(For Chapter 1 click here.)
Have a listen!
Chapter 2
The next morning, Jake sat on the edge of his bed staring at a pair of socks.
Chickens can’t talk. Can they?
Of course not!
And yet…
Shaking his head, Jake finished dressing and headed down for breakfast.
“Good morning Mom!”
“Morning sweetie,” she said as she poured him a glass of juice. “What did you dream about?”
Since he could remember, Jake and his mom started the day sharing their dreams. Sometimes they were silly, sometimes scary and sometimes just plain weird.
Of course! It must have all been a dream!
With a sigh of relief, Jake launched into his dream, attacking his plate of eggs.
“Thanks for breakfast, Mom! Can I go out and play with the chicks?”
“Just be careful and don’t squeeze them too hard,” she said smiling.
Jake bounced out the garage door and peeked into the large tub that was the chicks’ temporary home.
“Morning girls!” he murmured cheerfully.
I told you, I’m NOT a girl!”
So much for it being a dream.
Jake reached in and picked Pecky Greenleg up. All the other yellow chicks scurried from his hand. Not Pecky, she–er–he stood his ground.
Hey! Stop tickling me!
“Sorry! I just don’t understand what’s going on here? Why can I hear you in my head?”
Pecky shifted uncomfortably in Jake’s hand.
“Pecky?”
I’m not sure. Where I come from we can all understand each other. These birds just cheep, eat and sleep.
“What do you mean where you come from? Aren’t you all from the same farm?”
Pecky glared at Jake and ruffled his feathers.
No! We do not ALL come from the same farm. I’m from…from…well, I’m not sure. But I know it’s not from the same farm as these other chicks!
“You don’t know where you came from?”
Well I’m only a few days old, you can’t expect that I know everything.
Jake slowly shook his head.
“I guess we’ll have to start with the hatchery we ordered you all from to figure this out.”
I doubt very much I came from a hatchery.
“We’ll see.”
Yes. We will.
a pinch of homestead 