How Mr. Clucks saved Nsuta from the Obrunni Prologue: One day Mr. Clucks the chicken was pecking along on the side of the road when a taxi pulled up and an obrunni got out. Mr. Clucks froe with fear! for an obrunni could only mean bad news for Nsuta! and for all the chickens who lived there. So Mr. Clucks immediately ran o" through the town! trying to #nd the other chickens to warn them. Mr. Clucks was a funny sort of cock. $all and gangly! he was interested in games and not the things most other cocks were interested in! like crowing for territory and breeding with the females. Sure! Mr. Clucks tried! but the hens %ust didn&t seem as interested when there was another cock around with shinier wings or a larger helm of red feathers. So Mr. Clucks was not really an important chicken. He ran down into the drainage ditches and trundled along. $his was the best route to take if one did not want to be bothered. 'et still many of the village&s animals called out to him as he passed. (How goes it)* asked +loria the cat! who was playing with two of her kittens in front of a house. (+ood!* replied Mr. Clucks! and he hurried on. He rounded a corner! and then heard another greeting. (How is it)* asked Mary the butter,y! who was riding the warm currents from the charcoal #res. (+ood!* replied Mr. Clucks! and he hurried on again down a new passage. (Hey! chicken! how goes)* asked Moses the dog! who was sni-ng a pile of trash in front of him. (+ood!* replied Mr. Clucks! more agitated this time. Couldn.t these animals see he had important chicken business) /fter all! when do you ever see a chicken run) He s0ueeed around the dog and hurried on. (Hey chicken! how is the weather today for you)* asked Milind the 1iard. 1iards are always concerned with the weather. (Holy clucks! can&t a chicken walk in peace)* thought Mr. Clucks to himself. (2ine!* Mr. Clucks said 0uickly and ran o". 3 Sean 1ambert How Mr. Clucks Saved Nsuta from the Obrunni (Hey! chicken! how&s it pecking)* asked 4rako the Crow! who was busy tearing apart a discarded food wrapper. (+OO56* yelled Mr. Clucks who stomped o" angrily. (7hat&s his problem)* asked 4rako out loud. 8 2inally Mr. Clucks made it all the way across town to where his friends the hens lived. $here were four of them! each more beautiful than the last. 2irst was 9ggrea! the most outgoing one. Next was Chick:ra! the one who produced the most eggs. $hen there was Chick! the most attractive one! who constantly had visiting roosters crowing for her attention. 2inally there was /koko! the youngest one! who decorated her beak with a bright pearl she had stolen one day from a woman&s safe box. Mr. Clucks burst into the coop of his friends and began shouting. (/n obrunni has come! an obrunni has come6* $he hens looked at Mr. Clucks with surprise and amusement. (Oh Mr. Clucks! calm down. 7hat is this about an obrunni) 7hy is an obrunni bad)* 9ggrea asked. (Obrunnis bring with them only death and enslavement6 ;t will be like what happened in <entucky6* Mr. Clucks screamed. (7hat happened in <entucky)* Cluck:ra asked. (/ long time ago! in a far away land called <entucky! there were many chickens. $hese chickens lived peaceful lives! migrating to and fro and always they were protected from harm by loyal farm dogs and loving egg maidens who took their eggs o" to the fabled hatchery. $here the chickens grow up strong and free in #elds of grain!* Mr. Clucks said. ('es! of course! every hen knows this. My own eggs go to the same place!* commented /koko. ('es! but in <entucky something happened. Obrunni men came and they gathered all the chickens into one place. $he cocks lived in cages and were only let out once a week to meet the females. $he hens stayed too in cages! laying eggs as fast as they could.* (/t #rst all was well! for the men fed the chickens as much grain as they could eat. Soon they grew fat and happy. $hen suddenly! the cocks began disappearing. Soon they were all gone! and by the next day new chickens came to take their place. $here was only one chicken who was not taken! a rooster named =opo! for he was a > Sean 1ambert How Mr. Clucks Saved Nsuta from the Obrunni small and miserable bird! but clever. One day they left his cage open and he escaped. He went up into the pipes in the roof and from there he walked about undetected. He saw the whole facility laid out before him. $he egg hatchery. $he killing room. $he plucking room. $he freeers where they stored the carcasses. $he cutting ,oor where they de:boned the meat. $he packing room where they stacked the slabs of chicken like bricks inside boxes. /nd #nally the loading bay! where the boxes went out on trucks. /nd on those trucks! this evil symbol?@ <2C /nd as Mr. Clucks scratched the symbol into the ground! the chickens all shuddered in horror. (;t can&t be true!* said Chick! shaking her head. (;t certainly can&t be true. /nd even if it was! why would the obrunni come here) 7hy this place)* (; do not know!* said Mr. Clucks. (4ut ; will not let such a catastrophe befall us. 7e must drive out the obrunni and save our town.* Chickens vs. the Obrunni $he chickens were roused. 7ith the help of Chick! all the roosters in town had come together for a meeting. $he story of <entucky was told and retold! until it became exaggerated into a story so horrible it was no longer #t for the little chicks to hear. $he hens had come as well! some dragging their broods with them. ;t was a heated meeting! but #nally a plan was hatched. Most of the chickens went home! but not all. Nine chickens stayed to organie. $he chickens had decided they would not go peacefully. Mr. /ta was war chief over all the chickens. His feathers were grand and bright green and his helm blood red. He defeated most rivals simply with a gae. He would command any #ghting! if it came to that. 4ut #rst there would be reconnaissance and strategy. $hey would search for the Obrunni&s weakness! exploit it! and destroy their enemy. So the war chief turned to Oduro and 2arouk! the kings of deception and lies. $hey knew all the secret tunnels in the town! all the secret methods for getting where most chickens couldn&t A or wouldn&t A go. $hey were told to study the obrunni closely. $hey should #nd out where he slept! where he kept his trinkets! and #nally discover the nature of his plans. B Sean 1ambert How Mr. Clucks Saved Nsuta from the Obrunni $he war chief gave Oduro and 2arouk two helpers? 9douad%e and Michael. $hey were less accomplished young clucks! but they could be useful to send messages. $he other four chickens were hens. $hey were too young to yet bear their own chicks! and so they were perfect choices to watch the obrunni. $hey would trail him every day and watch for any signs that he might be up to evil. $hey would constantly call out to the other chickens so that everyone knew where the obrunni was at all times. Nothing the obrunni did would catch them by surprise. Several days went by. $he chickens watched closely! but nothing the obrunni was doing seemed to be menacing. He went to the school and taught children. He ate food in his room. He had a bright box he stared into and laughed at. He went for walks around town and met people. So far! everything was as it should be in the small /shanti town of Nsuta. $hen one weekend the obrunni went away. 2arouk was the #rst chicken to see him return! and he had to do his best not to crow out that their enemy was back. 2or it was C pm! and not time for crowing. 2arouk followed the obrunni! moving along beside him as the obrunni and another human walked along the roadside above. Craning his neck! 2arouk could %ust make out some of the obrunni&s words? (Dreally surprised to #nd that in /ccra. 7e went through Ossu oneD. D and there it was! good old Colonel Sanders had built an outpostD DMilind %ust had to try it so we went in. 1ook! ; still have the napkin6 Oh! but it is dirty.* / piece of paper spun through the air and landed in the ditch. 9mblaoned in red on the center! the face of the devil nearly hit 2arouk s0uare in the face. He shrieked in surprise and ran away. 1ater once the obrunni had gone to sleep the chickens gathered and 2arouk recounted the tale. $he chickens shuddered as Oduro revealed the evil banner and unrolled it. He had gone with /bre# to retrieve it! so that 2arouk would be believed. 4ut now it had been con#rmed A the obrunni was bringing the evil against them. E Sean 1ambert How Mr. Clucks Saved Nsuta from the Obrunni (7/F6* clucked Mr. /ta. (7/F6* clucked Chick. (7/F6* clucked Mr. Clucks. (7/F6* clucked /koko. (7e will destroy the obrunni evil6* clucked 9gg:ra. /nd with the whole roost seeming to be in agreement! Mr. /ta uttered only one word. (4egin.* War $he chickens had decided on a plan of attack. $hey would gradually attack the obrunni&s resources! then his base! and then #nally drive him out of the city. 9ach attack would get progressively worse. Only if the obrunni persisted after all of this would they have to use the goat defense. /nd no one wanted that. $he #rst attack took place during the noon hour. $he obrunni had hung up his wet laundry with clothes pins on the laundry line! but had foolishly left it unguarded. 2arouk! Michael and 9douad%e slipped unseen up the stairs to his rooftop apartment! and then leapt up on the window ledge and from there to the roof. 9douad%e dropped down onto the line and carefully crept along! tightly gripping the rope with his claws. Gsing his beak he released all but a few of the pegs. 5own below the hens /bre# and Comfort collected them and skirted them away to a hidden hole. 9douad%e ,apped his wings and landed safely on the ground after a short fall. $he wind began to catch the clothes on the line. $he chickens retreated! except 2arouk! who stayed to watch the mayhem. $he obrunni returned home that afternoon and was dismayed to #nd his clothes blown all over the deck! as most of his clothes pins appeared to have been stolen. He picked them up out of the dirt! shook them! and took them inside. 2arouk lamentedH the #rst attack had not been strong enough. 8 $he second attack came at I am the next morning. / battery of the loudest chickens arrived below the obrunni&s window and formed ranks three deep. Oduro was there to direct! and at precisely I am give or take! the roosters all began to crow loudly. ;t was the loudest crow on record! nearly B.E cock:a:doodles! and the roosters watched as the obrunni&s head came to the window and glanced outside searchingly. 4ut the roosters remained hidden from view and Oduro directly them to hit him with another blast. $welve times the roosters attacked! and twelve times I Sean 1ambert How Mr. Clucks Saved Nsuta from the Obrunni there was no response. $he obrunni did not appear again at the window! and the roosters gave up after an hour to go #nd food. Oduro lamented? the second attack had not been strong enough. 4ut he vowed to do it again every morning until he #nally got his way. 8 $he third attack came %ust after a rain storm. 1ike most of the villagers! the obrunni had taken his large water urn and left it out in the rain overnight. 9arly in the morning the chickens came in! one by one! and observed the large urn sitting there unguarded. ;t was 9ggrea who #nally came up with the idea. (1et&s drink all of his water!* she whispered. $he others nodded in agreement. $wo at a time they lowered themselves into the urn and began to drink. Once they were full they climbed back out and the next two would get in. ;t was slow going and they soon realied that there was no way they could possibly #nish even half of the urn. Most of the chickens were bloated and gagging as they continued to try to swallow as much as they could. 4ut it was futile. 7ith 9ggrea burping loudly! the roosters and hens crept away down the stairs! de%ected again. $he door opened and the obrunni came out. He had heard a noise. +lancing around the deck! his gae settled on the water urn. Checking inside! he expected to see inches of new rain water. ;nstead! he was missing at least B buckets worth! and there was chicken feather ,oating on the surface. (Son of Sam! they are stealing my water now6* the obrunni exclaimed! looking around at his neighbor&s closed doors. He bent over and grunted as he began to push and roll his water urn back inside his apartment door. 7hichever of his neighbors was pathetic enough to steal his clothes pins and now some of his water would not strike him again if he could help it! he vowed. 8 $he chickens watched him closely. $he obrunni seemed happy! going o" every day to places around town and returning in the evening to stare at the magical glowing box. ($he box must be the key to his resistance!* 2arouk mused one evening as he glanced into the obrunni&s room from the safety of a tree across the way. Oduro was with him! and they were thinking hard about their next move! afraid the war chief would ask someone else to take over. (7e need to steal that box6* said Oduro. (; have gotten a close look at it only once!* said 2arouk. (;t is simply too big! thick and heavy for a chicken to lift.* C Sean 1ambert How Mr. Clucks Saved Nsuta from the Obrunni ($hen perhaps it is time for the goat defD* Oduro started! but was 0uickly interrupted. (NO! not the goat defense6 Mr. /ta said not until things get really bad A and ; have a few more ideas!* 2arouk said. 9vening came! and 2arouk and a team of cluckmandos approached the obrunni&s door. ;t was locked! but they had brought a secret weapon? <o#! the smallest chicken! who was %ust small enough to s0ueee through the hole in the mos0uito netting. $he chickens began tossing him up towards the opening! and it took several tosses before the little chick #nally made it through the hole. <o# s0ueeed through and hopped down onto the obrunni&s large bag! then the ,oor. He was in. (Hurry <o#! #nd the magic box and destroy it6* 2arouk whispered from outside. ;t had been decided that %ust destroying the device would be the same as stealing it. /nd so they had been feeding <o# cassava all day. 2or epic pooping. <o# searched around. ;t was dark! and everything smelled strange. He walked across the ,oor and under the bed. He walked over to the closet and hopped up inside it. He wandered into the bathroom and hopped up to check the bath tub. So far! no magic box. <o# was %ust coming out of the bathroom when he began to hear frantic whispers from outside. (DFun! hide hurry! it&s coming! it&s comingD* <o# panicked and ran back inside the bathroom. He %umped up onto the toilet seat and listened. Moments later the apartment door opened and the obrunni entered. <o# could hear the sounds of movement and the obrunni&s footsteps. He hopped down into the bowl to hide %ust as the obrunni came in! lowered his pants and sat down. 7ithin seconds the lights went out! and <o# panicked and pecked blindly. (O7! what the 92222!* the obrunni screamed and stood up 0uickly. <o# leapt out of the toilet and %umped over to the toilet roll. ;t stuck in his feet as he landed on the ,oor and bolted for the door. $he roll spun and spun and spun as the toilet paper was dragged away in a line directly behind the little chicken! who ran down the stairs! out the gate and across the road into the bushes. $here he #nally shook the paper free. $he obrunni emerged from his room and walked out onto the deck. He was rubbing his eyes and seemed stunned. He looked down at the trail of toilet paper leading o" into the forest. J Sean 1ambert How Mr. Clucks Saved Nsuta from the Obrunni (; think a chicken %ust came out of my toilet6* the obrunni said loudly to himself. He went back to his room and closed the door. 8 Oduro and his rooster s0uad continued to blast the obrunni with their best crowing every morning at dawn. So far it had had no e"ect! but each day darker and darker shades of skin were appearing under the obrunni&s eyes. $he rosters didn&t mind so much if it didn&t work! for they loved to sing anyways. 2arouk maintained that the shiny magic box continued to be the source of the obrunni&s power. 4ut so far the obrunni seemed to guard it ealously and rarely left it alone. Mr. /ta grew exasperated with his war chiefs! for their valiant e"orts still had not lead to any victories. $he obrunni was entrenched in his apartment and each day continued his routine. /nd so #nally! Mr. /ta sent for the dogs. $he leader of the dogs! /roooooo 5enis! came to the chicken roost ,anked by two of his best dogs! 2laviarf and /grrrrnes. $hrough them he kept control of all the dogs in town! who met at night in the local parks and patrolled the streets like packs of wolves. /roooooo 5enis had become /lpha by defeating Captain 7ags in a #ght! who had defeated 4ob 4arker in combat! who had defeated Charles 4arkley in a brawl! who had been hit by a taxi. =oor Charles 4arkley. /nd before Charles 4arkley no dog remembered. (Hello /roooooo!* Mr. /ta began. ($hank you dogs for coming.@ (Cut the crap /ta. 7e came for the eggs you promised. +ive us the eggs now or we are leaving!* /roooooo barked impatiently. (No! you&ll get the eggs afterwards. $his could take a few minutes and we want your attention!* Mr. /ta said. (4ark! 4ark! 4ark!* /roooooo went. (S;$6* commanded Mr. /ta. Out of habit! /rooooooo sat down. (+ood dog6* Mr. /ta said. /koko then brought out an egg and placed it before the dog king. (S$/'6 S$/'6* said Mr. /ta! controlling the dog. /t this point 2arouk came forward and the dogs impatiently learned their part in the plan. 8 (/woooo* howled /roooooo. He had brought his pack right up the steps to the deck of the obrunni&s apartment. K Sean 1ambert How Mr. Clucks Saved Nsuta from the Obrunni (/woooo6* his pack replied. $here were many dogs? 9mmaneater! 4arkael! Moses! 2rancescarf! +idoggeon! Sylviarf! and K =aws %oined /roooooo! 2laviarf and /grrrrnes. $hey waited %ust outside the obrunni&s door. $he door opened as the obrunni came to examine the sound of the howling at > am. He looked upset. $he dogs swarmed him! %umping up and wagging their tails! trying to be friendly. $he obrunni panicked and tried to get back into his room! but /grrrrnes had blocked his way and so he had to sidestep. ;t was chaos as the dogs pressed in. $he obrunni began to curse and shoo the dogs away. ;n the background! 2arouk and his cluckmando team entered the open door of the apartment. $hey 0uickly located the magic device on the bed and gathered around it. 2arouk pried it open with his head! revealing its screen and control buttons. $he chickens 0uickly took turns defecating on the screen and the keys. $hey had all eaten yams today! and it was epic. 2arouk and his team sprinted from the room and %oined the parade of dogs ,eeing down the stairs. $he obrunni had reached the door and slammed it 0uickly right in the face of K =aws! shouting (Cray town6* $he whole attack had taken %ust K seconds. 2arouk waited outside the obrunni&s door in the shadows! listening. / few moments passed! and a light in the room clicked on. Suddenly! there was a horrible scream from inside. (NO6 M' 1/=$O=6* 8 (7e have revealed ourselves. $here can be no doubt we are the attackers now!* Mr. Clucks explained to Mr. /ta. (;t is time to summon the warriors and goats and #nish this. / full:on attack now and we can win this6* (5raw up plans. ; will hear your entire strategy before ; commit the warriors. ;n the meantime! have Oduro continue with the morning barrage! and have 2arouk continue his reconnaissance patrols. $ell the hens to begin to stockpile eggs. 7e must get ready. ;n the meantime ; will practice my chicken war dance.* Mr. Clucks left the meeting with Mr. /ta and went to Oduro. Oduro and the roosters agreed to continue blasting the obrunni every morning. $hey were pleased because their singing voices kept getting better and now they would be able to make their harmony grandiose. The Goat Defense $he eggs were prepared. $he hens carried them one by one through the streets of the city. $he dogs were alerted and for a small payment of golden yellowy goodness L Sean 1ambert How Mr. Clucks Saved Nsuta from the Obrunni none of the hens were harassed. 5oens of eggs were transported gingerly up onto the roof of the +od&s 7ay market and 9lectronics shop. /s long as it did not rain they would stay safe. /bre# and Comfort stood on guard against the crows. $he roosters came together in a larger body and practiced their chicken war dance. $he largest cocks needed a lot of space! and so they used the local football pitch at night. / few people saw them! but a chicken war dance at a distance %ust looks like a bunch of very upset chicken. $he hens also prepared. $hey would have a very important %ob! and if they failed the whole attack would be for naught. $he night before the attack they wandered about town! #nding the goats. 7ith three hens per goat! they began to herd them together into one large group. +oats are stupid creatures and %ust a simple peck gets them going. Still! it was hard work for the hens. $hey gathered them in a vacant lot with the ruins of a house that no one used right now. =hillipa stood on guard at the door and Sandra kept the goats back with her chicken booty dance. Chicken booty dances are extremely upsetting to goats. 2inally! Oduro and 2arouk went to Mictory 2oundation School to liberate some chalk. ;t was Mr. Clucks who came up with the brilliant idea to draw the obrunni to the battle site. ;f it worked it would surely earn him a Fooster medal of honor. $he chalk stolen! the two roosters moved towards the obrunni&s house and began using it to draw large arrows on the ground so that the obrunni would be able to #nd the battle site. $he obrunni&s curiosity would be his downfall. /ll the goats in town were #nally gathered by dawn. / few had been laily doing under the plantains south of the village and it was a long trip to bring them in. 4ut it would be worth it. $hey were driven by the hens into position behind the electronics store where the tro tros normally picked up the people to take them to <umasi. $he Nsutans saw the goats and ,ed inside. $hey remembered last time and did not want to get involved. Never! not after last time. $he obrunni had a large deck and Mr. Clucks himself had volunteered to go to the door and draw the obrunni to the battle#eld. Mr. Clucks rapped hard on the door with his beak. $he obrunni came to the door and looked down. $here was a tiny chicken staring at him. $hen it moved slowly towards him. $he obrunni watched in wonder and amusement as the chicken seemed to point to an arrow drawn on the ground in chalk. $he chicken seemed to gesture with its head. $he obrunni was curious and put on his shoes to follow. $he arrows led down the stairs and out onto the street. He followed the chicken! who walked calmly and paused to wait for the obrunni every so often. $he obrunni looked around at the 0uiet village. 9very street was deserted. $here was no noise. ;t was the strangest thing he had ever experienced. 3N Sean 1ambert How Mr. Clucks Saved Nsuta from the Obrunni $he obrunni&s time as a teacher in Nsuta was almost up. He had met many people and brought %oy with his presents and presence. He was liked by most of the people in town! he thought! and looked back fondly on all the children he had met and played with! all the popcorn and fandangos he had eaten! and he loved his time in Nsuta. =erhaps he had made an impression on the town enough to merit a giant surprise party! and he was being led by a trained chicken) Or perhaps the chicken was %ust a coincidence and he was %ust supposed to follow the arrows. He proceeded forward cautiously. /fter a few blocks he was near the center of town. Suddenly there was the rustling of feathers from all around him. $he rooftops were lined with chickens. Chickens came up out of the gutters behind him. $he obrunni staggered back in surprise. Mr. /ta came forward. He began the dreaded chicken dance. His costume was elaborate! with tin foil wrapped around his legs and his body draped in a shirt from someone&s clothesline. On his head was a heeled shoe. He began tapping the heel on the ground like he was pecking. 4ehind him came other chickens! similarly attired but less elaborately dressed! also with heeled shoes over their heads. $he clacking was synchronied! and the obrunni took a step back towards the electronics shop. $he hens waiting on the roof there began pelting the eggs they had stashed with their feet. $he obrunni was struck many times and was soon covered in yolk. He staggered back again towards Mr. /ta and the warrior chickens to get out of range of the eggs. ;t was then that he heard the cries of the goats. $he goats came around the corner and stampeded towards him. $here were big goats and little goatsH brown goats with brown spots and white goats with black spots and black goats with yellow spotsH goats of all types really. $he billy goats had little horns sticking from their heads and they lowered them as they began their charge. $he obrunni was knocked ,at and the goats crowded around him. $he obrunni tried to crawl! but the goats were all around him. (Help meeeeD* he moaned. $he goats discovered the yolk. $hey began licking and chomping at it. $hey began chewing the obrunni&s clothes. (Help! help! they are eating my clothes6* the obrunni yelled. 4ut no one heard! for the goats bleating had drowned out all noise in the area. 2or this was a vital part of the dreaded goat defense. ;t took only a minute and the obrunni was completely naked. $he goats began to disperseH the obrunni had been licked clean of delicious yolk. $he chickens moved in and began pecking at him now! and he 0uickly stood up and began to run away down the street. 33 Sean 1ambert How Mr. Clucks Saved Nsuta from the Obrunni ($hey have intelligent chickens in /frica6 $hey have intelligent chickens in /frica6* the obrunni screamed as he ran away down the street! naked and covered in chicken pecks. / few days later some men came and took all the obrunni&s things away. $he chickens never saw him in Nsuta again. Mr. Clucks the Hero / great meeting was called and all those brave chickens who had worked to thwart the obrunni were honored. 4ut most honored of all was the one chicken who had recognied the threat in the #rst place? Mr. Clucks. (; did it!* shrieked Mr. Clucks as he was being awarded the Medal of 4uh +awk by Mr. /ta. (; saved the town from the obrunni6 ;&M / H9FO6* /ll the chickens clucked politely for the hero. Oust then +race the Nsutan came out of her house and heard Mr. Clucks crowing. She had been looking for a good chicken to serve to her husband /nthony for dinner! and Mr. Clucks had been growing plump lately. /nd so she chased Mr. Clucks until she caught him! then with a 0uick chop took Mr. Clucks&s head and began to prepare him to be eaten. $he 9nd 3> Sean 1ambert