Chickendoodle! Where Are You?

  Strutting proudly through the barnyard, Snickerdoodle's red and green feathers glisten under the hot afternoon sun.  Seeing Miss Pig near the old tire swing, he heads toward her.

  Miss Pig stops looking for food and lifts her head proudly and smiles at Snickerdoodle.  "How is everything going this afternoon in the barnyard?" oinks Miss Pig.

  "Everything seems to be pretty quite in the barnyard this afternoon.  I'll just jump on the top of the old tire swing to check things out just to be sure," says Snickerdoodle looking at Miss Pig.
 
  Jumping on top of the old tire swing, Snickerdoodle balances himself and stretches his long neck high into the air cocking his head from side to side.  Carefully he takes in the sights from all directions making sure all is well.  Being the only rooster in the barnyard, it was his responsibility to make sure all the hens and chicks were safe.  A duty he welcomed and enjoyed.

  “Hey, who do you think you are?” clucks Henrietta her old red feathers flapping as she runs toward the rooster. “Don’t you have anything better to do than sit on that old tire swing?”

 “Well hello, Henrietta.  I am just making sure Chickendoodle is okay. You know how that boy gets himself into trouble without even trying. Just yesterday Chickendoodle left the barnyard and wondered off into the tall grass.  I saw this big old hawk diving straight at him.  If I had not been around, Chickendoodle would have been Mr. Hawk’s dinner.  By the way, have you seen him?” asks Snickerdoodle.

  Henrietta turns her head and looks around.  “He was with us just a few minutes ago. He was just walking by himself just a little ways from the other chicks.  I don’t see him now.  You know, Snickerdoodle, Chickendoodle wants to find out on his own about the world around him and just doesn’t realize how dangerous it can be.  He’s full of questions and since he is a light brown instead of yellow like the other chicks, he feels like an outsider,” squawks Henrietta.

 “ Don’t worry Henrietta. I’ll find Chickendoodle and bring him back safe and sound,” says Snickerdoodle fluffing up his feathers.

  “Chickendoodle! Where are you?” squawks Henrietta in alarm slowly turning her neck from side to side looking for Chickendoodle.  She spies him outside the barnyard running as fast as he can with a large black dog right behind him.

  “Oh my, Snickerdoodle, do you see what I see?  There is a large black dog chasing Chickendoodle.  What are we going to do?”

  Before she barely gets the words out, Snickerdoodle flies quickly into the air—red and green feathers flying everywhere.  He hurries outside the barnyard to rescue Chickendoodle from the large black dog.  The dog closing in faster and faster on Chickendoodle is unaware of Snickerdoodle.  His only thought is catching this little chick and having him as an afternoon snack.

  “I must get to Chickendoodle before it’s too late,” says Snickerdoodle as he comes closer to the large black dog.

 Snickerdoodle springs high into the air spurring the large black dog that is fast on the heels of Chickendoodle.  “I’ll save you Chickendoodle. Run as fast as you can.”

 Chickendoodle feeling the heat from the dog’s open mouth tries with every fiber in his tiny little body to scurry away from the dog as quickly as he can.  Seeing a patch of tall grass, Chickendoodle heads straight to it.  Running blindly into the grass, grass slapping him in the face, he doesn’t see the large rock in front of him. His only thought is to get away from the danger he finds himself in.