A king once fell ill, and no medicine helped. His doctors said only the song of the rarest forest bird could cure him. The court catchers went into the forest with nets. A small brown sparrow watched them. When they grew tired, the sparrow flew down and sat on a low branch. "I will sing for the king," it said, "if you promise to release me afterwards." The catchers laughed but agreed. In the palace the sparrow sang clear and true. The king smiled for the first time in months. The catchers grew greedy and tried to lock the sparrow in a golden cage. But the king, hearing of the bird's honesty, lifted the cage himself and opened it to the sky. "A heart that keeps its word," he said, "must never be in a cage."