The Small Yellow Chicken
Meets the Hand of Death

The small yellow chicken found some seeds, and decided it would be a good idea to plant the seeds and see what grew from them. So the small yellow chicken went to the pig, and asked, “Would you help me plant these seeds?”

The pig mulled it over before it answered, “Let us ask the dog if he will help us plant the seed.”

And they did. And the dog asked them, “Why would you want to plant a seed? Are you not happy with things like they are now?”

And the yellow chicken replied, “I just want to see what grows, besides, I get bored with nothing to do.”

And the dog looked at the pig, and the pig looked back, and they both looked at the small yellow chicken, shook their head and said, “Let us go and hear what the cow has to say about this.”

And they went to see the cow. And the dog told the cow, “The small yellow chicken is unhappy, and wants to plant a seed.”

And the cow looked sadly at the chicken, and said, “Oh, darling, you do not want to do that.”

And the small yellow chicken asked, “Why?”

And the cow answered, “Because nobody does that.”

And the chicken asked, “But if I begin, then somebody has, and then everybody can plant seeds.”

And the cow shook her head and said, “Yellow chicken, that is not how things work. Drop the seed in the river and forget about this nonsense.”

And the chicken replied, “But I am bored.”

And the cow replied, “But does the farmer not feed you?”

And the chicken said, “Yes, but...”

And the cow said, “Why then these difficulties?” And the cow turned to the dog, and said to him, “Take the seeds and throw them in the river, to help our friend forget about this nonsense.”

And the dog did, and it was easy because he was much larger than the chicken.

And the small yellow chicken never grew any wheat or made from it any bread, and they all lived quietly and numbly ever after.

Copyright © 2005 by Bewildering Stories on behalf of the author