I was at a social gathering at the weekend and amongst all the different discussions going on there was one absolute standout story which I thought could be woven and expanded into an excellent short story.

My gift to you is to relate the story as I was told it and you can do the weaving yourself.  Here’s an idea, take this kernel, write the story and post it back here.  I’d love to see your work as I’m sure many others would be. 

Interested?

The story is about a couple who have animals as substitute children.  One day one of their hens seemed to have developed a limp so one of then took it to the veterinarian’s.  It was diagnosed with a pinched nerve and given a steroid injection at a cost of $100.

On the way home the owner of the chicken, in an unbelievable act of callousness, stopped at the take-away and bought a hot cooked chicken for the evening meal. So there she was, driving home with a cooked chicken in the front seat which cost $10 and a warm pet chicken in the back seat which has just cost $100.

Apparently the cooked chicken was delicious and the warm chicken is still happily running around the yard laying the occasional egg.

When I asked about how the limp was delveloped in the first place it was revealed that their dacshund had decided some days earlier that a drumstick was in order and fastened onto the poor old hen.  The dog wasn’t keen to let go even after it had been picked up so the leg, while not seriously damaged externally, must have been damaged in the joint.

You might expect a farmers daughter to have a slightly different attitude to keeping chckens.  Her father certainly cannot understand why anyone would even take a chicken to a vet let alone spend $100 on one.

There you go, take the concept, take the story, expand it, ignore it but work the idea.  Whatever you like.