trying her best to put out the fire though she was very little and could only take tiny gulps each time. She soon became exhausted but kept on going. Her beloved jungle was at risk. As she was flying for the umpteenth time to the river, worried that the jungle would burn before she could put out the fire, she heard a loud laugh. Then she heard a cackling voice say, "You’re a silly parrot. You’re too little to put out such a big fire." Little Parrot looked up and saw Eagle, the largest bird in the jungle. “I don't need advice” she said. “I need help,” then continued flying to the river. The next thing Little Parrot knew, a huge stream of water poured from the skies dousing part of the fire. Little Parrot did not stop to see who was helping her, she just kept flying to the river and back, hoping that with help the fire would soon be put out. When there were no more flames, Little Parrot looked around to see if she could find the source of the help for which she was so grateful. Surprised, she saw that it was Eagle. Though she was utterly depleted, she flew up to Eagle and said, “Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Were it not for you, the fire would still be burning.” “No,” said Eagle, “it is I who must thank you.” |
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April 2025
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Nancy King is a widely published author and a professor emerita at the University of Delaware, where she has taught theater, drama, playwriting, creative writing, and multidisciplinary studies with an emphasis on world literature. She has published seven previous works of nonfiction and five novels. Her new memoir, Breaking the Silence, explores the power of stories in healing from trauma and abuse. Her career has emphasized the use of her own experience in being silenced to encourage students to find their voices and to express their thoughts, feelings, and experiences with authenticity, as a way to add meaning to their lives.
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