Flutter Flies Again

Why Flamingoes Are Pink

Once upon a time, in ancient Greece, the Goddess Artemis was in despair.
Artemis was the goddess of the hunt and young maidens; a job she enjoyed and
found great satisfaction in. Usually a goddess of great charm and even temper,
she found herself annoyed and frustrated as she wandered the countryside.


While she walked, Artemis scowled and furrowed her brows. Once again
her friend and beloved pet Flutter had gone missing. Flutter was a
breathtakingly beautiful white flamingo. His crisp clean feathers shone in the
sun. He was so dazzling, it almost hurt ones eyes to look upon him. Like I said,
Flutter had gone missing and Artemis was on the hunt. Why not just call to
Flutter you ask? And surely if his feathers are so dazzling; he must be easy to
spot. Here lies the problem. Flutter was extremely not intelligent...oaky, he was
stupid.


Being an extremely stupid bird, Flutter did not recognize his name and
did NOT come when called. His beautiful white feathers would have stood out if
all the other birds were not white as well. During this time in ancient Greece
every species of bird was the color white. Blue jays, robins, woodpeckers,
humming birds, crows, all were white. Trying to find Flutter was like trying to
find a specific grain of sand on the beach, almost impossible.


Artemis continued to walk hoping to catch a glance of her beloved Flutter.
She passed deers grazing, silver owls in flight, and majestic panthers stalking
prey. She passed by a creek and gazed at her proud reflection. Her emerald robe
looked especially beautiful today in the bright sunlight, as did her amber locks
blowing in the breeze. Traveling along the creek, Artemis continued her walk. It
was at the far edge of the creek that she saw Athena, the beautiful and bold
goddess of wisdom and battle. Maybe Athena could be of some help thought Artemis.




As Artemis reached Athena, she noticed the goddess was deep in thought.
Turning her blazing grey eyes on Artemis, she asked Why does thy sister look
so despondent?

It is my Flutter, solemnly replied Artemis. He is lost once again.

Athena replied,Has thou sister not trained they pet to honor and obey?

I have tried dear sister, but Flutter is not one of many thoughts. Since
you are abundant with wisdom, perchance you could aide me in finding my
pet?


Sister, you need more than just to find your pet, you need a way to keep
him always in your sights.




The two goddesses then put their heads together and talked for some
time. Many ideas were discussed and many were abandoned, until finally Athena
came up with a solution. We shall make your bird more visible, thus you can
track him on land and others can track him from the sky. We shall chose a new
and vibrant color to paint his feathers. I shall recommend silver, gold or red.


I know dear sister, you adore the colors of battle, but I prefer a tamer
and gentler color. I choose pink, the color of the cheeks and lips of my young
maidens, Artemis replied.


As you wish, replied Athena. The goddesses called upon Chloris the
goddess of flowers. Chloris looked at her breathtaking landscape of flowers and
knew exactly the right shade of pink to use.

With a flourish Chloris twisted her arm and announced, It is done.

Immediately Artemis spotted her beloved pink Flutter amongst a flock of
white birds. Artemis scooped him up and hugged him. Flutter of course just
stared straight ahead...remember...stupid. I wont ever lose you again, my rosy
pink bird, artemis sobbed. Both goddess and bird returned home, they had had
quite a long day. That night Artemis slept peacefully knowing that the next time
Flutter ran away (and he would run away) he would be easily found.




Ancient Greece was never quite the same after Flutter became pink. Not
only Flutter was pink, but all flamingoes made the change. The flamingoes loved
their new color and graciously danced and stretched their wings wherever they
went. It was not long before other species of birds were asking Chloris for colors
of their own and the rest as they say is ancient history.