Confessions of a City Girl

Good morning, all! Here is an excerpt from an email that I sent to my English teacher (a farm dweller) earlier this year. Enjoy!

I have a confession to make: I am totally freaked out by chickens. 

I think that this whole ordeal started when I was about three years old and my great-grandma took me into the chicken coop to "collect" (pardon my city-girl speech if "collect" is not the right word) the eggs. My great-grandma grew up on a farm in the 1920s and was an extremely tough woman even though, at the time of this story, she was over 80 years old. She didn't think it was a big deal, but at the time, seeing all the fluttery wings and cackling screeches of the chickens put a fear in me that has not vanished yet. 

The neighbors across the street from me have eight chickens of their own. Sometimes when they go out of town, they ask me to take care of their dogs, cats, fish, and chickens. Their 8 chickens. One of the tasks they ask me to do is collect the eggs from their eight chickens. Have I mentioned that I am just a little freaked out by these animals?

The first night that I went to take care of the chickens, I had finally worked up the courage to go over and collect the eggs. I walked around to the backyard, opened the chicken shed, and shined the light inside of it. Sixteen beady little eyes stared right back at me. Eight heads tilted to the side. Eight hens mumbled at my arrival. A few of them faked flight and acted like they were going to come out and terrorize me. At this point, I hadn't even stepped inside the door yet, but the previous actions of the chickens were enough to make me squeal and hustle back across the street to my house to get my mother's help. My whole family laughed at me when I told them my long-hidden secret: I am afraid of chickens. My dad was the only one compassionate enough to understand that Great-Grandma was probably the reason.

I promise that a connection to literature is coming. In that story, "A Very Special Pet," there is a scene when the mom is chasing the chicken around the room. The very actions of that chicken are why I am afraid of them. Chickens are awkward, often flustered creatures that give me the heeby-jeebies beyond all else. They are not cuddly like cats. They are not personable like dogs. They are just cold, violent creatures that can make me fidget nervously whenever I am in their presence. I do not like them at all.

I hope that you found this entertaining even in the slightest degree. I figured that maybe you would enjoy this story because you have read "A Very Special Pet" and probably have been around chickens a lot without thinking much of it.