A lady goes into a pet store one day. “I’m really lonely,” she says to the clerk. “I need a pet to keep me company.”
“Well,” replies the clerk, “how about this parrot? He’s very intelligent, and once he gets comfortable, he’ll talk to you.”
“That’s perfect!” she says. She buys the parrot, takes him home, and spends the evening waiting excitedly for him to say something. But the parrot just sits quietly on his perch, staring at her.
The next day, she comes back. “That parrot still isn’t talking,” she complains.
The clerk thinks for a moment. “Ah! You need this little ladder. He’ll climb it, get more active, and start talking.”
She buys the ladder and takes it home. The next day, she’s back again. “He still hasn’t said a word!”
The clerk nods thoughtfully. “Hmm. Then you need a mirror. He’ll see himself, become curious, and start chatting.”
She buys the mirror and places it carefully inside the cage. But the next morning, the parrot is still completely silent.
The lady returns to the store, frustrated. “Nothing works! He just stares at me all day.”
The clerk scratches his head. Finally, he points toward a small swing hanging near the counter.
“You should buy this swing. Parrots love swings. Once he starts playing, he’ll loosen up and finally start talking.”
The lady buys the swing and takes it home, convinced that this must be the answer. She hangs it inside the cage and waits.
The following morning, something feels wrong.
The parrot is unusually still.
She walks closer to the cage, calls his name, and gets no response. She opens the cage and gently touches him.
He doesn’t move.
Terrified, she rushes into the store, crying. “My parrot died!”
The clerk gasps. “Oh no! I’m so sorry! Did he ever say anything before he died?”
“Yes,” she sobs, wiping away her tears. “He finally spoke.”
The clerk looks relieved for a moment. “He did? What did he say?”
She takes a shaky breath and whispers, “He said…”
“‘Don’t they sell any food in that store?’”
The clerk stares at her in horror.
Then he slowly looks toward the shelves behind him.
“Oh…”
The lady stops crying and looks at him.
“What?” she asks.
The clerk points toward a large sign hanging directly above the pet supplies.
**BIRD FOOD — RIGHT HERE.**
Apparently, while everyone had been trying to teach the poor parrot how to talk, nobody had remembered the one thing he actually needed.
Food.
And after all those ladders, mirrors, and swings…
That was the first thing he had finally managed to say.
