“Twig by twig, stick by stick,” sang the stork as he flew across the sky. It was spring, and the stork kept flying to an abandoned chimney and then back to the nearby forest. He carried twigs one by one and placed them on top of the chimney. He was building a nest there, looking forward to the moment his beloved Mrs. Stork would move in with him and they would have little stork babies together.
The nest still needed finishing. And that wasn’t so easy. Everything had to be carefully carried and stacked on top of each other so that the nest would be sturdy and cozy.
A magpie watched the stork from a distance. She flew over, sat down on the nearest roof, and said, “I don’t understand why you’re fussing over it so much. There’s no point, stork.”
“How else should I do it?” asked the stork in surprise. “Maybe the magpie knows a faster way,” he thought to himself.
“At this rate, you’ll wear yourself out before you build anything. Branch by branch – it takes too long. It’s better to find an abandoned nest from last year – someone else’s. Then you’re done in no time. You don’t have to do anything,” explained the magpie.
The stork thought about it, but it didn’t feel right. “No, no, magpie. It’s better to make your own nest, to build it properly. That’s the only way to be sure it’s strong enough and that it will be good for my family. I don’t mind working on it. Plus, it feels good to build the nest yourself with your own wings and beak,” replied the stork and flew off to find more branches.
“Pff, whatever you say,” muttered the magpie and flew off to look for an abandoned nest. She found one soon enough, settled in and praised herself for how well she had thought it through – and without any work.
But that evening, a strong wind blew. It hadn’t blown like that in a long time. The stork hid in his nest. It wasn’t quite finished yet, but it was sturdy, just as he wanted it. He had taken great care in building it.
The magpie also hid in a nest – the one she had found. But when the wind really picked up, the old magpie’s nest flew apart in all directions.
The magpie didn’t know where to hide. She looked around. Finally, she saw a nest under construction on a chimney, with a stork inside. As soon as the wind calmed down a little, she quickly flew up to the stork and begged, “Please, can I hide with you? Just for tonight. I have nowhere to go. My nest fell apart.”
The stork was kind, so he took pity on the magpie and made room for her beside him.
By morning, the wind had calmed down. When the stork opened his eyes, he heard someone singing nearby: “Twig by twig, stick by stick.” It was the magpie. She was bringing more sticks to the stork’s nest so that he could continue building it.
“What are you doing?” asked the stork.
“I’m helping you. I’m bringing you material for your nest, to thank you for letting me stay here overnight. You were right – if I had built my own nest, like you, I would have a home now.”
The stork just smiled, pleased to be praised for his hard work. When they finished the nest on the chimney, they built a home for the magpie nearby. And from that day on, the magpie and the stork remained friends and neighbors.