Short Story - Chased by Chickens - Grant Eagar
To order my books:
Sheila the Vampire: Dancing with the Enemy
Chased by Chickens
A month later it was another full moon so Sheila thought she would try her hand at hunting again. She went out into the country and spied a well-kept farm with a two-story farmhouse and a large red barn. She slunk to the barn and waited for the farmer to enter so they could be alone. A bit of feeding and she would be on her way. She looked around the barn at milk cows, sheep, and several horses. There was a fine chicken coop on one end of the barn. When the farmer enters his barn to feed the chickens, I’ll have him. Better yet I’ll wait in the chicken coop and when he opened the gate, I’ll grab him.
She entered the coupe and was attempting to close the door when she felt a peck on her leg then another and another. She ran out of the coupe and the chickens followed her, pecking her legs as she went. She ran out of the barn and across a field and into a grove of beech trees. She quickly climbed a tree that had low-lying branches. Not again. She gazed down at the ground and wrinkled up her nose. “There you wretched vermin stand? Ye fiends are not ordinary yard birds, but demon foul from the depths of hell. Shoo, you dirty birds!” They ignored her and waited expectantly for her to descend so they could attack her again.
She never realized chickens could be used as guard dogs or guard birds in this case. She regarded the red and white beasties. A pox on the farmer, he’s the one to blame, I’m sure he trained the brood of feathered monsters. She yelled “Shoo.” a half dozen more times with no reaction from the birds.
She sighed, I’ll never live this down, first treed by a pack of poodles, and now treed by a brood of chickens. What kind of self-respecting vampire allows a bunch of chickens to chase her into a tree? Oh, the wretchedness of it all.
A ten-year-old girl ran up with a stick in her hand. “Shame on you chickens for leaving the pen, now git home or I’ll feed your mash to the pigs.” She waved the stick and the chickens scattered.
Sheila hid as best she could, she closed her eyes. God, I know I don’t pray very often, being a vampire and all, but please don’t let the girl see me. I will die of humiliation if she finds me.
“Miss, ah what are you doing up in the tree?”
Seriously God? We’ll discuss this later. Sheila used her hair to hide her face. “I’m a tree nymph, this is my forest. So, you’ll be wise to leave it.”
The girl giggled. “This is our grove, not some tree nymph’s. So, the chickens treed you?”
Sheila closed her eyes and hung her head. “No, no I thought it a lovely day for climbing a tree.” The girl laughed and Sheila opened her eyes, “OK, I’m ashamed to say it, but yes the vermin did chase me up the tree.”
“You must get a big stick and show em you be the biggest, baddest chicken. They’re an ornery bunch who’ll peck you to death if you let em. Do you need some help getting out of the tree?”
“N-no, I’ll be fine, ah go ahead and put the chickens back in the coup and I’ll be on my way.” She tried to climb down but she was stuck.
“Who are you talking to Rachel?”
asked a tall gangly red-headed man with spectacles on. He limped up to the tree
and put his hand to his eyes to see who was there.
The girl pointed up into the tree. “She claims to be a tree nymph, but I think she’s a passerby whom the chickens chased up into the tree.”
“Ma’am, I’m sorry about the chickens, they are a hateful bunch, give me your hand and I’ll help you down.”
Sheila took his hand and climbed down from the tree. The girl stared at her. “Look papa she’s the one on the wanted poster. This is Sheila the vampire. They’ll give us 3000 pounds fer her. Let’s turn her in.”
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