Mozzo the Cockatoo could eat pizza anytime, anywhere. At night, he dreamed of cheese melting into soft golden rivers. The aroma of oregano, basil, and mozzarella made his bright yellow crest stand up straight.
His mother had nicknamed him Mozzo because of his crazy addiction to mozzarella cheese. Crystal Beach was his favourite place in the world. Not because of the sparkling sea or the gentle breeze, but because his favourite pizza shop stood right in the middle of the beach. The moment he spotted its familiar red square pizza boxes, his mouth began to water.
One warm afternoon, Mozzo flew to the beach, hoping for his daily slice of happiness. The pizza shop had opened only an hour earlier, and he knew that this was the perfect time to arrive. The seagulls were squabbling noisily, children were building sandcastles, nothing could distract him. Groups of young men and women were playing football on the sand. For a brief moment, Mozzo paused to watch a group of veiled women laughing as they kicked a football around with their children. He tilted his head in curiosity, not for long. On a wooden bench sat a handsome young man holding one of the familiar red pizza boxes.
Mozzo’s stomach growled so loudly that even a passing pigeon looked up in surprise. He had not eaten since the previous evening and was very hungry. He landed quietly beside the bench and peered into the open box. He could see a large slice of margherita pizza. Perfect! Mozzo did not believe vegetables belonged on pizza. If anyone insisted on feeding him vegetables, he preferred them raw, just as nature intended. His mother constantly lectured him about fibre, vitamins and a balanced diet. By now, Mozzo knew the speech so well that he could recite it simply by watching the movements of her beak.
The young man took a generous bite of his pizza. The mozzarella stretched into long golden ribbons before snapping back onto the slice. Mozzo swallowed. A tiny blob of melted cheese landed on the edge of the box. Mozzo edged a little closer. The man took another bite without looking up from his phone. Mozzo hopped onto the bench but couldn’t attract his attention. He hopped onto the backrest until he was almost within touching distance of the pizza. Then he let out the saddest sigh a hungry cockatoo had ever sighed. The young man finally looked up.
“You like pizza!” he laughed.
He held out the crust. Mozzo slowly turned his head away. The message was well conveyed. He tore the slice in half and offered Mozzo the larger piece. Mozzo grabbed the pizza with one foot and attacked it with astonishing speed. Within seconds the cheese, tomato sauce and crispy crust had vanished without a trace. He carefully licked every last smear of cheese from his beak.
A few metres away, a young girl in a check coat was sitting on another bench with a medium-sized pizza loaded with vegetables, olives and dark brown mushrooms. Not his favourite, but it was still pizza, from his favourite pizza shop. Mozzo’s yellow crest slowly rose once again. He waddled towards his next delicious adventure.
Story and photos by Prerna Jain.
