|
On a very
pleasant farm,
lived a chicken
called Petita.
Usually, Petita
was moody,
complaining
about everything
and everybody.
The perch was
too high; the
nest very hard,
the corn was
tasteless, the
worms weren’t
soft, and the
water wasn’t
clean or fresh.
|
|
After all,
nothing was good
for Petita. |
The other birds
around were
always happy,
but Petita was
in a bad mood
since she woke
up.
|
 |
If the rooster
sang too early
his
có-có-ró-có-có,
she complained
that he wouldn’t
let her sleep;
if he sang too
late to please
her, she argued
with him because
it was time to
get up already.
When the animals
had parties, she
complained about
the noise; if
she wasn’t
invited to dance
and play with
them, she said
that everybody
had deserted
her. So, no one
knew what to do
to please her. |
One day she
heard her owner
talking to the
employee who
took care of the
animals:
— Tomorrow
morning I want
you to take
Petita and kill
her. I want to
eat chicken for
lunch. And she
is fat, ideal to
go to the pan.
The chicken,
which was
around, heard
it. They wanted
to eat her!
And Petita
started feeling
the hardship
that she was
about to suffer.
That evening,
Petita couldn’t
sleep. And when,
finally, shut
her eyes,
exhausted, she
had an eventful
dream. She
dreamed that the
employee ran
after her and
grabbed her
violently; she
felt inside of
boiling water,
and then someone
took off her
feather, until
the last one.
She was well
spiced, and she
would be put
into fire, when
she woke up,
sweating.
Poor Petita
cried... cried a
lot. Who could
help her? Nobody
liked her! She
was sure they
would get very
happy with her
suffering and no
one would miss
her.
The sun came out
and Petita
bemoaned,
remembering she
would never more
hear the co-có-ró-có-có
of the rooster;
she wouldn’t lay
her eggs in her
nest, that now
turned out to be
warm and cozy;
she wouldn’t eat
that delicious
corn and the
tender worms;
she wouldn’t
talk to anyone,
and she realized
she would miss
that all.
Only then had
Petita realized
how life was
always good and
comfortable.
How much time
she wasted
complaining!
— Oh!
God! If I could
do it again, I’d
do it
differently —
she thought,
sobbing.
The employee was
about to get
her, when a boy
appeared.
The boy, started
crying out loud,
screaming:
|
— No! I don’t
want you to kill
Petita! I don’t
want you to kill
anyone!
And his mother,
surprised with
her boy’s
attitude,
replied:
— Oh, come on,
my son! Chicken
is so good!
|
 |
— I don’t want,
mommy. I’d
rather eat
potatoes, so no
one gets killed. |
His mom
thought...
thought... about
her son’s
attitude and
finally agreed,
saying:
— You’re right,
darling. We
shouldn’t kill
anyone. From now
on all the
animals on this
farm will be
safe and can
live in peace.
Petita breathed,
relieved. She
was safe! And
she owed her
life to that boy
she considered
so nasty, and
now he said he
liked her!
Satisfied and
happy, Petita
hugged all in
the barn, and
they had a great
party.
From that day
on, Petita got
happy and
satisfied with
life, always
grateful for the
mercy of God,
who gave her
another
opportunity,
through a kid’s
hand.
Aunt Célia
|
