Up on a chimney there’s a big nest. It’s the stork’s house that Cindy built with care, together with her partner. Their nestlings were born and raised there.

Now that they have learned how to fly, they can fly off on their own. Cindy and her partner proudly watch their nestlings.

“Brrr!” Cindy shivers and her skinny legs shake. The days are getting colder. “It’s time to move,” says her friendly neighbour the swallow.

“Winter is coming and there’s not enough food,” she complains. “You’re right, my dear friend!” Cindy nods.

Cindy stretches her long legs and gets ready to leave. Every year she flies off with a large flock to warmer lands for winter. She is always a bit sad to leave her beloved nest.

Even if she knows she’ll be coming back in a few months! “I hope to find it again when I come back, we have built it with so much care and energy!” she sighs.

Cindy spreads her wings and reaches the migrating flock circling up in the sky and calls out to them. Her partner and nestlings, who are now able to make their first long flight, join them.

The view is amazing! They fly over green woods and blue rivers, and across the high mountains. She has fun dipping in and out of the soft clouds and playing with the wind.

Suddenly the air becomes smelly and smoggy “Yuck! We are flying over a city!” Cindy coughs with disgust. The grey smoggy cloud is so thick she can barely see where she’s going!

Many pigeons are flying along with them “Good morning! It’s a wonderful day!” they say in greeting. Pigeons are used to the smog but Cindy feels so uncomfortable and vigorously flaps her white wings to free them from the dirt!

Many other different birds are following the same hot air flow. The storks are gently flapping their wings, when suddenly a cheerful flock of crazy swallows speeds around them spinning and twittering.

“What funny fellow travellers!” Cindy smiles. She likes swallows, maybe because she shares her roof with them!

It’s night and the storks follow the stars and the big bright moon. Cindy yawns “I’m going to take a nap just for a little while” and she falls asleep while flying.

But she has a sort of auto-pilot keeping her inside the flock. That’s incredible, isn’t it? Cindy always has an eye open, but she dreams of incredible high chimneys perfect to build a brand new nest!

She wakes up with a start being pushed by someone. “Excuse me!” an annoyed voice screeches loudly “ you are blocking the traffic!” A gaggle of old mumbling geese is hurrying along.

Cindy moves aside to let them pass and giggles “It’s funny! There’s plenty of empty sky all around”

The sky darkens and Cindy looks at the heavy clouds with concern. A snowflake settles on her long beak “It’s snowing!

We had better hurry to our destinaton!” she says to her partner and her family as they speed up. Snowflakes flutter in the air around the white storks.

Now she can see the huge blue sea below “All that water makes me so thirsty!” she complains “but we can’t drink the salt water and we can’t land anywhere near!”

Cindy knows the new land is very close now and she has to keep flying. “Hi! You look like you have come from very far!” some friendly seagulls welcome them.

At some point the land appears on the horizon. Cindy is brimming with joy “The hard journey has come to an end!” she recognizes some familiar spots from the last years and it feels like home.

The flock finally touches the ground. Now they can rest their wings and stretch their long legs. What a relief!

This journey has been long and dangerous but Cindy and her family are now safe and sound! “Look who is here!” a swallow exclaims surprised. It’s Cindy’s neighbour!

Cindy is happy, she has many friends here and a lot of time to enjoy this warm paradise before going back again to her beloved nest on the chimney.