The lights are yellow, pink and perfect. Lights up. 

MAMA BIRD 

Good morning, chicks! I’ll be back soon with food, okay? Take care of your siblings’ egg; it should be hatching any day now. What do I always say? 

BABY BIRD #1  

Stay low and— 

BABY BIRD #2  

Keep each other company!  

BABY BIRD #1 

And don’t get too hungry. 

MAMA BIRD  

Good girls. I’ll be back before the daylight disappears.  

BABY BIRD #1 

Be careful, Mama! 

(MAMA BIRD kisses each of them before fluttering out of the nest. The birds laugh and play with each other within the nest before a small sound stops them.) 

BABY BIRD #1  

Is that? 

BABY BIRD #2  

Was that the egg?  

BABY BIRD #1 

Look! It’s moving!  

BABY BIRD #2  

IS IT REALLY HATCHING NOW? 

BABY BIRD #1 

Calm down, sister; it could just be that our  

new sibling is getting ready. It doesn’t have to be today,  

but it’s coming soon! 

(They stop playing and watch the egg move around. They stare in silence as the egg starts to crack.) 

BABY BIRD #1 

Wait look!  

BABY BIRD #2  

Woah, it’s hatching…I’ve never seen this  

before! 

BABY BIRD #1  

When I saw you hatch, it looked just like this! Except, your egg was a lot smaller. But it’s okay; we’re just probably going to have a brother! 

BABY BIRD #2  

How do you know??? 

BABY BIRD #1 

Well, your egg was blue and smaller. Mama also kept a piece of mine. (Brings out a small piece of the egg. It is, in fact, light blue) And, well, see! Ours are the same. This egg is bigger, and it’s brown.  

BABY BIRD #2  

You could be right. Having a brother would be so cool!! I’m so excited!  

(Egg starts to crack open.) 

BABY BIRD #1 

SHHHHH! We can watch it hatch.  

(They sit and watch as the egg hatches. CUCKOO bird is, in fact, a boy. Also, much larger than the girls.) 

BABY BIRD #1 

You’re brown. 

CUCKOO  

I am! Who are you? 

BABY BIRD #2  

We’re your sisters! Oh, I’m so excited! Come see the nest. Let’s go get these pieces of egg out here.  

BABY BIRD #1 

He can’t see the nest yet, silly. Let’s wait for his vision to develop.  

BABY BIRD #2  

Okay, well, you rest right there. Don’t move. We’ll clean up the egg.  

(BABY BIRD #1 moves to BABY BIRD #2’s side and begins to whisper to her.) 

BABY BIRD #1 

Does he seem different?  

BABY BIRD #2  

Oh, he’s just a boy! See? Boys are different  

from girls, I’m sure. If you’re this worried about him, just wait for Mama to come home, and she’ll explain it all! 

(BABY BIRD #1 picks up the egg remnants from the Cuckoo’s egg. Slowly drags them to the edge of the nest. She slowly tosses pieces one by one out of the nest. As she gets to the last piece, Cuckoo runs at her and knocks her out. BABY BIRD #2 screams.) 

BABY BIRD #2 

SISTER!! 

CUCKOO  

It was an accident; I didn’t mean to. You have to believe me. 

BABY BIRD #2  

I believe you… 

(BABY BIRD #2 slowly backs away from CUCKOO.) 

CUCKOO  

Do you really?  

(BABY BIRD #2 slowly backs behind the egg remnants that are left, sinking into a hole in the side of the nest, and sits in silence until MAMA BIRD returns. MAMA BIRD returns soon with food for the babies.)  

MAMA BIRD  

Come here, I have food for you. Oh, my baby hatched!  

(She runs to bring food to CUCKOO. BABY BIRD #2 slowly moves behind MAMA BIRD and hides. As MAMA BIRD goes to give CUCKOO some food, BABY BIRD #2 peeks out behind her.) 

BABY BIRD #2  

Mama, be careful! 

CUCKOO  

There you are! 

MAMA BIRD  

Wait, what’s going on? Where’s your sister? Did she get taken by a hawk? 

(MAMA BIRD frantically goes to look out the side of the nest, but she looks up instead of down. As she circles, she slowly starts to look down, where she sees BABY BIRD #1 lying dead on the ground beneath them.) 

MAMA BIRD  

No! My baby!  

BABY BIRD #2  

Mama, he did it! He pushed her out. He tried to get me, too. He wants the food from you so bad he’s willing to kill his own FAMILY!! 

CUCKOO  

I would never! She was throwing away my egg to be helpful. She got a big piece, and the weight threw her over the side! 

BABY BIRD #2  

NO!! She’s older. She’s stable. She wouldn’t have just fallen. I SAW you run at her.  

MAMA BIRD  

Baby, is this true? Did you push your sister? 

CUCKOO  

I tried to SAVE her! 

BABY BIRD #2  

Wait, you’re not a robin like us.  

CUCKOO  

What? I am! I’m your brother!  

BABY BIRD #2  

When I hatched, I couldn’t see for days. When sister hatched, mama had to stay in the nest to protect her. You hatched, and now you can see enough to try to save MY sister? I don’t believe you’re a robin.  

CUCKOO  

Why do you hate me? Just because I’m different, you have to lie about what happened? 

BABY BIRD #2 

No, I SAW what you did.  

CUCKOO  

Don’t be scared just because I’m new; I can protect you! I’m just bigger because I’m a boy bird!  

(MAMA BIRD slowly gets in between them, slightly closer to protecting BABY BIRD #2. Her wings are raised in order to protect her daughter.) 

BABY BIRD #2  

Mama, I PROMISE I saw him push her. If you don’t believe me, you’ll come back tomorrow, and I’ll be gone too. And once he’s grown and can do things on his own, what would happen to you? He’d push you out too to steal our HOME! 

MAMA BIRD 

SILENCE! Both of you need to stop. I don’t know what to believe.  

(MAMA BIRD turns to CUCKOO.) 

CUCKOO  

Mama, I’m so strong I’ll make you so proud. I only want to be helpful to you. Please, believe me, I would NEVER harm my sister.  

BABY BIRD #2  

But don’t you SEE Mama? He’s so big already. His egg was brown, not blue. He can see, but when we hatched, you had to stay and protect us. Sister let her guard down, but I won’t anymore. I WILL NOT!  

MAMA BIRD  

Is it true, son? Are you not like us?  

CUCKOO  

Please, Mama, you sat on my egg. You saw me hatch. You’re my mama as much as you are hers. She’s just jealous of me because I’m so much bigger; she’s upset that I’ll take more of her space than my egg did.  

BABY BIRD #2  

Mama, he’s dangerous, please.  

(MAMA BIRD ruffles her feathers and steps in front of BABY BIRD #2, making her decision clear. The sun is setting.) 

MAMA BIRD  

You don’t belong here, do you? 

CUCKOO  

Mama, please don’t do this to your baby. 

MAMA BIRD  

I can’t risk the safety of my family.  

(Mama turns to look at BABY BIRD #2. CUCKOO starts to walk the perimeter of the nest to get to BABY BIRD #2, but BABY BIRD #2 sees her opportunity. She dives between MAMA BIRDs’ legs and slides straight into CUCKOO. CUCKOO loses his balance and falls backward out of the nest. MAMA BIRD cries out and runs to the side and starts to cry as CUCKOO hits the ground.) 

BABY BIRD #2 

Mama, I’m so sorry, but I couldn’t let him stay. He was dangerous.  

MAMA BIRD  

You did what you had to do. You did it all for her. That’s all that matters. 

  (Mama slowly turns to BABY BIRD #2 and wraps her into a hug. They sink into the nest together as the sun sets on the day.)