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© 2014 Madison Mangham, Joann Ellen Sisco. All rights reserved.
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Published by AuthorHouse 4/10/2014
ISBN: 978-1-4969-0516-1 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-4969-0515-4 (e)
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Contents
Shang and the Screamer
Watch For More Of Wildwood Village Activities
About the Author
Just because they both were feathered fowls and had loud voices, that didn’t mean they could ever be friends.
Perhaps someone could teach Shang and Screamer a lesson, but that didn’t mean they would listen…. would it?
Shang and the Screamer
S creamer woke up very early, even before there was one little speck of light. He had been roosting on a low limb of an oak tree, and he knew it would soon be time for the rooster chicken with the red-brown feathers on his wings and tail to make his wake-up call.
He knew Shang would flap his wings and flutter up to the top of the crowing stump just outside the windows where the two-legged animals stayed at night.
Then he would flap again, point his beak toward the sky the sky and then crow his loudest COCK-A-Doodle DOOOO!
Very soon after that the two-legged animals would come streaming out of the room.
Screamer had never thought of it very much, but this morning it crossed his mind. What was it like to be the first big noise of the morning? As noises were concerned, Screamer could make a noise like the best. All he had to do was point his beak to the sky and open his voice.
SSS-TTT-GGG-III-GGG-LLL-EeEeEeEeEeeee
, came out, and he had actually seen two-legged animals startle with fright at the suddenness of his voice, and the smaller animals would often clap their front limbs across their faces.
Some even said EeEeEeEe!!
but not nearly as well as he, Screamer, did.
So, this morning the bird with the shiny blue neck-feathers, the attractive crown spikes on his head, and the long, many-colored feathers in his tail, had a thought. There was something he had wondered about.
Perhaps just once he should fly up to the crowing post and scream, just to see how it sounded. Not that he would want to do it always. That would be far too much trouble.
So now while he thought about it, he must decide if it was even worth the effort. The long feathers in his tail were gorgeous, but they were also heavy and it took precious energy to fly up onto anything and bring the heavy tail after him. And the thing was, he could not leave the tail behind.
However, the more he thought, the more he decided this would be the day so he fluttered down from his low limb and softly crossed the grassy play yard.
He was just about to regret his decision as he dragged his long, feathery tail through the dewy grass, but the temptation was so very great. Just this once, he promised himself. There was the crowing perch right ahead of him. It was made from the bottom of a tree that was cut down and a flowering vine had crawled around and up the stump.
Giving a couple of flaps with his strong wings, he lifted himself up to the top of the stump and looked around. It was just becoming light and he turned his head from side to side and then…
There was activity in the hen house. The large Shanghi rooster with the fancy red tail feathers blinked his eyes awake as he always did when it was just becoming light. He looked around at the sleeping rods stretching from one side of the chicken house to the other, and most of his hens were still dozing.
Some had their heads under their wings to keep out the noise, and others didn’t mind the noise and just settled their heads down into their neck feathers and closed their eyes.
Shang moved very quietly. There was no reason to wake the ladies. That would happen when he began to crow to wake the two-legged animals so they could start their day.
Softly he let himself down to the floor of the chicken house and walked out into the play yard.
Oops! Something
