The young seagull was alone on his ledge His two brothers and his sister had already flown away the day before He had been afraid to fly with them somehow when he had taken a little run forward to the brink of the ledge and attempted to flap his wings he became afraid The great expanse of sea stretched down beneath and it was such a long way down miles down He felt certain that his wings would never support him so he bent his head and ran away back to the little hole under the ledgewhere he slept at night Even when each of his brothers and his little sister whose wings were far shorter than his own ran to the brink, flapped their wings and flew away he failed to muster up courage to take that plunge which appeared to him so desperate His father and mother had come around calling to him shrilly upbraiding him threatening to let him starve on his ledge unless he flew awayBut for the life of him he could not move