Wednesday, April 1, 2020

A hen named Teju

Once upon a time there lived a hen named Teju.
As the name suggests, she was bright.
Teju made quite an impression on us with her matronly figure, her one-eyed stature, and heroic vulnerability. She had cautiously walked into our house and lives in that challenged state: Never got to know how she lost sight in one eye. 
She quickly endeared herself to us through her affectionate and smart ways. We fed her and she fed us in return. She laid an egg almost every day.
Her handicap made her vulnerable to all kinds of threats - aggressive roosters and hens targeted her; dogs and cats in the area knew she was easy prey; children loved to chase her. But smart Teju managed to keep herself safe. She even incubated some eggs once and became a hyper and overprotective mom of 7 chicks. Unfortunately, she lost all her chicks to the predators. But her zealous effort was an incredible and heartrending sight.
Teju responded to her name. She would come running from far on being called. She trusted us.
Then one day, it happened...one careless second... and our dog grabbed her. We separated the two. Teju was not wounded.
But Teju died...It was the worst moment till...
Teju was served as dinner that night...

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