Cluck (How Chickens Lost Their Ability to Fly) (story/book#3)

Cluck (How Chickens Lost Their Ability to Fly)

Once upon a time there was chicken pox. And all adult chickens died, but one. Now there were many children chickens, called chicks, who were alive because they were vaccinated against the chicken pox. (The vaccination came from a vegetable called the purple big nose, but it is known today as the eggplant.) Now, all of the children (the chicks), who were once eggs, were safe.

The only adult chicken who survived chicken pox was Cluck. Cluck was a loving and caring chicken. Cluck took special care of each and every chick, by addressing all of their feelings. Cluck was a little old and full of wisdom. Cluck was also full of history and memories. Cluck was the only one in all the chicken land who remembered the good old days.

In the good old days, chickens all flew. They went real high in the sky. They traveled to many towns, many countries and many continents, just the way like airplanes do. They traveled to Africa, to Europe, to the Americas, to Australia, to Antarctica, and to Asia. Those were the good old days.

Cluck was very fond of the good old days and Cluck was ready to train the chicks in the art of flying. Sadly, Cluck had only very few feathers left. Cluck was no longer able to fly because of old age, but Cluck was still very excited about the chicks’ potential after their learning. So, Cluck began teaching.

Cluck started teaching. Cluck shared, and shared, and shared, and shared the best of flying wisdom. But the chicks did not care and did not care to listen. Cluck tried, and tried, and tried, and tried. But the chicks replied with, “blah, blah, blah, blah, blah”. Cluck was getting tired of letting the chicks know that they had flying potential, which of course Cluck had experienced until now. The chicks did not believe that they could fly. They tried once or twice, then they decided that there was no need for them to continue to try.

The chicks wanted Cluck, the chicken to do it for them. The chicks wanted proof from Cluck which Cluck could not show but tried nonetheless to demonstrate through many failed attempts. Cluck tried and failed, and tried and failed, and tried and failed, and tried and failed. And Cluck would not stop trying. Cluck, the only living adult chicken, tried Cluck’s best while the chicks simply ignored it as “hogwash”, all the while they ate chickpeas all day, told corny jokes and walked only when necessary.

            Cluck was so sad and tried so hard to encourage and convince the chicks that they were meant to fly that Cluck got sick. It was a difficult time for Cluck. By this time, the chicks were getting older, not yet chickens, but old enough to not need Cluck to babysit. So, Cluck walked for many days to reach the next big town, which was really far, where there was a hospital. After several days on a grueling journey, Cluck arrived. The hospital was run by little bird-like creatures that did not have the gift of flying, but instead were just super tiny with super tiny hands that were great hands for surgery because of their size. These small creatures were colorful and cute, but they were known to have a tiny little problem, they hummed a lot, meaning they loved talking.

While in the hospital, no chicks came by to visit. And it was expected since the days and the difficulty of journeying would be too great. But Cluck was not alone. These tiny humming creatures with long, slender bills kept Cluck company. They loved a conversation. And they loved Cluck. Cluck was reluctant to share the wisdom of flying with them, because in the past these humming creatures were not known at all for flying. Surely the wisdom of flying would be of no value to these tiny humming creatures. None of them, in the whole history of time, had ever flown. These tiny humming creatures only knew how to hum. That was their past, present and their expected future.

As things became worse with Cluck’s health, Cluck began losing the last few feathers, but not the spirit for soaring the skies. Cluck treasured the time that the humming creatures were spending with an ‘ol chicken. And Cluck also thoroughly enjoyed their conversations. Cluck was in high spirits from all of the attention that the tiny creatures gave, so Cluck decided to inspire them to fly.

They tried, they tried, they tried. They failed, and failed, and failed. But they still kept trying, and trying, and trying some more. They tried as much as they loved talking. In the morning, before and after breakfast, during lunch period, and after lunch and on their walk to work, school, home, the hospital, while shopping at the mall, everywhere, all the time, they tried. And failed.

One day, Cluck felt too much pain and not much else. And sadly, Cluck was fading in and out of consciousness. Cluck had great difficulty breathing. Cluck’s heart monitoring machine, (called an ambulatory electrocardiography machine), kept showing pictures of sidewalks and not mountains, as it should show, if one is in good health. It was a difficult moment for anyone there to witness. Cluck was dying.

As Cluck, the old chicken, was now closing its eyes for possibly the last very time, Cluck saw a humming creature flying! Cluck was so overjoyed and shed a tear. Then Cluck saw two, then three. The humming creatures had never stopped trying! “They never stopped trying, and they did not judge me”, Cluck thought. And with the very last strength in Cluck’s whole entire body, mind, and soul, Cluck flapped the three broken feathers that were left to each side of Cluck’s arms and Cluck flew into the sky to meet the hummingbirds.

The end.

[The chicks all grew into chickens with no knowledge or experience of flying. And they do not believe that they can. They do, however, all remember Cluck and call Cluck’s name, even today, every time they regret their inactions, especially when they are being chased. – Cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck, clu-cluck, clu-cluck, clu-cluck, clu-cluck!!!]

The Moral of The Story: What do you suppose it is? Cluck, cluck, clu-cluck!






Have you read: Rose?