The Chickens' Migration

The Clarlies try to take a little holiday

Act I

Fifi the fish was swimming around in the lake. She suddenly heard a really loud noise!

BRRR! RRRR! BRRRR! RRR!

She saw a giant blackness slowly creep over the lake.

BALK! BALK!

Now the blackness started to look like shadows. Light, then dark, then light again.

Fifi grabbed her telescope and looked up to the surface of the lake. She saw a fleet of boats, each with at least 20 chickens bracing themselves against the wind.

Act II

Charlie turned to his friend Charlie, squinting his eyes against the sun and the wind.

"We're nearly across."

"Won't be long now."

Chuck chimed in. "Mr. Finnigan will wonder what happened."

"Everyone knows that chickens don't migrate," said Charles with a smile.

The Charlies discussed what Mr. Finnigan would do, when he realized that his chicken coop was empty. Would he blame Wally? Would he suspect that the Fox family had finally decided to eat all of the chickens at once? Would he remember those rare occasions when he chanced upon the chickens talking conspiratorily about their plans to build their fleet of boats, and escape across the lake for a holiday?

Nobody mentioned what the Charlies may or may not find on the other side of the lake when they got there. Because no one them knew.

Act III

As the Charlies had suspected, Mr. Finnigan was shocked when he came out to visit the chicken coop that morning. His chicken coop was empty! However, Mr. Finnigan was very clever and analytical man, and considered the alternatives carefully.

There were no signs of a struggle, no extra feathers strewn about, none of the blood or bones that Wally or the foxes usually left behind. And no signs of any forced entry into the coop.

The chickens had been acting strange lately. Sometimes it seemed to Mr. Finnigan as if they were plotting something, looking over their shoulders and talking in whispers, and falling suddenly silent whenever he approached.

But the chickens also lacked long-term planning and organizational skills. So how much trouble could they really get themselves into?

Mr. Finnigan appreciated the value of a well-deserved holiday. His recent camping trip had gotten rained out, and Mr. Finnigan was still quite bummed about it. He was itching for some R&R, and wondered if his chickens were as well.

Act IV

Wally woke up late that morning. He didn't have much to do, but was looking forward to paying a visit to Mr. Finnigan's chicken coop. It had been awhile since he'd satisfied that carnal urge for delicious Charlie meet. But he had been trying to lay low after his recent close encounter when Mr. Finnigan returned home from his campign trip early. That was too close for comfort.

Wally could tell that something was wrong before he even crossed the hill in front of the lakehouse. There was a different smell in the air. Something was missing.

Then he heard it. Or rather, he didn't hear it. The lakehouse was strangely quiet. Where was all the squalking and balking and....talking fro the Charlies?

Wally crested the ridge right as Mr. Finnigan turned around.

They locked eyes.

Wally knew a thing or two about how to stay out of trouble. And all of his instincts told him that he could turn around now. That would show guilt. So he trotted over to Mr. Finnigan, showing surprise and a bit of concern.

"Don't worry Wally," said Mr. Finnigan, "I know it wasn't you this time. This doesn't have any of the signs of a Wally encounter."

"Well I must say Mr. Finnigan that I don't know what you are trying to imply," said Wally, obviously lying. But I want to help. What have you figured out so far?"

"I know it wasn't a predator. I don't think my chickens have been arrested for running a criminal enterprise. I'm otherwise out of ideas."

"Let's go check out the lake," said Wally. "My friend Fifi always knows what's going on."

Act V

"The chickens?" said Fifi over the radio. "Ya I saw them. Let me go my notebook real quick"

Mr. Finnigan stood next to Wally, rather surprised at what he seeing and hearing. Wally was one pretty well-connected dude, he even had contacts in the lake that could communicate with him over short-wave radio?

Fifi soon came back on the line. "Ok, I found my notes. I saw through my telescope an sizeable fleet of small watercraft, each carrying approximately 20 chickens. I'd never seen anything like it. The were heading from the southeast corner of the lake, near the lakehouse, due north west."

"Wow," said Wally. "I never would have guessed those chickens would have been able to pull off something like this. How many boats are we talking here Fifi?"

"At least 10? 20? I don't really know Charlie, numbers bigger than 5 are kinda unusual for a fish like me"

"Sure, I get it. No problem Fifi. You've been big help. I'll catch up with you soon."

Act VI

"Chicken-artica, " said Charlotte as she stepped off the boat onto dry land. "It's just like I dreamed it would be".

"Like you dreamed what would be?, " said Cherry.

"Chicken-artica. We finally made it. Like Antartica, for chickens."

"This isn't chicken-artica! We're just on the other side of the lake you silly chick. We're here for a holiday. Now let's go set up camp"

The chickens set about constructing a chicken coop out of sticks and logs the found near the lakeside. They moored their boats as best they could, then collected some wood for a fire.

But Charlotte was not done causing problems. She accused Cherry of making the logs too far apart. "If the chicken coop was completely made by you, we're all going to die!"

"Huh? Why"

"Beacause then the poler chickens will get us!"

"Huh?"

"And it will also be freezing at night! We should be building igloos!"

"Igloos? There's no ice?!?"

"Of course there is!" said Charlotte, dismissively. "We're in chicken-artica!"

Act VII

"Wintertime!" yelled Wally.

Everyone immediately went back their dens, and burrows, and nests, and grabbed their winter cloaks made of grass.

Fiona said, "yay! No school!". But Fiona wondered, I wonder where Bennie the bear is. I never see him during the winter. I bet he goes to bear-artica.

When the snow began to melt that spring, Fiona asked Bennie, "how was your trip to bear-artica?"

"Bear-artica?" asked Bennie. "I don't go to no place called bear-artica. I don't know what you're talking about. I just hibernate, like any sensible animal would."

"Hibernate? I don't know what that means. Is that something I'm going to learn about when school starts again soon?"

"Sure, said Bennie.

Act VIII

Fifi the fish was hanging out on the bottom of the lake. Then she heard a sudden loud noise.

"BRRRR! RRRR! BRRR! RRRR!"

Fifi grabbed her telescope to see what was happening at the surface.

"Looks like the charlies are back." She grabbed her sleeping mask, and also her megaphone. With the tip of the megaphone poking out of the water, she announced:

"THE CHARLIES ARE BACK!"

"Hurray!" everyone yelled.

Act IX

When summer came around, Rachel the Rabbit announced the next classroom topic. "In this unit we will be learning about hibernation"

"I know what hiberation is," said Fiona. "It's when bears don't go to bear-artica during winter time, but animals think they do."

"Uh, I guess so..." said Rachel, confused.

"Bennie the bear told me himself" said Fiona.

"Jeez, who taught Bennie that," thought Rachel to herself.

"That's nice dear. But we're going to learn a bit more about what hibernation really is."