Together Forever

When I was a child, I received a tiny little black chick as a pet. She was indeed completely black and a little beauty. I named her Little Bit (although I probably should credit my mother with coming up with the name). She was just what I had been wanting.

But I soon grew worried that she might feel lonely sitting in her pen all by herself. So my mother did some of her magic and pretty soon a tiny yellow duckling appeared in the pen as well. Although a duckling is not a chick, that did not seem to bother either Little Bit or the duckling, who, of course, soon received the name Donald.

Anyway, Little Bit and Donald bonded as if they were true sister and brother. When they grew big enough to leave their pen and to begin leading a farmyard life, they stayed together the entire time. We had other chickens in the yard, and Little Bit and Donald also roamed around with them, but they still stuck together no matter what. It was a fascinating bond to watch, two different species tied together by some unseen spirit.

This went on for several years. They roamed the farmyard together each day, never more than a few feet apart. At night, Little Bit would fly up into the walnut tree to roost with the other chickens, and Donald would sit at the base of the tree, and sleep with his head stuck under his wing.

Of course, all magical things come to an end sooner or later. And after a few years, Donald disappeared one night. We figured that a night critter of some kind, a fox maybe, grabbed him while he was asleep under the walnut tree.

After that, Little Bit stuck pretty close to the other chickens. I have no idea whether she missed him or not, because I have no idea what goes on inside a chicken’s head and heart.

Little Bit lived to a graceful old age for a chicken. Once she passed away, my main hope was that she and Donald were reunited somewhere up there in farmyard heaven.