Jude and the Very Strange Chicken

Jude and his family have a duck-shaped problem. Is there a chicken-shaped answer?

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:08

Hello. Welcome to Stories of Wonderful Children. I'm Dan Wendelling, your host and storyteller. When my children were younger, I told them a new bedtime story every night to help them go to sleep. Now I'm sharing the best of those stories, and a few new ones, with you. I hope you enjoy these stories from wonderful children. Once upon a time, there was a boy named Jude. He lived with his mother and his father, and his brothers River and Bingy, and with a great many chickens. Jude loved living with chickens. He thought they were fun to watch, and he thought they were fun to feed. But what he liked most of all was the eggs. He loved going out to collect them along with his parents, and of course, the best part of eggs was the eating of them. You could make eggs into so many things. You could scramble them, you could boil them, you could use them to make pancakes or cookies or muffins or all sorts of other delicious, delicious things. Well, one day, Jude went out to the hen house first thing in the morning to help collect the eggs. But when they got out there, and Jude looked underneath his favorite hen, she had laid no eggs. Well that's strange, he thought. And so he looked underneath the hen next to her, and there were also no eggs. He went right down the line until he looked underneath his least favorite hen, the one who sometimes liked to peck him when he was trying to check for eggs. And if sure enough, she did peck him just a little bit right on the back of his wrist. But when he checked under her, also no eggs. This is very strange, he thought. He went inside and told his mother and father, and they agreed that that was very strange. But they said we have plenty of eggs in the refrigerator, and so we'll make our eggs for breakfast. Over breakfast, they all talked about what could possibly have stopped the hens from laying eggs. They had had problems in the past with foxes or hawks or eagles bothering the hens, but even then the hens had kept on laying. Well, after breakfast, River and Jude decided they were going to keep an extra careful eye on the hens that day to see if they could figure out what it was that was stopping them from laying eggs. It did not take them long to discover the problem. As the sun began to ascend into the sky and the hens scattered around the yard, pecking and scratching at things as they like to do, Jude watched as a single duck came flying down and landed right in the middle of the chickens. The duck had a bright green head, and something about him made Jude somewhat nervous. There was just something about that duck that made Jude think that it was up to no good. And sure enough, as he and River watched, the duck began to chase the chickens around the yard, back and forth. The chickens were very upset, clucking and squawking. River said, Where's the rooster? Isn't he supposed to take care of things like this? Jude said, I'll go check in the hen house. He looked in the hen house and the rooster was hiding. Come on out here, said Jude. You've got to take care of this duck. But no, the rooster was not coming out. Jude grabbed the rooster and set him down on the ground outside the hen house. The rooster took one look at that duck chasing the chickens around and scrambled back inside the hen house. You coward, said Jude. Then he and River looked at each other and decided they were going to have to be the roosters. So they ran out after the duck. The duck was surprisingly hard to chase off. They chased him off, and then they went back inside to tell their parents what had happened, and as they were telling them about it, they could hear squawking starting up again, and so they went outside and they looked, and sure enough the duck was out there chasing the chickens back and forth. This must be what has upset the chickens so much that they've stopped laying eggs, said their father. River and Jude took turns the rest of that afternoon watching over the chickens and making sure that the duck did not bother them. But the next morning the chickens were clearly upset because no eggs. Over breakfast they talked about what to do. Bingy had a suggestion. We should get a bigger cat, he said. Well, that's not a bad idea, said their parents. We'll go to the pet store right after breakfast, said their father. And so after breakfast they all got into their car and they drove to town to Uncle Abdul's Lawn Statuary and Pet Emporium. Everybody in town knew about Uncle Abdul's. It was not only the only pet shop in town, it also had a truly stunning variety of concrete lawn statues. Every animal you could imagine, and then some that you probably would never have imagined. After they had walked past all of those fantastic statues, they went into the pet store. Uncle Abdul was there smiling and greeting customers as he always did. Hello, my friends! Welcome in, welcome in. Jude had always liked Uncle Abdul. He was a very peculiar man. He was as wide as he was tall, and he was a very tall man. He had a truly lovely smile and was super friendly. Bingy was the first to run up to him. Hello, he said. We're having problems with our chickens, and we need a cat that will protect them. Hmm, said Uncle Abdul. Well, I'm not sure how she doeth chickens, but we just got in this cat the other day. It's a big cat. He brought them over to a window, where they could look in and see all the cats that they had. One of them was indeed very large. We'll take that one, said Benji. Abdul looked up at Benji's parents. Is that all right? he said. We've had cats before. Jude's parents said, We'll give it a try. And so they took the cat home. When they got home, there was not one but two ducks in their yard chasing the chickens around. Well, Jude and River hauled the cat carrier out of the car into the backyard and opened the door to let the cat out. The cat jumped out, looked around, and began to run towards the ducks. The ducks quacked and flew off. Then the cat looked over at the chickens, but did not bother them. I think this is gonna be a good cat, said Jude. Good job, Benji. And for the rest of that day, the chickens seemed very relaxed. The ducks did not come back, and there was no squawking. The next morning there were a few eggs in the hen house, which was good because the stock in the refrigerator was starting to run low. The next day it stayed quiet. But the day after that they began to hear clucking and squawking, and when Jude looked out in the backyard, out there were five ducks, and that was too many ducks for the cat. The ducks were chasing the cat around. The cat came mewling inside and refused to go back out. And then those five ducks began chasing the chickens around. Oh what are we going to do? said Jude. So he and River had to take turns chasing the ducks off. They had to recruit Benji now too, because with five ducks, every time they chased one of them off it seemed like another one was landing. But they kept the chickens safe for the rest of that day. The next morning though, no eggs. They discussed it again over breakfast. Does anybody have any more ideas? Well, said River, I've always wanted a puppy. Hmm, said his father, who had always enjoyed puppies as well. Hmm, said his mother, who thought it might not be too bad an idea. We'll go to the pet store. Excellent, said River. They went back to see Uncle Abdul. When they arrived, he welcomed them just as he had welcome, my friends, welcome in. How is the cat? The cat's great, said Benji. But we've got more ducks. Too many ducks for just a cat. Ah, said Uncle Abdul, I could see how that could be a problem. Well, said River, we were wondering if maybe you had a dog who would protect our chickens. Well, said Uncle Abdul. He took them over to a different glass window where there were a number of dogs. I want that one, said River, pointing to a dog that was black and tan and of no specific breed. That looks like an excellent dog. All right, said Uncle Abdul. Is that okay, he asked their parents. Their parents nodded, and they took the dog in the car and drove back home. When they got back home, there were seven ducks chasing the chickens around. River opened the door and said, Go get em, boy. The dog looked at the ducks, sort of cocked his head to the side for a moment, and then said woof, woof, and went chasing into the yard. He chased the ducks round and round, wagging his tail and barking furiously, and soon he had chased all the ducks off. Better yet, he did not bother the chickens. And so that day was a quiet day. The next day was a quiet day, but the day after that the ducks were back. And this time there were ten of them. The dog just didn't know what to do. He would run after ducks in one direction while other ducks would land behind him and quack loudly and nip at his tail. And after a few minutes of this the dog was just overwhelmed. He ran inside the house, yipping instead of barking, and he refused to go back out. River and Benji and their mother and Jude and their father all had to chase the ducks away. It took all five of them, and by the time the sun was setting they were all out of breath and very tired. And a little sad. What are we going to do? They said as they went inside. They discussed it over dinner. Maybe, said Jude, we should get a lion. Everyone laughed. His mother said, I don't think we should get a lion, and I don't think we could get a lion even if we wanted to. Well, said Jude, maybe a small lion? I don't think even Uncle Abdul has lions, said his father. Well, said Jude, why don't we go back and see if he has anything else? And so bright and early the next morning they had an egless breakfast because they were out of eggs, and the chickens had had enough. They were on strike, and were not going to provide any more eggs, clearly, until the whole duck problem had been solved. They headed back to Uncle Abdul's lawn statuary and pet emporium. When they arrived, they marched in, Jude at the front. Welcome, my friends, said Uncle Abdul. Welcome in. Thanks, said Jude. How are the cat and dog? said Abdul. They're fine, said Jude, but we have too many ducks. Ah, said Uncle Abdul. A bitter problem indeed. And said Jude, I think that you have something that can help us solve this problem. You do, said Uncle Abdul. Yes, said Jude. I can see it in your eyes. I think you have a lion. Abdul looked at him for a moment and then roared with laughter. I'm sorry, my young friend, he said. I do not have any lions. Well, said Jude, do you have something that could help us with our duck problem? Hmm, said Uncle Abdul. Maybe. Please, said Jude. Please, said River. Please, said Benji. Abdul sighed. All right, he said, but I cannot give you another pet. This will be alone only. If it solves the problem, said Jude, come with me, said Abdul, and he led them past the cats, past the dogs, pets, the gerbils, the rabbits, the fish, to the very back of the pet store. And then he opened a door that said employees only. They followed him in, they followed him past all the shelves full of crates of pet food, and there in the very back there was a door marked office. They followed him into it. At the back of the office there was a door with a lock on it. And next to the door were sets of gloves. Now, said Abdul, I must warn you you must never touch this creature if it's except wearing gloves. Why? said Jude. I cannot tell you, said Abdul, but you must promise me to always wear gloves. They all promised, and then Abdul, after checking all their gloves were in place, swung the door open, and they walked into a room. There, on a padded velvet cushion, pecking at an ear of corn, was the smallest chicken like thing that Jude had ever seen in his life. What is that? he said. That, said Abdul, is a very special chicken. He just seems small, said Benji. He is small, said Abdul, but you should not judge him by his size. The chicken had one eye that was larger than the other. The large eye was red, and the smaller eye was blue. He sort of looked a little bit like a rooster, except his comb was a bright fluorescent green instead of red. And when Jude approached him to look more closely, he saw that what looked like feathers actually looked a little more like scales when you looked at it close up. That is a very strange chicken, said Jude. Well, said Abdul. I will loan him to you until tomorrow. And then I will come and get him. And I must warn you, again, do not touch him without gloves. All right, they all promised. And then Abdul got the most beautiful decorated pet carrier that the family had ever seen in their lives. He opened it up, the chicken stopped pecking at the cob of corn, looked at him for a second, and said Doodle Gok Come, said Abdul. It's time to go on a little trip. The chicken, as if it understood every word, hopped up and waddled over to the pet carrier, hopped in, and promptly went to sleep. All right, said Abdul. He handed them the pet carrier. Good luck. The family took the pet carrier with the sleeping, very peculiar chicken thing in it, and headed back home. When they got back to their home, there were so many ducks. At this point Jude had lost count. It was simply a plague of ducks. They set the pet carrier down, they opened the door. Nothing happened. Jude peered inside. The very odd, very small looking chicken was sound asleep. Come on, said Jude, do your thing. The chicken thing did not move. River gently shook the pet carrier. Come on, said River. Our chickens need help. The very peculiar chicken did not move. Benji leaned to look in. I think it's snoring, he said. They could in fact hear the chicken make a very unchicken like snoring sort of noise. So the family left the pet carrier with the chicken like thing right next to the hen house and spent the rest of their evening chasing ducks, but they were not making any headway. At this point the chickens were all cowering inside the hen house, and the family was just trying to guard the entrance from all the plague of ducks. But then as the sun began to set, and as the last sliver of it disappeared over the horizon, there was the sound of movement inside the pet carrier. Suddenly the little chicken burst out, flapped its way up to the top of the hen house, took a deep breath, and said Doodle Cock I think that's backwards, said Jude. The chicken like thing did not seem to care. It did it again Doodle cock Doodle cock The ducks all seemed very perturbed by this very strange noise, and it was time for them to head back to where their nests asleep for the night, and so they flew off. The family headed inside, quite tired from their day of chasing off ducks and adventuring it out to the pet store. Well, Jude woke up several times during the night. All night long the very odd chicken walked back and forth across the roof of the hen house. T back and forth as if it were patrolling. Jude fell asleep thinking that maybe come morning the chicken like thing would do something about their duck problem instead of just marching around and making noise. When he woke up the next morning, it was quiet. Very quiet. He realized he'd slept in, exhausted from duck chasing the day before. He hopped out of bed. He did not hear any clucking, but he also did not hear any quacking. He went and looked out into the backyard. It was the strangest thing he had ever seen. The yard was covered with concrete statues of ducks. They were simply everywhere and marching between them was the very unusual chicken like thing. Jude headed out to the hen house. The chickens were all well, and several of them had laid eggs. The very peculiar chicken like thing stretched and yawned and headed back to its pet carrier as the sun climbed into the sky. Not long after breakfast they heard the sound of a car approaching. Uncle Abdul hopped out and said So Well, said Jude, I'm really not sure what happened, but we have seen no ducks today, just all these very strange duck statues. I see, said Uncle Abdul. Well, I think your duck problem has probably been solved. And he closed the door to the pet carrier and put it in the back of his car. Wait, said Jude, what are we going to do with all these duck statues? Well, said Uncle Abdul, I just happen to have a store that sells lawn statues. I'd be happy to take them off your hands. Jude's mother and father agreed that this was an excellent solution, and so later that day the truck from the store came by and they loaded all of the duck statues but one onto the truck. Jude and River and Benji decided they wanted to keep that one. They put it next to the hen house with a little sign around its neck saying, No trespassing ducks, as a warning to the ducks that that yard had been well protected. And that is the end of a very silly story. Thanks for listening to Stories for Wonderful Children. I hope you've enjoyed this story. Our theme music was created by Brandon Thompson. My thanks to Silas Windland for creating the art for our social media and podcast cover icon. I created and told these stories, but all credit for the witty commentary and clever questions goes to my children. If you'd like to get in touch with the show, please email us at stories for wonderfulchildren at gmail.com. And if you enjoy the show, please tell a friend about it. 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