As Sylvie waited for her cow, she put her bare feet in the cold, fresh water of the stream. The air was soft and sweet. Sylvie felt as if she were a part of the forest.
"Hello, little girl," a young man called out cheerfully. She looked into the face of a young man carrying a gun(枪).
"I've been hunting for birds," he explained," but I've lost my way. Do you think I can spend the night at your house?" Sylvie didn't answer but her grandmother nearby reached them soon and invited him to stay.
After eating, the young man explained he was a scientist, who collected birds and preserved(保存) them." Sylvie knows a lot about birds, too, " her grandmother said. She knows the forest so well. The wild animals come and eat bread right out of her hands."
"I saw a white heron' not far from here two days ago. I have been looking for it for days. It's a very rare bird. Have you seen it, too?" he asked Sylvie. But Sylvie was silent. " You would know it if you saw it, " he added. " It's a tall, strange bird with soft white feathers and long thin legs."
Sylvie's heart began to beat fast. The young man was staring at Sylvie. "I would give $ 10 to the person who showed me where the white heron's nest is." That night Sylvie's dreams were full of all the wonderful things she and her grandmother could buy for ten dollars.
When it was almost time for the sun to rise, she quietly left her house and hurried through the forest. She finally reached a tall pine tree that could be seen for many miles around and climbed to the top. Suddenly Sylvie's dark gray eyes caught flash of white that grew larger and larger.
Sylvie gave a long sigh. She knew the wild bird's secret now. As Sylvie climbed slowly down the pine tree, the stranger was waking up back at the farm. He was smiling. The perfect moment to speak about her secret had come. But Sylvie was still silent. The young man went away with disappointment and never returned.
