Pecked!!!

2 Desi hens out on the road.

Waiting, watching , being zen.

And then….

I was out for a morning walk. There were two of them. ( Could get only one on cam – apologies, sincerely) 2 desi full grown hens standing witb a quizzical look that read –

‘Now what?’

I watched them from a distance. Not very far. Neither too close – just at the right distance, for the both of us. Safety first !!

Thoughts raced through my head.  What were they doing there? Were they on their own? Were they  diseased/ banished ? Were they rogues / rebels or worse –

Were they  Vegan? 

I named them Estappan and Elsamma.  Not  gender bias rather gender balance. Gotta be careful these days.

I took note of their surroundings. Wait! Wedding decorations on the road. They must have been brought for the wedding. Somewhere amidst the din and commotion they made a break for it. Now the wedding was over. Forgotten, they stood at the corner.

Elsa seems the braver of the two – she strains her neck in confidence and curiosity. Esta must have followed Elsa’s lead. Now he is content to stand in a corner.

I felt good.  It felt wonderful that they had made it. Must be scared, may have to hide too . But they were free.

Then they crossed the road.

They had reached mid road . When a motor-bike zoomed ahead. It slowed, just enough for the guy behind  to pull up a dazed Elsamma and speed away.

It took a moment for Estappan and me to get over our shock. He shreiked, ran straight to the other end. I walked ahead cautious, not to alarm him.

There I got to know what had really happened.

Where Estappan stood was a butchers shop. Somehow tbe hatch wasn’t latched. There were other hens seated there. None interested in Esteppans shrieks. And the hatch door was shut.

Then the butcher emerged from behind a door. He saw Estappan outside, checked the hatch. Scratched his head, muttered curses and  opened the door. Estapoan entered in slowly and sat down.

Then a man walked up, exchanged greetings a and told the butcher

‘ I need your best chickens today. ‘

‘For the wedding?’

The man nodded  a yes.

All eyes were now on the relieved looking Estappan, sitting down going-

Cluck-Cluck-Cluck.

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