Opal and Shiny Things

Opal sees something shiny inside the coop!

Early one morning, The Woman went into the shady coop with her basket to search the laying boxes for eggs. The girls had left quite a number of large brown and white eggs the day before. Usually, she had to shoo Rosie off the nest, but Rosie was too overcome with the joy of the sunshine to be broody that day, and was outside with the rest of the girls. As The Woman left the coop with her basket, Opal trailed at her heels, pecking at her red shoes, which she greatly admired. 

“Such a pretty color,” she cackled. “Like moving flowers. Are there any bugs inside?” 

Peck, strut, peck, strut, she followed the shoes all the way to the gate. Opal’s attention was then turned to the reflection of the sky and sun on the water, and went to the water dish to admire the shiny phenomenon. Nothing escaped Opal’s open admiration for beauty. Indeed, every bug that escaped her had its iridescent greenness, or other colorful distractions to thank for its reprieve from death.

Fifi was chief among all the beauty that caught Opal’s eye. Anything she asked of Opal, whether it was the better nesting box, or the last peck of corn, was granted with all expediency. And Fifi, though she could very well have taken advantage of Opal’s slavish devotion, found in Opal the best of both worlds, getting all the favoritism any hen could wish for and a companion of a cheerful nature that saw beauty in everything.

“What a beautiful day!” Opal gushed, as Fifi joined her at the water dish. Opal was a pretty white bird with black markings and a lovely puff of black feathers on her head. She was an Appenzeller Spitzhauben, and was a lively quick girl. She had to have her feathers clipped because she kept getting into the trees! She and Fifi were best friends and were always getting into something.

They loved to explore the shed, when the door got left open, and would hop up on the work bench and try to see if the hammers and nails, and other shiny bits, were tasty to eat. 

Suddenly she was attracted by a flash of white in the sky. It moved so quickly, she didn't see what it was, but someone else did! The rooster, who had been hiding for days in the bushes, started up such a ruckus of crowing and flapping, that all the girls were quite alarmed! They scattered everywhere, under the coop, into the shed, and into the covered run. The rooster came out of the bushes and ran into the yard, to face a small hawk that was swirling down upon them. The hawk came down with a great whoosh, only to find the rooster's sharp claws scraping his chest! The rooster lost a large number of feathers in the battle. The hawk made a quick escape and flew up to a high perch in a nearby Loblolly pine, leaving a few feathers of his own behind. 

The whole flock stayed inside the coop the rest of the day, even after the hawk had gone to seek his dinner elsewhere. Everyone was quite calm by nightfall, but no one laid a single egg all day!