Chicken

Take One

I’ve been up for about an hour. I set my alarm clock for an unusually early time so that I can get to a meeting in Gulu but it’s raining. I’m sitting on my back veranda, washing dishes, waiting. I glance into the house, a chicken walks out of my bedroom. Sitting, perplexed, visibly confused. I’ve been here the whole time, how did I not notice it walk in? Spotting the chicken coming out of the house my neighbor comes over. “So that’s where that chicken’s been! We were looking for it all night, it must have slept with you!” Evidence. An unfortunately large pile of poop beneath my bed- directly under where I lay my head. Fist shake to the sky!

Take Two

Early morning. Outside my window the sky is streaked with the pink of sunrise. Clanking of pots. That’s strange, my neighbors get up early to make a fire for cooking breakfast but the suns not even up yet. Big crash. Shit. That’s coming from my house. By the light of my cell phone flashlight I creep into the kitchen, panicky. Big Noise! I scream! Chicken! Again! Damn Chicken! I open the door, it runs out. I start to laugh, how ridiculous. I walk into the sitting room. Fear, laughter, now anger. The chicken has shit all over the house. I’m thankful that today is school visitation day- chicken dinner.