RE: STACH Short Story Contest #18: 199 words, 5 winners, 15SBD prize pool!
A pair of trumpeter birds gave birth to three young, one of them, Sophie, was mute. So her father decided to look for a way to find a voice for his daughter else she would not be able to find a mate.
So he travelled to a nearby town in search for a perfect voice for his daughter. As he flew towards the city of Calcutta, he chanced on a shop selling flutes, so he flew into the shop and took one for himself, but the shop seller was irritated by this and tried to shoot at him as he made away with the flute.
Back home he gave the flute to Sophie so that she can use it as her voice to find a mate. Sophie began to learn how to play the flute and became proficient at it. So she began making many melodies with it.
In time she had more suitors than her father thought she would have, that even the prince wanted to marry her. Even though she refused to marry the prince, her choice of mate was such that made her father very proud.