Cynthia Rylant's short story "Papa's Parrot" tells the story of a growing distance between a father and son. The son, Harry Tillman, frequented his father's candy shop as a child. Once he starts middle school, however, he and his friends prefer to hang out elsewhere. His father buys a parrot around this time and talks to it frequently, much to Harry's embarrassment. One day, Harry's father has a heart attack and is hospitalized. Harry promises he will take care of the shop and parrot as long as his father is in the hospital. When he stops by the shop after school the next day, he hears the parrot talking, repeating things Harry's father said, including "Where's Harry? Miss him!" Harry realizes he has grown distant from his father and decides to spend more time with him, resolving to visit him in the hospital as soon as he finishes working.
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