Mysterious Chickens

• Caitlin Telford, Grade 9, Georgiana Molloy Anglican School
• Short Story
• 2011

Excellence Award in the 'Step Write Up 2011' competition

Water trickled through the dense green canopy that formed a natural umbrella over the nearly invisible trail Cindy was following. Blue eyes glanced questioningly at a tattered watch, then winced as they realised the time. She was late. The detour through the forest had been meant to shorten her journey home from school, but when it had started raining she had become hopelessly lost. Frantically she darted along the trail, searching for any signs of civilisation.

A flash of white drew her eye as she noticed a soggy newspaper draped carelessly over a bush by the wind. A smudged headline dominated the page. With a flick of her blonde pony tail, Cindy leant down and scanned the sodden article. Intrigued by the headline, she read on.

‘Investigators have little evidence regarding who committed the crime. Police believe that the animals, which were undergoing extensive scientific testing, were freed from their enclosures at approximately 10:30pm. The sole clue is a single chicken feather, found inside the-’ SNAP! The sound of a breaking twig shattered the unnatural silence of the forest. Someone or something was coming.

Not wanting to be found by the owner of the ominous footsteps, Cindy ducked quickly behind a large mossy tree, and with widening eyes watched a pair of chickens strutting self assuredly along the overgrown trail. She jumped as a voice echoed loudly through the forest. ‘We did well at those labs yesterday.’ Cindy swivelled her head around, searching for the owner of the voice. Surprisingly, the chickens were not scared by the sound. ‘Yeah,’ another voice replied, ‘I liked your thing with the feather, Beryll.’
‘Keeps ‘em guessing’. The first voice agreed. Realisation began to dawn on Cindy. Was it possible that these mysterious chickens could talk?

Curious, Cindy began to follow the talking chickens. She made sure she kept her distance, because chickens who supposedly raided laboratories, were not to be messed with. Suddenly, with a flicker of dappled brown feathers, the chickens disappeared! Cindy scanned the flattened undergrowth of the trail before slowly emerging from her hiding place.

The trapdoor was old and derelict, riddled with holes and hidden by mud and leaves. After glancing furtively around at the silent trees and wondering what she was getting herself into, Cindy lifted up the rotting piece of wood and lowered herself into the gaping maw of the hole.

Blinking away the rain from her eyes, Cindy awkwardly clambered out of the tunnel’s end, grabbing onto tree roots to haul her weight out of the hole. A flash of disappearing feathers caught Cindy’s eye as she took in her surroundings. That chicken coop… that door…. It was to her house that the tunnel led! Joy swamped her as she realised that she was no longer lost. Completely forgetting her encounter with the chickens, Cindy ran inside. ‘Mum, Dad!’ she called. The wind caught her words and carried them away, along with chicken feathers, and the sound of clucking from the bottom of the garden….