A Cruel Plan, Sad Fate, and an Encounter

A few days passed after the incident with the eggs. That's when a group of people from outside arrived, about 18 to 20 people, maybe even more. They brought baskets, bags, and even some live animals in their carts. Two huge pigs and four sheep.

Everyone in the chicken coop stopped what they were doing to watch. Rikko was just finishing his corn when he noticed all the commotion, so he took advantage of the fact that he was a little older to climb up on the fence and take a better look.

What kind of crowd is this?

There were people of all ages, women and men. Children ran around the farm making noise and stirring up birds in the trees by throwing stones and sticks. The men cleared the land with straw brooms, shovels and rustic rakes while the women divided into groups.

Some younger women washed and peeled fruits and vegetables by the stream while singing and gossiping; the older women took the animals to the back of the house; the older women received the sacks and other items in the kitchen and from the hole in one of these sacks something that looked like flour was leaking. The dog had been tied under a tree far from the house, probably so that it wouldn’t bite people.

Wow, I think they’re going to have a party! And a big one!

Rikko felt very excited about all of this. It had been a while since he had attended a party, considering his previous life. Not that he could participate in the celebration itself, after all he was no longer human, but perhaps there would be leftovers that could be shared with the chicken coop. But it was then that the horrifying sounds of the animals in agony could be heard in the back of the house, and dark thoughts filled little Rikko’s mind.

Those screams… those animals have just been sacrificed! Where there’s a party, there’s food, and if there’s food… there’s meat! And we’re meat too! What now?

If there were any doubts left in Rikko’s head, they were confirmed when the farmer came to the chicken coop with a basket and collected all the eggs there, not even leaving a single one for the brooding hens. Before leaving, he looked at the hens and then said in a low voice:

“What a mess. They throw us a party and we still have to offer food too. Thank goodness we don't have to give them much. Two is already good enough.”

What the hell is he saying? - Once again Rikko cursed herself for not being able to understand a single word, but one thing was certain: There would be chickens at the party, just not as guests.

Rikko wasn't the only one who realized this. Gelda was old enough to have seen this situation happen a few times before, and unlike the other chickens, she hadn't forgotten about her friends being taken away. Her vengeful mind started working. She ran to her admirers and called them secretly.

“Come with me, we have things to discuss.”

Rikko was still wandering around pecking at the pebbles, wondering what to do. Simply shouting “run away, they’re going to eat us all” wouldn’t be much help, since the birds were raised with the resignation that they existed only to provide food. Trying to save only their parents might be the best thing to do, but how could he convince them to do so? It was then that, lost in thought, he heard:

“Hmm, they were delicious, weren’t they?”

“Yes, delicious! Dark, fresh and juicy, mmmm…”

“Let’s tell the others!”

“No way! Let’s go inside and come back later to eat more.”

“Yes, let’s go, it’ll be our little secret, hehe.”

Three chickens had just returned from the hole in the back fence that led to the blackberry tree. The tree was indeed loaded, so it wasn’t unlikely that there would be ripe blackberries on the ground. It was then that Rikko had an idea:

That’s it! I’ll lure my parents outside by calling them to eat blackberries! If I do this when the farmer comes, we won’t be in sight, and from there I’ll try to convince them both to run away. It’ll have to work!

With the plan in place, Rikko thought it best to check if there were enough blackberries on the ground, or it would be difficult to keep the two of them occupied for long. He ran to the back of the chicken coop and climbed through the fence.

_Oh, great! There’s a lot!

There were still a good amount of blackberries on the ground, especially around the tree trunk, where the juiciest ones were. The first part of the plan was complete, now all he had to do was lure his parents there.

“Since I'm here, I'll eat some really quickly, and... HEY!”

Rikko's mistake was giving in to his greed. He didn't expect Gelda to be waiting for him above him, and next to her, a large, heavy old basket hanging from the blackberry tree on the tip of an old branch. All Gelda had to do was push the basket with all her strength, making it fall on Rikko, trapping him. The chickens from before were just throwing the bait, and he fell like a duck. Or a chick.

“You didn't expect that, did you, little thief?” - Gelda was now staring at him through a small hole in the basket.

“Get me out of here, you bag of feathers! Get me out of here now!”

“Oh, don't be in such a hurry, you hasty little chick. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to take care of my life. Oh, but don't worry, your parents will come and get you. Or not, hihihihihihihihi!”

“You old coot! You'll see when I leave! Come back here!”

In the chicken coop, the chickens were still scratching around normally, when Gelda saw the farmer coming with a machete and a basket. She started running and screaming.

“FOX! FOX! There's a fox coming this way! Everyone get inside!”

Chaos took over. At first, everyone ran from one side to the other aimlessly, but then Goppa took control of the situation.

“Calm down! Let's all go inside! Roosters, block the entrances from the inside, we can't let the fox in! Kel! Kohko! What are you doing? Come on!”

“You guys go! We need to find Rikko!” - Kel shouted before turning his back and running.

Goppa did not insist, the safety of the others was at stake. In a few seconds, almost everyone was inside the chicken coop. The roosters used their claws to hold the small doors that gave access to the nests, since the large door was always locked from the outside. The only ones who had not taken refuge were Kel and Kohko, who were looking for Rikko, and a proud Gelda who watched her victims from afar.

“Here he comes, I better go in now.”

The farmer was already outside the fence. The machete he held in his hand gleamed sinisterly in the sunlight. He found it strange to see only two chickens walking around, but it didn't matter. His appearance did not match his physical constitution, because he entered the fence with agility, closing it from the inside, and Kohko was already defenseless in front of him.

“OH NO! KEL, HELP ME!”

The farmer wasted no time and the machete came down quickly, but instead of Kohko, Kel was the one who was hit while defending her, being hit hard in the right wing. Even injured, he managed to tear the farmer's arm with his claws in a last-ditch effort before finally being caught and pressed to the ground.

“KEL!!!”

“DEAR, RUN AWAY-”

The merciless machete claimed its new victim and Kel's head rolled across the ground. Kohko was shocked to see her beloved decapitated, unable to escape the direct blow:

“Kel…”

Their now lifeless bodies were placed in the basket that the farmer was carrying. Gelda, not feeling even a shred of compassion, took advantage of the farmer's distraction to leave her hiding place.

She approached the chicken coop, satisfied that she had stayed until the last moment. But when she tried to enter through one of the small doors, she realized that it was tightly closed. The person holding her from the inside was Kakke, who had seen everything that happened through a crack.

“OPEN! LET ME IN!”

“DON'T OPEN! The fox is outside! Hold on tight!” - Kakke shouted.

No one dared to obey the voice that came from outside. Goppa, the only one who could notice Gelda's absence, was too busy holding a small door on the opposite side, unable to hear his wife screaming in the midst of the confusion.

“BASTARDS! IT'S ME, OPEN! OPEN! O-”

A sound was heard amidst the screams from outside and inside. Gelda was now just another decapitated corpse on the ground to be collected by the farmer.

“Two would be good, but I'll take one more, just in case they complain.”

Outside the fence, Rikko heard the commotion in the chicken coop, but there was nothing he could do. The heavy basket wouldn't give in to his efforts and in the position he was in, he couldn't see the farmer.

About half an hour later, the noise in the henhouse was losing strength, but that only made him even more worried. The change in the chickens' mood had been too sudden.

Rikko was already exhausted from pushing and banging against the basket and didn't notice that he had fallen asleep. When he woke up, he had forgotten about the time and the sunlight was already touching the basket under the blackberry tree and illuminating his eyes through a crack.

“The sun is already high. It must be around noon. I can't take it anymore, I want to get out of here now! I want to look for my parents!”

He made a move to start his fight against the basket again, but something caught his attention. He hadn't noticed a spot of soft earth on the ground where one of the mulberry tree's roots was.

“Can I dig and get out of here?”

He concentrated all his strength on his feet to turn over the ground, which wasn't as soft below that spot as he would have liked and there were some stones that were stubbornly refusing to budge. It took about an hour to dig a hole big enough to squeeze through and get under the basket.

“Oof, I did it! I need to go to the chicken coop now!”

His feet were covered in dirt and bruised from the effort, but he couldn't stop to rest, his concern for his parents was greater. When he arrived at the chicken coop, he found the chickens still shaken. There were signs of blood here and there on the ground. He felt that the worst had happened. Kakke and Goppa came to meet him.

“Rikko! Where have you been?” - Goppa was happy to see him for a moment, but then his expression changed.

“Kakke, you better tell him. I can't.”

“Tell me what?”

“Rikko, forgive us. I don't know how to tell you this, but... your parents were taken, along with Gelda.”

Rikko couldn't speak. He had already felt it, but having confirmation was even worse than the doubt. It took a while for him to regain his reasoning. But when Kakke and Goppa thought he would say something, he ran at full speed towards the main house. At that time, everyone present was eating and celebrating what seemed to be the farmers' wedding anniversary. Kakke came after Rikko, trying to stop him, but it was too late.

“Rikko! … Please, don't look. “

But he didn't hear her. He didn't want to hear. The celebrants were sitting around a huge improvised table. On the table, various country-style dishes were laid out, and among them… a porcelain platter containing chicken remains that were being finished off.

“...no...”

In a distant tree, the couple's dog was tearing and gnawing at the remaining bones of her parents and Gelda. He felt no pity for his enemy; she had reaped what she had sown, after all. But he couldn't say the same about her parents.

“Ugh! “

Sadness took over Rikko. His food wanted to go back down his throat, he felt dizzy, his legs lost strength. Those were not his original parents. They stayed in their old world, their old life. But the little time he spent with them made him feel loved once again, just as much. And now they were gone.

He wanted to hate the farmers, but what was there to do? They lived their lives the way they could. Maybe he could hate the violence with which they killed his parents if Kakke decided to tell him how it happened, but the truth is that he preferred not to know. Now there was only one thought in his head.

“I'm leaving here.”

“So you decided. Where are you going?”

“I don't know. Anywhere far from here will do. I just don't want to stay here anymore.”

“Then go. Go right now, while no one is looking and don't look back. Go ahead and live the life that Kel and Kohko gave you. Good luck, little one. May life be kinder to you.”

“Goodbye, Mrs. Kakke. Take care.”

And then Rikko left, with only Kakke as a witness. Baggage? None. What could a simple chick carry with him? Certainly hatred and regret, in addition to the sadness over the death of his parents, which he could perhaps have postponed if he had not been deceived.

For some reason, he remembered Julia at that moment. He wanted her to be there, comforting him. But now she was just a memory burning strangely in his chest.

A few hours of walking and the farm could already be seen in the distance and night was giving its first signs. He felt hungry and thirsty, he also felt cold, but he wanted nothing more than to go far away. He would even prefer to die torn apart and chewed up in that forest by some monster or animal, it would have been better than staying in that damned place waiting for his turn to complete a meal.

Ironic, isn't it? Someone who once worked serving chiken, covering them with seasoning and frying them in hot oil, was now one of them and felt dejected by the death of two. If that wasn't ironic, at least it would be sad. At least for Rikko now, with no route or destination.

Night finally arrived. The two moons hung in the cloudless sky, two eyes of unequal sizes watching that pathetic little being. Too exhausted to continue, he found a hole at the base of a tree, and there he made his bed with dry leaves. And he fell asleep.

His sleep was not peaceful. He reviewed memories of his past life, especially those he least wanted to see. His heart felt tight. He threatened to cry, and the vision of Julia appeared again and comforted him. Then he remembered the most recent events, felt despair and Julia welcomed him. And then he remembered his uncertain future, and Julia smiled at him.

“It’s going to be okay, Ricardo.”

Ju-

“FINALLY FOUND YOU!”