Once upon a time there was a chicken named Nuggets. She grew up with 4 sisters, each one of them very different from the next. Nuggets was one of the smallest, larger only than her little sister Elsa who was always getting picked on. But Nuggets was smart. She was the problem solver of the group.
Feathers of gray in as many shades as you can imagine, she grew to lay the most beautiful pale green eggs. Although, they were each so special that she didn't lay them often. Beauty takes time, she thought. But it didn't matter, what she lacked in egg laying speed she made up for in running speed. "Faster than the wind" her sister's liked to say. She loved tucking her head down and running like a bullet.
Nugget's eldest sister Mintie, was a great leader. She always knew where the best food was and if she couldn't find any she was very vocal to the humans to bring her some. She shared with her sisters and was a very pleasant friend. One tragic night, a raccoon took Mintie's life and the family was shattered, at least for a day while they adjusted. Chickens are resilient and bounce back from tragedy rather quickly.
Life continued on for the four remaining sisters. They spent their days in leisure, eating insects and scratching around the garden. One sunny Sunday, a young dog leaped over the fence and into their yard. At first he just wanted to play but as he caught a whiff of them something changed and he dove in for blood. The sisters scattered and hid and it wasn't until the dust settled and the humans had chased the dog away that they realized that their sister Pearl, a beautiful Buff Orpington, had been killed.
With just three of them, things were rather quiet. Nobody felt like talking too much but they still enjoyed their days, keeping each other company as they pecked around in the sun, or hunkered in the coop in the rain. Each day came and went, the human gave them treats of sunflower seeds and bananas. Spring came and the cherry tree blossomed white. As the blossoms fell they remembered Pearl who always liked to eat the sweet white petals. Summer faded into fall and the leaves began to change in a brilliant display of color.
After breakfast was served one windy Thursday morning in the fall, a giant shadow descended into their yard. It was big and scary and they could only scatter and hide. Elsa ran to the safety of the coop. Braveheart fled to the far corner of the yard and hid behind the trampoline where she could still monitor the scary shadow. She squawked as loudly as she could, hoping to warn her sisters and maybe scare the shadow away.
Braveheart's clamoring alerted the human who came outside to discover the shadow of death. It raised it's six-foot wingspan and reluctantly lifted off the ground. Dark brown feathers and stark white head slowly evacuated the yard and Braveheart immediately made her way to Elsa's side in the coop. But nobody knew where Nuggets had gone.
The human traced the edges of the yard, calling for her in the wind. The height of the human allowed for a checking over the perimeter fences. Still no Nuggets. Everybody checked in the corners of the coop to see if Nuggets could be hiding in safety there. Still nothing.
The wind blew strong. Defeated, the human went back in the house. Braveheart and Elsa recounted the harrowing adventure, all the time wondering what, or who, they could be missing. The human came outside a few more times, retracing steps, calling for Nuggets, before returning to the house.
Finally, in what was a last ditch effort, the human enlisted the help of the small furry one she called Charlie. His short legs leaped out the back door way with all the purpose he had and at that moment Nuggets came squeezing and straining to get out of the tight place she had wedged herself in. Once free, she shook all her beautiful gray feathers back into place, thankful to be rid of the constriction.
After a brief show of relief toward the human she scurried to the safety of the coop and the companionship of her sisters who barely noticed her return. The human closed them in safely and they remained their for the remainder of that day and most of the next.
A full eighteen hours after the terrifying experience, the human offered them a walk around the yard. They cautiously scanned the surroundings and carefully took a few steps. A big gust of wind kicked up, causing the tree branches to shake and a bunch of fallen leaves to swirl and it was so scary that the sisters could only run in circles of fear hoping to escape the fury. Thankfully the human escorted them back to their coop and closed them in tightly, safe from terror.
To this day, the sisters live cautiously. Scanning the sky for the great dark shadow with the giant wingspan. The human also, watches the treetops for any signs of danger. Sometimes though, they get warm cereal full of grains and fiber for breakfast and it causes them to forget all their worries. There just isn't anything better than wheat germ and cornmeal to a chicken.
The End.
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