What others are saying about Wings - The Journey Home
“‘Wings’ is a brilliant story that helps remind us of what we’re here to remember! Thank you William and Elise for showing us that with the power of love and compassion we can expand into and experience the gift that we are and that life itself is meant to be! Children of all ages will delight in reading ‘Wings.’ A clever parable that weaves together powerful lessons–the greatest of these being love! ‘Wings’ will help us all soar towards our best, brightest and boldest selves!”
~ Laura Duksta, New York Times Best-selling author I Love You More and You Are a Gift to the World
“The story itself is enchanting and enlightening, but most importantly, it leaves you with a heartfelt warmth and wisdom for the soul.”
~ Jeanette Roknian, Amazon.com Review
“I found 'Wings' to be a well-written novelette that will be easy for youngsters and young adults to read and understand. The authors draw you in with touches of suspense, warmth and humor that keep you turning the pages. Once I started reading, I didn’t stop until it was done...the wisdom of 'Wings' is undeniable, and spoke to my heart. I was surprised to find myself shedding tears at some of the more moving portions of the story. This could well become a classic along the lines of The Little Prince.
~ By Moira Shepard Another Day, Another Miracle, Amazon.com Review
“Wings, The Journey Home poses the question: ‘Why do we forget?… So we can remember.' As the story unfolded those words rang in my thoughts, and I began to realize the delicate nature between existing and being. The kaleidoscope of characters Benjamin encounters during his struggle to regain his true identity weave a tapestry of delicate epiphanies, reminding me what I have always known but sometimes forget, that we are all designed to fulfill a unique and wonderful purpose. Who knew a little eagle that could would be so inspiring? Bravo to Elise and William for delivering such a touching story of loss, enlightenment and liberty!”
~ Marlee Nelson
“A heart-warming, inspiring tale suitable for kids and adults alike. It reads almost like a screenplay for a wonderful, animated movie that hasn’t yet been made, with, at times, an air of The Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland blended together. Great cinematic potential…”
~ Ken Marschall, Titanic Historian and Artist, Amazon.com Review
“I find it difficult to convey my accurate feelings about ‘Wings.’ I truly wish every family who have growing children could read it together. There are so many, many valuable lessons conveyed and make for a true meaning of life and our response to it. I believe every young child should have the book ‘Wings.’ It should be read frequently and discussed at the child’s level. This book will provide lifetime memories for young children!”
~ Sister Mary Irene Flanagan
“Wings, The Journey Home is a very well written and unique story of a young eagle and his many varied and interesting adventures on his road to maturity. Nice pacing, an original plot, and a series of insightful experiences on the part of the eagle and his group of animal friends, oftentimes quite exciting, make this charming book enjoyable reading for children, teens and adults.”
~ Joseph Johnson, Amazon.com Review
“A sweet story, full of discovery and life lessons - perfect for children young & old!”
~ Jo Randolph, Amazon.com Review
Wings ~ The Journey Home
By Elizabeth Emily Hicks & William Raymond Hicks
Copyright 2009 Elizabeth Emily Hicks & William Raymond Hicks
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This book is available in print at http://wingsthejourneyhome.com/
Cover art & design by Ken Marschall
~~~
Dedicated to all the children, young and old in our world, specifically:
Jennifer, Shannyn, Shane, Brianna, Jem and Ranen
&
Dad (David Nelson), who originally encouraged me to read Jonathan Livingston Seagull, and for opening my mind to all the possibilities of life...I love and miss you!
~~~
“Why does the thrill of soaring have to begin with the fear of falling?”
~ David McNally, Even Eagles Need A Push
~~~
Table of Contents
Chapter 5 – The Caterpillar Who Would Not Be Lunch
Chapter 6 - The Barn Hall Meeting
~~~
Prologue
A breeze carries the first hint of summer, making waves in the pastures far below the granite ledge. Sunbeams dapple the mountain range and farmland as they break through the silver-lined clouds. The ground is ablaze with wildflowers, and the world with the promise of adventures to come. It is a beautiful day to spread their wings....
~ Martha Lee Nelson
Chapter 1 - First Flight
“There, there, dear, don’t be afraid…it’s really wonderful! Now Benjamin, watch me. See, all you do is flap your wings and before you know it, you’re in the air!” Claire, the mother bald eagle, is giving her three eager, yet wary young babies, their first flying lesson. They are about twelve weeks old and their fluffy gray baby down has given way to their more mature darker feathers. She knows that it is time and they have been excitedly awaiting this day.
They watch their mother with a curious mixture of wonder and anxiety. She is flying, or rather hovering, about three to four feet from the nest, and she expects them to do the same. Each of the young eagles looks at her and then down below their nest, which is nestled in an old gnarled tree, rooted on the ledge of a sheer rock cliff. “You go first!” they each say to one another, “No, you go!”
The eldest of the three eagles, Benjamin, has been looking forward to this day for some time. Now that the day has arrived, however, he is experiencing conflicting emotions. He tentatively sticks his dark brown head out over the edge of the nest with his eyes closed. After a moment of hesitation, he very slowly opens one eyelid and peers down the side of the cliff. He gulps, and looks up nervously at his mother who is urging him to join her. Benjamin knows that his parents and his grandparents before them all conquered this feat, and he trusts his mother completely, but his stomach is filled with butterflies. He understands that he can’t remain in the nest for the rest of his life and there is no better time to begin flying than now. Still, that is one far fall!
I could never live with watching other birds flying around me while I look on from this nest, he tells himself. It is this unacceptable thought that moves Benjamin to inch toward his mother and climb up onto the edge of the nest.
Sensing their fear, and yet knowing that this is the natural next step for them, Claire gracefully lands in the nest and says, “No, you go,” and with a lighthearted chuckle, she nudges Benjamin forward, away from the safety of the nest and whispers, “and remember to spread your wings!” He glances back at his brother and sister whose eyes are wide with fear and excitement; then takes a deep breath and leaps. Trembling with an instinctual fear of falling, Benjamin forgets for a moment and begins to fall straight toward the ground! Claire is quickly above her son and catches him gently with her talons, while instructing him, “Your wings, sweetheart, spread your wings.”
“Oh,” says Benjamin, shyly. In a moment, he is gliding. “Wow!” he shouts, as he discovers in an instant the glory of flight.
“Hooray!” “I want to try!” “No, my turn!” announce his brother and sister, Delmar and Dolores, suddenly discovering their courage. In a flurry of wing flapping, they are all airborne.
Claire delights in the knowledge that one of the greatest hurdles of her young children’s lives is conquered. They have “first flight” behind them now, and the rest of their magnificent lives ahead of them.
Unexpectedly, a strong gust of wind catches each of the birds and carries them with it. Claire regains her balance and rescues her two younger babies, making sure that they are safely back in the nest. “Well, that’s enough flying for you two today,” says their mother. “It looks like a storm is coming. Where is Benjamin?” she asks uneasily as she takes off in search of him. “Benjamin!” she shouts.
Chapter 2 - Forgetting
Meanwhile, Benjamin continues to struggle against the powerful wind, and is getting very tired trying to return to the nest. He calls to his mother, “Mom!” but his cries are swallowed by the howling wind, which has no intention of releasing him. Frightened and fighting desperately against the strong gale, he is carried far from home.
Benjamin is absolutely terrified by the fact that he has never been away from the nest, let alone this far from it, and with the helpless feeling that he has no idea where he is being taken he begins to panic, frantically flapping his wings to free himself from the wind’s grasp. The wind responds in kind and Benjamin is thrown violently against a cliff! Dazed, injured and gasping for air, he falls helplessly.
Tumbling, tossing and turning, he hears a familiar voice in the back of his mind, although he is not quite sure whose it is, “Your wings, sweetheart, spread your wings!” Benjamin spreads his wings and regains some balance, but he feels a sharp pain in his left wing. He cannot fully extend it, and he is now spiraling down to Earth, while still being blown mercilessly by the wind!
~~~
Ben falls through a patch of dense fog and lands abruptly in a haystack. A young red rooster walks by and notices something rustling in the hay. Ben pops his head out and sees the rooster staring right back at him. They are both very surprised to see each other. The young rooster is startled and runs to the barn for cover.
Who is this stranger? the rooster thinks to himself, as he tentatively peeks around the protective barn door frame and sees this strange newcomer staring intensely back at him. He quickly ducks his head back inside the barn, and then peeks again and notices the stranger shaking his head and looking around. After a minute or two, curiosity overtakes him and he peers around the corner of the barn door one last time, and, against his better judgment, he says, “Hi, my name is Jeremy. What’s yours?”
The young eagle is scared, hurt, and confused, but he relaxes a little with Jeremy’s friendly nature. “I…I don’t know,” replies Ben, realizing that he doesn’t remember anything – his name, who he is, nor where he came from. All he knows is that his head and wing are throbbing with pain.
As he looks around, he sees a white picket fence, an old pale yellow house with forest green shutters, a golden retriever dog dozing on the porch of the house, a brick-red barn, some apple, lemon, olive, oak and pine trees, a horse, two cows, several pigs, and this new friend, Jeremy the rooster. The other chickens have run into the barn, frightened by a crack of lightning.
Jeremy is too interested in his new friend and doesn’t realize that the storm has come. “Are you okay?” asks Jeremy.
Ben looks at him and then at his left wing and says, “My wing and head hurt…and I don’t remember how I got here. Where am I?”
“You are in Farmer Brown’s Chicken Yard!” Jeremy says, proudly. “We’d better get inside,” he adds, suddenly realizing that it has begun to rain, after a large droplet of water explodes on his beak.
An old gray windmill creaks loudly while it spins rapidly near the barn as the wind picks up.
As Ben and Jeremy begin to run into the barn, Ben hears a wild yet familiar shriek far off in the distance. He stops and looks around at the thick pine forest that surrounds the farm, and then follows the young rooster into the barn. He looks back at the stormy sky, still startled from the faraway call.
A white hen and a large adult red rooster approach them, with marked interest. They look at each other and wonder just who this new visitor is. The other chickens start to hesitantly gather around, wondering what Jeremy has gotten himself into this time.
Jeremy sees the concern in their eyes and says, “Mom, Dad, this is…well, uh, my friend. Can he stay with us?” Jeremy’s parents instantly size up his unusual-looking companion to determine whether he is a potential threat to the rest of the coop. Jeremy turns to look at Ben. “Your head is bleeding! Mom, his head is bleeding, would you please help him…and he hurt his wing…can you fix it?!” Jeremy asks, intently.
“Well, dear, let me see what I can do,” the mother hen clucks and reacts to Ben’s injuries. She bandages his head with some hay from the haystack, and begins to make a hay sling for his wing.
Ben is touched by the kindness he receives from Jeremy and Jeremy’s mother, and it somehow allows him to remember his name: “Benjamin, m-my name is Ben…”
They all look at each other, surprised by his sudden introduction. “Hello; welcome Ben,” Jeremy’s mother says. “My name is Etta, and this is my husband, Humphrey…and of course you’ve met our son, Jeremy.” Jeremy’s father looks on disapprovingly as his mate tends to Ben. He does not want any trouble in his chicken yard, and he feels uneasy about this new stranger.
Etta showers Ben with questions, “Where on Earth did you come from, Ben? How did you end up in our haystack? Where are your parents?”
“Uh…I…I don’t know…everything is a blur,” Ben responds blankly.
Lightning flashes and thunder crashes right outside, as heavy rain pelts the roof and sides of the barn. The wind growls as it searches for cracks and any entrance into the barn. The chickens, always unsettled when violent storms come, huddle together and cluck nervously. Ben feels very uncomfortable being in such tight quarters, especially since he has just met these folks. He does his best to settle in near Jeremy and closes his eyes. He continues to hear a call from some distant bird and wonders why it stirs something within him.
Chapter 3 - Searching
Benjamin’s mother is distraught. She had searched for hours for her son. She came home, periodically, to check the nest in case he had returned.
When Benjamin’s father, Alexander, returns home from a hunting flight with the evening meal, Claire frantically tells him what happened. Alexander immediately takes off in search of their son.
~~~
Late in the evening Alexander returns, tired and concerned at not having found their son.
“Where could he be?!” Claire cries, desperately.
“Where is Benjamin?” his brother and sister ask.
“I don’t know, but we’ll find him,” Alexander says, putting a wing around his mate and looking on toward their children while extending his other wing to them. “Don’t worry, we will find him!”
“I should have heeded the wind warnings. Why did I have to choose today to start their lessons?” Claire asks with remorse.
“Claire, don’t be so hard on yourself,” Alexander consoles. “It wasn’t your fault. They have been wanting to learn for some time now.”
“It just seemed like the perfect day,” Claire grieves, feeling inconsolable about losing their boy.
It becomes too dark, gusty and rainy to continue any kind of search, so Benjamin’s parents settle in for the night with their two remaining eaglets, but they all find it very difficult to sleep.
The next morning, they awaken very early with the sad realization that Benjamin is still missing. As the two adult eagles prepare for their search, they hear their youngest son, Delmar, say, “We want to come too!”
“Yes, can we help?” Dolores asks eagerly.
“We understand that you want to help your brother, but you have many lessons to pass before you’re ready to fly so far from home. We may be gone for a while, so please stay here in the nest until we return,” Alexander says.
“Delmar and I will wait for Ben to come home. I’m sure he’ll be here by the time you get back,” Dolores offers optimistically, but deep down she’s truly worried about her brother.
Alexander and Claire are both touched by their children’s love for their brother and faith in his return.
Benjamin’s parents set out in search of their son, flying far and wide and keeping one thought in both of their minds: He must be alive! He must be safe! They keep repeating this thought over and over again, not only to bring themselves comfort, but as if this refrain could somehow have the power to actually keep him safe.
~~~
It is late afternoon when, exhausted and despondent, they stop to rest on a high thick tree branch.
“What do you think?” Claire asks her mate.
“Well, there’s no telling how far or where the wind might have taken him,” Alexander responds. “Hopefully he didn’t fight against it.”
“Where could he be?” Claire pleads.
“I don’t know,” Alexander answers, deep in thought.
“I think we should consult with Candor!” Claire finally says with a burst of conviction.
Alexander’s response is less enthusiastic than she had hoped, “That spooky old sorcerer! Why would we want to do that?”
“Well that’s not very nice, dear! He’s been like an uncle to our children. Besides, what if everything we’ve heard about him is true?” Claire says, beginning to build her case.
“I didn’t mean it like that, Claire, but you know I don’t believe in anything mystical!” Alexander protests.
“Sweetheart, remember how several years ago he knew that the trout supply would diminish on the west end of the valley toward the sea, and that we would need to start hunting deeper into the mountains? Candor even stayed with the children during some of our expeditions, remember? I don’t know how he knew, but folks believe that he has a gift for sight. You have to admit that he did save all of us so much time and effort. I know you were very skeptical, but ultimately he was right!”
Claire continues, “I also heard, recently, that he helped the falcons, David and Phyllis. A hunter shot their daughter, but Candor put something on her wound that expelled the damaging object!” Alexander rolls his eyes. “I know it sounds farfetched, but Alexander, what if there’s something to it?” says Claire, begging the question. “Besides, I don’t want to rule out anything that could help to bring Benjamin back to us. Perhaps if I had consulted Candor before choosing yesterday to…”
Alexander stops her, “Now Claire, don’t start blaming yourself again. These things just happen.”
“I’m sorry, dear, I just think that Candor may be able to show us where he is,” Claire declares with steadfast resolve.
“Or maybe he’ll just send us off on a wild goose chase!” Alexander chides, as he gestures with his wings to symbolize some mysterious hocus-pocus. “We’re chasing Benjamin, not wild geese!”
“Very funny, my cynical one!” Claire observes.
“Oh no!” says Alexander. “Don’t start with those ‘Oh sweetheart, won’t you do this just once for me, please?’ eyes,” he says reproachfully.
She looks meaningfully at her husband, “I’m really worried about Ben, dear.”
Alexander finally surrenders, “Oh all right, we’ll go see your silly mystical friend.”
The two of them fly off to meet with Candor the Condor. They land on a high craggy ledge located at the mouth of a niche, cut by time into the side of a cliff. From the ledge, Claire and Alexander slowly walk across a wide clearing toward Candor’s cave. The old condor has quite a view from his perch – he can see the valley and lake below, and all the way to the far distant sea in the west.
There is a sign next to the cave entrance that states:
Consultations between 11 & 2, Payment: 1 Trout
Claire and Alexander peer into the cozy cave and observe Candor, who is oblivious to their presence, as he is looking through a large basket and tossing various items over his shoulder in a desperate attempt to find…something.
The two eagles glance at each other. Alexander shrugs and steps into the cave, deposits a trout into another basket near the opening, and clears his throat, “Ahem!”
“Oh my!” Candor blurts as he jumps back, clearly startled.
Candor, an old family friend of the eagles, is a large, very odd-looking bird with black feathers and a pink bald head, which turns a bright red when he gets excited. He is a very quirky character, beloved and revered by most for his wisdom, although he has a quality that puts off the more practical birds in the community. Alexander, in particular, does not appreciate that Candor always seems to be mentally somewhere else; as if he has one wing in this world and another in some unseen world, which Alexander doesn’t understand and quite frankly can’t be bothered with.
That being said, Alexander has to admit that Claire has a point regarding Candor’s skills. Somehow, Candor does seem to have an awareness that others don’t. How he knows certain things is a mystery, and quite often a source of irritation to Alexander. Nonetheless, their child needs to be found, and Alexander, along with Claire, doesn’t want to leave any stone unturned.
Claire steps in with her soothing voice, “Good afternoon, Candor. We hope we haven’t disturbed you. Sorry that it’s after hours for you, but this is an emergency!”
“Oh, well…” Candor mutters, still a little shaken, “…no, no of course not! Welcome, Claire and Alexander. I was just thinking about the two of you,” he says more confidently, as he recovers his composure. He reaches into the basket and smiles triumphantly as he pulls out a scroll, made from old and dried thin bark. “How can I help?” he asks.
“Candor, it’s Benjamin!” Claire shares. “He was caught in the first winds of the storm we had yesterday. It was his first day of flying and, well...he’s missing.”
“Oh dear!” Candor reacts, with a compassionate and understanding tone in his voice. “Well, we do know that there is always a risk when they are first learning. That explains why he has been on my mind so much these past few days,” he mutters under his breath.
“Candor, Claire believes that you might be able to know in some way where our son is, and if he is safe,” Alexander says, somewhat out of his element. He looks away, obviously uncomfortable with asking a mystic for advice.
“It appears, Alexander, that Claire is the only one of the two of you who believes in the power of intuition and the mind,” Candor says, wryly.
“Now, Candor!” Alexander replies, defensively. “You and I have discussed this before. You know that I have difficulty with things that I can’t see or prove...it just isn’t logical!”
“Alexander, tell me this…” begins Candor, “have you ever had the experience of flying along and suddenly you just know that far below in the river there is a trout that is so close to the surface it is practically begging you to come and snatch it up? You can’t see it yet, but you keep lowering your altitude and then…there…there it is!”
Alexander shifts uneasily, and then admits, “Well of course, that happens quite often; I’ve never really given it much thought.”
“You see, Alexander, you are in touch with much more than that which you see. You know there’s a trout before you can see it,” Candor goes on, while placing some twigs, assorted herbs and berries onto the crackling fire in the center of the cave.
“I always thought I was just lucky,” Alexander says, with a wink to Claire.
“You can call it whatever you like,” continues Candor. “My point is that you are connected. We are all connected…to each other…to everything, as if by an invisible web, and on a very deep level you know much more than your physical eyes, keen as they are, can see. In fact, you know that your son is alive and safe, don’t you?”
Claire quickly glances at Alexander, amazed by the insightful old condor’s statement, as an astonishing awareness begins to grow within her. Her attention is drawn to Candor’s flickering fire and smoke rising up through a hole in the ceiling of the cave. In her mind's eye, she sees an image of her son appear before her. She can’t make out where he is, but she can see that... “Oh dear, his wing is hurt! Oh no!”
Be strong, a comforting inner voice soothes her consciousness. With time it will heal and be fine, and with the healing will come much discovery.
The image fades as quickly as it had appeared. Claire consciously snaps back to Candor’s cave, and she and Alexander gaze into each other’s eyes. “Claire,” Alexander says, “I am having a hard time understanding what I just saw…but I believe our son is alive…yet injured. Though something tells me his wing will heal…and he will be fine.”
“Oh, Alexander, you saw it too!” Claire replies.
“Yes…I saw something,” Alexander admits, deep in thought, “I believe he’s alive and we will see him again.”
“I do too,” she responds.
Turning to their wise old host, Claire says warmly, “Oh, Candor, I don’t quite know what just happened, but thank you!”
“Thank yourself, my dear. Whatever you were able to see was merely a result of your own belief,” counters Candor, modestly.
“Hmmm…well I saw it too. What do you have to say about that, old friend?” Alexander interjects.
“Perhaps there is hope for you yet, Alexander!” Candor jests.
They laugh together, although Claire and Alexander are having a difficult time concealing their feelings of worry about Benjamin and his well-being. Candor gently passes the scroll that he has been holding to Claire with his wrinkled old right foot, and says quietly, “Take this with you.”
Claire takes the scroll from Candor and replies, “Thank you, Candor. What is it?”
Candor responds, “Open it when you get home. Perhaps it will bring both of you some comfort. Benjamin is such a lively, creative lad, always sketching and spinning tales...” The old condor and eagle couple smile at one another.
~~~
Claire and Alexander fly home and slowly unroll the scroll. They are moved as they look upon it. Claire collapses into the wings of Alexander and they both have a good cry. Dolores and Delmar look on as they too release the burden of some heavy tears for their lost older brother.
Chapter 4 - Who Am I?
Back at the farm, several weeks have passed, and Claire and Alexander’s dear son is doing his best to adjust to his new “family” and surroundings. The barn is a lofty and spacious building made of very old wood, so it settles, creaks, and groans, and the sounds echo off of the walls, often keeping Ben awake at night. It feels unnerving and unnatural to him, and he thinks the entire structure is going to get blown down by the wind, which is always lurking around, searching for the old barn’s weakest parts.
The chickens share the barn with an enormous black horse, a lazy milk cow, several ravenous swine, and some restless, rambunctious pigeons. The pigeons nest high in the rafters where it is warmer and less drafty. At night, Ben can hear them fluttering their feathers to keep warm. Some nights, he will stay up watching them, hoping to catch a glimpse of one of them flying from beam to beam. Mostly, he just sees shadows and cobwebs, where the giant, they call Farmer Brown, cannot reach.
Farmer Brown is a kind, weathered, older man with wiry, graying, sandy blonde hair, faded overalls, and a ragged straw hat. He does a fairly good job of maintaining the farm, but there is a lot of work to do, and there are areas here and there that could use some attention; the roof drips a little when it rains, there are sink holes along the outer walls of the barn, and the fence which encircles the barnyard is in desperate need of paint.
The chicken yard is an extensive dirt area where Farmer Brown regularly scatters grain. The chickens can freely roam around the barn, unless stacks of hay and hay bales impede their movement, but they cannot leave the fenced barnyard. There are hungry things that live beyond the fence, and they would love to get a hold of a chicken or two. Farmer Brown’s dog, Ray, is constantly barking and keeping away unwanted visitors from the much larger sheep, cattle, and horses, which do live outside the fence in the outlying green pastures. The barnyard has plenty of space for the chickens to get their exercise.
Ben, whose wing is still in a sling, is different from the chickens in several ways. The most obvious is his appearance – he is bigger and a darker brown than the chickens while his neck and underbelly are mottled with white, but his coloring isn’t too different from the others at this stage in his development, so he doesn’t blatantly stand out. Ben has large, intense eyes, slowly turning from brown to amber the older he gets. He has a long hooked yellow beak with a dark tip, and his sharp talons intimidate the chickens.
As a group, the chickens have decided that they must always keep a lookout for Farmer Brown, and his golden retriever, so that they can quickly hide Ben. They are not sure how he got there, and they definitely do not want to get into any trouble for harboring a stranger. Humphrey has even initiated tutoring for Ben, to teach him to walk, cluck, and behave more like a chicken so that he blends in. All of it feels very awkward for the young eagle, and all the while he can feel his body going through changes.
Ben also has a very healthy appetite, and the grain supplied by the farmer just doesn’t satisfy him, so he will find himself hunting grasshoppers and mice when the chickens aren’t looking.
Another difference is that Ben is quieter than the others. The chickens constantly want to talk, and anything that crosses their minds flows out of their beaks. Most of them hardly think at all about what they are saying, while some of them have a bad habit of gossiping. They cluck and cluck and cluck about the others, not thinking or caring whether it might hurt someone’s feelings.
In addition, Ben cannot help noticing that the chickens are always on edge and tend to frighten easily – the slightest noise sends them scurrying for cover. Ben, however, being of braver stock, often stands in the courtyard and asks the others while they scuttle about, “What is it? What are you so afraid of? I want to see it!” They never have a clear answer for him.
~~~
One day, Jeremy runs past Ben on his way to the barn, and yells, “Hide, Ben! Hide!”
Curious, Ben asks while scanning the area, “Why are you running, Jeremy? What is so frightening that you must hide?”
“Oh, Ben, you should hide too. You must be afraid!” Jeremy squawks nervously without slowing.
“I must?” Ben questions, puzzled, as he slowly follows his friend toward the barn.
“Yes, oh yes! There are so many things to fear,” Jeremy calls over his shoulder. “Must I teach you everything?! This is basic survival stuff!” Jeremy admonishes as he hurries inside. Ben follows, though not nearly as quickly as Jeremy and the others.
Once inside the barn, Jeremy settles into the role as a well-intentioned advisor. “Loud noises are the scariest and mean something bad is about to happen,” Jeremy instructs.
“But where do the noises come from?” asks Ben innocently.
“Oh, we don’t wait around to find out!” advises Jeremy.
“Then how do you know...?” Ben begins to ask, but his words are cut short as Jeremy holds up his wing for silence, and then solemnly resumes his lecture, oblivious to any flaws in his logic.
“You must always stay in the barn at night, especially when the moon is full, and you must never go near The Phantom Night Flyer,” Jeremy begins to whisper ominously.
“What is The Phantom Night Flyer? Why shouldn’t I go near it?” Ben is increasingly more confused, yet intrigued.
“Because it takes our souls to a netherworld,” replies Jeremy impatiently. He leans in closely and whispers loudly, “You know – down there!”
“What? I don’t understand. How can he take my soul if I’m still alive? Why should I be afraid?” Ben persists. “What’s a netherworld?” he whispers, matching Jeremy’s fearful tone. He is uncomfortable crouching and hiding in the corner of the musty, dank barn, and doesn’t understand why they have to be there.
“Just trust me…never go near him. My grandfather talked to him for quite some time, and then one day...we found him dead,” Jeremy says sadly.
Ben doesn’t understand his friend’s point, but he does feel compassion for him. “I’m sorry, Jeremy…you must miss him.”
“I do,” Jeremy shares, “…he was so much fun. Grandpa would tell me so many stories of great adventure!” Jeremy continues with gladness returning to his voice as he reflects on distant memories of his grandfather. “He was a very brave rooster, but I overheard my parents talking after he died. Dad was saying that he was very foolish and shouldn’t have taken so many risks…like talking to the phantom.” The other chickens crowd around and cluck their agreement.
“There are also mysterious and magical creatures which come out of the woods, such as white angels and small fairies. We don’t know much about them, but strange and frightening things tend to happen when they arrive.”
Ben asks, “What kinds of things?”
“Well,” Jeremy explains, “one time a fairy appeared, and not long after that, one of the sheep went missing! It eventually turned up again, but all of its wool was gone!”
“So you think that…?” Ben starts to ask.
Jeremy continues, “And another time, out of nowhere, an angel landed on the roof of the barn just before the wind kicked up and Farmer Brown’s weathervane spiraled off the barn roof and almost landed on my mom!” Jeremy’s eyes go wide as he remembers, and then adds, “Just to be on the safe side, if you see anything out of the ordinary, it’s always best to run into the barn and hide.
“Last but not least,” Jeremy says very emphatically, “don’t let that scary, slithery Egg-stealer catch you!”
“The Egg-stealer?! Why? What is it?” asks Ben.
Jeremy jumps up onto an overturned milk bucket, clears his throat, and theatrically begins to recount to Ben a legendary story, in the spookiest voice he can muster:
“Long ago, on a dark and tragic night, a hen was fatally wounded and dragged off by the Egg-stealer. Now, and as they have done ever since that horrible event, when dusk slowly spreads like a veil across the landscape and the barn begins to darken, the hens leave out an egg, should the killer arrive….”
Jeremy trails off, solemnly. It was clear that Jeremy, a good storyteller, had practiced this tale many times. The chickens nervously cluck and carry on as Jeremy elicits their fear and excitement. As he concludes, the chickens become quiet as they hang on his last words. Ben just stands there fixated on Jeremy, and in the dead silence one could hear a pin drop….
Ben feels a chill. Finally, he breaks the silence, “Are you okay, Jer'?”
Jeremy replies coldly, “No,” his demeanor very distant, as he blankly stares down at the hay, “it hates us chickens!” he says dramatically.
“Why is it afraid?” asks Ben.
Ben’s question interrupts Jeremy’s trance. “What? Oh, I doubt if it is afraid of anything!” answers Jeremy. The crowd of chickens nods to each other, supporting Jeremy’s statement as fact.
“It has to be afraid, if it hates!” Ben comments. Jeremy looks at his young friend, puzzled. Ben is also a little perplexed. He is not quite sure where that statement came from or why he said it, but it felt true.
The wisdom of Ben’s statement slowly dawns on Jeremy, and he is surprised to realize that perhaps there is something that he can learn from this odd new friend of his.
~~~
That night, Ben falls asleep and is taken into a very vivid and lucid dream. He finds himself in a dimly lit cave, standing next to a blazing fire. Colored stones on the cave walls reflect the flames. The fire mesmerizes Benjamin, and within it he can make out two adult eagles in a wide nest with their baby eagles.
The large adult male eagle lifts up out of the nest and soars away. Benjamin becomes that eagle and he flies down toward an expansive body of water and snatches a fish with his sharp talons. He glides back toward the nest, but before he reaches it he drops the fish and sees the shock on the other eagles’ faces, as he and the falling fish spiral dangerously downward to the ground!
Benjamin snaps back to the cave, within his dream, and he is trembling with fear as he thinks about what he just experienced. A very odd-looking, large, old bird appears from behind the fire, startling Benjamin, and says, “What are you too afraid to know?” And then adds, “Go within, Benjamin. Reclaim and own your power!”
~~~
Ben is suddenly awakened from his dream by a loud THUMP! He looks around but cannot see much in the dark. It is very windy outside and pinecones are being flung at the barn willy-nilly. The chickens go on sleeping as the wind licks the walls, and cedar branches scrape against the barn as if trying to get inside. Ben listens intently to the howling, turbulent wind. It seems to him that it has mass, a shape, an ever-changing form. It is alive, intelligent, swarming around the farm as if searching for him. It keeps Ben awake, and he feels that if he were to step outside, the morphing wind would pick him up and send him reeling to some far off place; a part of Ben almost wishes it would.
Stars twinkle brightly through a wide gap between the closed window shutters. Ben stares at the heavens for a long time, while he lies trembling in the hay. He eventually drifts back to sleep, as he ponders his strange dream….
Chapter 5 - The Caterpillar Who Would Not Be Lunch
The next day the smell of wet pine and cedar fills the air, and puddles of water glisten here and there, for it had rained during the night. Ben walks outside and begins pecking at some grain, as he contemplates his dream from the night before. He wonders where dreams come from and if they mean anything. He is having a hard time shaking the images of a dropping fish, falling, and particularly a strange large bird who seems oddly familiar.
As Ben is ruminating over his dream and pecking away at the grain, he sees his reflection in a shallow puddle. His big intense eyes and long beak surprise him. Ben lifts one of his enormous feet and examines his sharp talons. What kind of chicken am I? he thinks to himself. He scratches at the damp mud with his sharp claw and traces his hulking shadow. I am different, that’s for sure. Most of the details of the dream are fading, but he has a vague nagging worry that there’s something he should know or remember.
While lost in thought he notices some movement off to his left, near the peeling white fence. A small, plump, light-green caterpillar with black and white stripes is inching its way along the ground. Ben is suddenly aware that he is very hungry. The grain that Farmer Brown had scattered earlier that morning just wasn’t doing the trick for his ever-growing appetite.
All of a sudden, the caterpillar stops moving and looks up at Ben and says, “What are you looking at?”
“Nothing,” says Ben, nonchalantly.
“Don’t even think about eating me!” exclaims the caterpillar, rather forcefully for a little thing.
Ben responds, “Why not? You look pretty tasty.”
“If you eat me, then I won’t be able to fulfill my purpose!” the caterpillar counters confidently.
“Really? What is your purpose?” Ben asks, holding back a smile.
“I don’t know, exactly, I just feel that it’s grand!” replies the tiny caterpillar. “Have you ever had the feeling that you are a part of something really exciting – that something amazing is about to happen?” he asks Ben. “You don’t know what it is,” continues the caterpillar, his eyes drifting upward toward the sky, “but you can hardly wait to find out.” He turns back toward Ben. “Your eating me would not fit in well with what awaits me!” he ends with conviction, while glaring directly into Ben’s big amber eyes.
This little creature sparks something within Ben; he’s glad that he didn’t mindlessly eat him. “I think I know what that feels like,” admits Ben. “I wouldn’t want to prevent you from your grand purpose – and now you’ve made me curious. You’re so small, though…no offense, but what great purpose could you possibly have?”
The caterpillar stands up on a number of his legs and crosses several of his arms, and asks, “Judging by appearances, are you? Is that really how you want to occupy your time?” The caterpillar turns and begins to inch its way toward the fence.
Ben turns away, feeling a little embarrassed. What kind of purpose could that little green caterpillar have? he wonders, as he unenthusiastically resumes pecking at the grain on the ground and considers his conversation with the little philosopher he just met.
~~~
Two crows abruptly land on the fence above Ben. One of the crows asks, “What’s up, ugly?” The other crow cackles at his friend’s insult.
“I’m not ugly!” replies Ben, annoyed. “Get out of here!”
“How do you know you’re not ugly?” asks the other crow, enjoying the game.
“I’m just not…please leave me alone!” Ben replies, getting more and more agitated.
“Well, you’re ugly for a chicken anyway,” adds one of the crows and the other laughingly agrees.
“I’m not even sure that I am a chicken,” mumbles Ben.
“Then what are you doing living with chickens?” a crow asks and the other chuckles.
“I don’t know…just beat it, okay?!” Ben insists.
“What do you know?” a crow asks. “Yeah, what do you know?” the other repeats.
Impulsively, Ben lets out a loud shriek at the crows and they fly off, completely spooked. Ben’s instinctual ferocity frightened them, but they must have the last word. “Okay, then – be alone, you loner freak!” one caws as they fly off.
Ben just stands there watching them disappear into the sky, feeling surprised and embarrassed at having lost his temper like that. The chickens gather around and stare at him, all of them quite worried that Ben may have alerted Farmer Brown. They cluck nervously and scold him about attracting attention to the yard unnecessarily.
“Sorry,” Ben apologizes, as he slowly walks into the barn with his head down.
Chapter 6 - A Barn Hall Meeting
Humphrey immediately calls a Barn Hall Meeting with the chickens to discuss Ben’s outburst, as well as the latest developments with the Egg-stealer. Ben is not invited, of course. Feeling more and more like an outsider, he listens in from the confines of the coop, a caged area within the barn. The chickens assemble just inside the barn, while Jeremy keeps a look out for Farmer Brown. They cluck and fuss amongst themselves, as Humphrey struts into the barn, with his beak in the air and his long tail trailing behind. He has called all of the chickens for the gathering and is the last one inside.
He begins, “Order, order, everyone! Everyone quiet down! We have a couple of very important items to discuss! The first topic is the situation with our strange new visitor, Ben.”
Ben ducks further behind a hay bale to make sure he is not noticed. It seems less belittling, and he somehow feels like less of an outcast if he can’t be seen. He takes a deep breath to try to calm his apprehensive nerves. His eyes wander around the barn, and he observes suspended dust particles slowly dancing around him in the sunlight, which is pouring in through slits in the wall.
Humphrey continues, “I think that he is becoming more of a risk, and that he is jeopardizing our good standing with the giant, Farmer Brown. I propose that he be exiled from our coop!” Ben’s heart sinks upon hearing this. Now he really feels like an outcast. Jeremy’s head drops.
A murmur of clucking erupts among the assembly, and Etta speaks up, “Now, Humphrey, that is very extreme and cold. Ben needs our help and he is Jeremy’s friend. I cannot stand behind that decision!” The murmur gets louder.
“ETTA!” Humphrey booms. “I am the leader of this coop and I say he should go!”
“But maybe, given his size, he can help stop the Egg-stealer!” Etta’s sister, Fantine, interjects. The other chickens gasp and then fall silent. Ben’s eyes go wide upon hearing this.
Humphrey breaks the silence. “Stop the Egg-stealer?! That is preposterous! The Egg-stealer is an evil monster, against which there is no defense. The only reason it hasn’t killed all of us is because it wants us to keep making eggs for it!”
“Humphrey is right!” a young hen adds, “and we wouldn’t even see it coming. Remember, it killed my sister,” the hen adds sadly, “and she was only protecting her egg!” She breaks down and sobs for her lost sister. The other hens gather around to console her.
“There, there, dear,” Etta says in a very comforting tone, while placing a wing around the young, grieving hen. “Your sister was very courageous for standing up to the Egg-stealer, and even though she did not deserve to die the way that she did, she is in a much better place now.” Fantine and the other hens cluck and nod their agreement. Etta continues, “My father used to tell me that death is like returning home. I believe that you will see her again, Laraine.”
Laraine stops crying and looks up at Etta while wiping away tears with one of her feathers. “Do you really believe that, Etta?” sniffs Laraine.
“I do,” replies Etta, pulling Laraine closer to her. “I really do.”
“Even if that is true,” another hen clucks, “we still do not want to end up like Laraine’s sister!” Once again, the other hens cluck and nod their agreement, getting louder and louder as they weigh the risk of not giving up their eggs against the price of doing so.
“Quiet! The risk is far too great! As a matter of fact, there is a new development,” Humphrey shouts, as he gestures for one of the hens to share what she heard last night.
A young hen, Jenny, timidly steps forward and clucks, “I heard it whisper last night that it wants more than one egg per visit or else!” The other chickens gasp, and break out into more excited chatter.
“I said QUIET!” booms Humphrey, “I will have order!” The chickens try to quell their noise, but they are clearly terrified.
“What?!” Etta cries out. “Giving up one egg has been difficult enough, and Farmer Brown has scarcely noticed, but a second egg over time would certainly raise an eyebrow. What if he begins checking the eggs more often as a result?”
“Yes!” agrees Fantine. “He would discover the ones being offered up, leaving nothing for the Egg-stealer!”
“This would surely bring wrath down upon us all!” another hen clucks loudly. The noise level begins to rise once more.
“Everyone just calm down!” Humphrey interrupts. “Now let’s not get ahead of ourselves! Who says Farmer Brown will notice? Besides, our safety is the primary concern.”
“Easy for you to say!” exclaims Etta. “They’re not your eggs!”
Humphrey is shocked and glares at Etta with a look that could cut iron. “Etta, what did you say to me?” Etta, a good wife, had never challenged him in front of his flock before. It was unthinkable to Humphrey. Etta just storms out of the barn, past Jeremy with tears in her eyes. Humphrey is left fuming, “Etta, get back here! This meeting is not over! They are my children too!” The other hens are dumbfounded. Jeremy’s heart is pounding as he watches his mother run off. He empathizes with her and the other chickens, but he feels helpless. He looks on past his mother at Farmer Brown’s abode.
After a long moment of silence, Fantine chimes in to hopefully cool Humphrey’s temper, “Humphrey, my sister is very upset that The Menace has been showing up more frequently these days. We have always had a working relationship with Farmer Brown. We give up some of our eggs to him in exchange for food and shelter. But there is no ‘give and take’ relationship with The Egg-Stealer – it only takes, and it is weighing more and more heavily upon all of us!”
Ben listens to the passionate discussion and he wants to help, but he is not sure what he can do. The chickens and the Egg-stealer have reached an impasse. How can I help? he thinks to himself.
Humphrey takes a deep breath. “Well, for now we give the Egg-stealer what it wants,” Humphrey declares authoritatively, as he glances toward the corner of the barn. “We will begin leaving two eggs per night for the fiend!” Ben leans back against the barn wall and looks at the corner of the barn, to where Jeremy had told him the egg-stealing demon materializes. Flies are haphazardly buzzing around in the stale air, annoying him. “And…for now…Ben can stay,” Humphrey continues, as he looks directly at the area of the coop where Ben is hiding. “But I will not tolerate any more outbursts like the one he made to the crows! Those crows are pests, and bring needless attention to the yard, but we don’t need anyone else making a stir here. We’ll need to increase Ben’s chicken etiquette training!” Humphrey finishes and steps past Jeremy making eye contact with his son. Jeremy attempts a smile and then looks down at some straw and kicks it.
Ben breathes a heavy sigh and closes his eyes. Things are getting interesting, he thinks to himself. What happens now?
Chapter 7 - The Phantom
That night, as the chickens finally settle down to sleep, Ben becomes increasingly restless, so he decides to take a walk. He waits for all of the chickens to fall asleep so that he can leave the coop, which is of course “against the rules.” Silvery moonbeams pass through slits in the barn walls, casting eerie shadows throughout the barn. A shadow quickly moves behind Ben and he glances to look back, but sees nothing except the two eggs left out near the corner of the barn for the Egg-stealer. The eggs – and the neatly stacked hay upon which the hens carefully placed them – are shrouded in moonlight.
Ben sneaks toward the barn entrance, doing his best to avoid stepping on strands of crisp hay so as not to awaken the chickens and get into trouble. Farmer Brown’s gigantic black horse is awake and staring directly at Ben. It snorts and loudly stomps its massive hoof as Ben walks by. Ben stops suddenly and, after hesitating a moment, he looks around and then cautiously and quietly creeps outside of the barn into the cool, crisp night air, where bats, moths and fireflies fly about. Other night creatures and wild beasts roam around in the nearby dark and misty woods. Yellow eyes peer back at Ben from beyond the fence, as crickets and frogs create a bewitching melody.
He is lost in thought. Although the chicken coop is a cozy home within the barn, it feels confining for Ben, particularly tonight, given the emotionally heated day everyone had. He is feeling more and more frustrated by the growing sense that something isn’t right, almost as if he is somehow bigger than his body. He feels as if he might burst if he doesn’t do something, but he doesn’t know what he should or can do!
Ben is beginning to accept that he is a chicken, for his life with them is all that he can remember. He doesn’t feel much like a chicken, though, and he definitely doesn’t seem to fit in with the rest of them. Ben’s weeks in the chicken yard are taking a toll on his well-being. He feels clumsy and slow because he doesn’t run for cover as quickly and as instinctively as the rest of the chickens, which causes more dark looks from Humphrey, who now watches him constantly. When the others are busily clucking about this or that, he often finds himself looking up at the birds of the air. He watches them soar high above the ground, and then he closes his eyes and imagines what it must be like to be so majestic and free.
Ben recalls an afternoon in his recent past when he was standing alone in the middle of the chicken yard, gazing up at some wispy clouds.
~~~
“What do you think, Ben?” Jeremy asked.
“Huh? Uh...wha…? What do I think about what?” Ben said, slightly startled. He had been drifting on a lovely warm thermal air pocket in his mind and his young friend’s question brought him quickly back to the ground.
Jeremy laughed at his friend’s obvious disorientation. “You were daydreaming about flying again, weren’t you? Oh, Ben, you’re so funny! Don’t you know that chickens can’t fly? They just aren’t meant to. That’s just the way it is,” Jeremy stated very matter-of-factly, repeating word for word his father’s sage and sobering advice.
“But Jeremy, I don’t always feel like a chicken,” Ben confessed.
“Well you are, and the sooner you accept it the happier you’ll be!” Jeremy snapped.
“Really?” persisted Ben. “I’d like to be happy, but the thought of having to stay on the ground for the rest of my life doesn’t seem to be much comfort.”
“Trying or wishing to be something you’re not doesn’t seem to be too practical,” preached Jeremy. “What’s the matter with being a chicken anyway?” Jeremy added, defensively.
“Oh, nothing, I suppose,” Ben said wistfully as he looked up at a pair of eagles soaring overhead. “What do you think about the other birds, Jeremy, the ones that can fly? Do you ever wish you could? Fly, I mean?” asked Ben.
“I don’t really think about it much. I think it would be really scary being that far from the ground,” Jeremy replied, his eyes going wide at the thought of it. “I’m very happy down here on the ground, thank you very much!” he added.
“Oh, but to fly…just imagine how much you could see!” Ben said with an air of adventure, looking back up at the pair of eagles, his eyes flashing with excitement. Jeremy just looked at him blankly, shook his head and then began to peck at a bit of grain on the ground....
~~~
A wolf howls in the distance, and Ben’s mind returns to the present moment. Ray, the farmer’s golden retriever, awakens and barks at some unseen intruder. Wandering beyond the barn under the clear moonlit sky, Ben is now left alone with his thoughts and dreams, and is wondering what he would be if he could be anything. He is feeling a little wild in his heart as he takes in the sights, sounds and scents of the seductive night. Maybe Jeremy is right, the young eagle considers. Perhaps I should just accept that I am a chicken and stop wasting my time daydreaming about being something else – it only seems to lead to frustration and disappointment anyway. I could be happy here with the chickens and just make the most of it. Ben does his best to feel content that he has come to a decision about how to live.
“Who, who, who are you?” a haunting voice asks, startling Ben. Ben looks up to see a dark figure fly overhead, temporarily blocking out the light from the full moon.
A sudden feeling of dread comes over Ben as he recalls the warning from Jeremy about The Night Flyer. “A-a-are you the phantom who takes our souls to the other side?” Ben asks with trepidation.
“Now, what in the world would I do with your soul? That’s silly! I am no phantom; I’m a barn owl!” says the owl scornfully, indignantly, and with a chuckle. The moon now clearly illuminates the owl, perched upon a branch of a large pine tree. “My name is Aloysius,” declares the owl. “Who, who, who are you?” he asks again with a smile in his voice.
“I-I don’t know! I mean my name is Ben; I guess I’m a chicken, but I don’t feel like a chicken…I’m not like the others,” he says woefully.
“Then why do you think you’re a chicken?” asks the owl with a growing sense of amusement.
“Well, I live with them, and all I know is this barn. I don’t remember anything else, but sometimes I feel like there’s something I should remember, or be, or do, or...oh, I don’t know...” Ben says, crestfallen. “I feel as if no one understands me…they all think I’m weird. I don’t think the way the others do, or act the way they do, or even like the things they eat!”
“What would you prefer to eat…mice?” the owl asks, wryly.
“Yes! How do you know?” Ben says, surprised and a little embarrassed by the owl’s question. “I just feel like I don’t belong!” he finishes with a heavy sigh.
“Belong?” asks the owl.
“You know, fit in like everyone else,” Ben explains.