Thursday, December 27, 2007

How the Chicken stole Bawkmas.

How the Chicken stole Bawkmas.
A Bawkmas Special

This is a legend of how some say... Bawkmas came to be...

In north field, many years ago, when Puddleby was just settled, there lived a great white chicken. The chicken was often witnessed strutting around and puffing his feather out. Straight back and keen eyes, the chicken would bawk at little children and rush predators like foxweirs, ferals, and panthers. He was the main protector of all the chickens of the north field and did his job with impeccable style.

Every four years, with the changing seasons and tides came great festivity in the new settlement. During this time the chicken would stand perched on a wooden fence looking townward, bawking all day and night at the loud noises and strange people in town. And one year, the year this legend was born, the chicken was so intent on bawking at the celebrations that he was unaware of predators killing the lessor of his kind in the north field.

"Baawwwk?" The chicken questioned as he saw feathers scattered about the north field. Did I mention that this chicken was the most intelligent chicken in the history of all chickens? He very well knew what just happened. Sadly and softly the great white chicken bawked at his fallen brothers and sisters. So sad was the great chicken that he could not go on. He failed to "bawk" the predators away.

And so the white chicken slowly and clumsily climbed to a perch on the tallest tree in north field. And with all his life the chicked bawked so loudly and hoarsely that it could be heard from the exile settlement. The celebrations stopped and all the exiles, old and newly born rushed to north field and saw the chicken standing on that tree bawking toward the heavens.

All the people could hear his grief. And at once, suddenly, a great gust of wind blew and lightning crashed. The flash of light blinded everyone temporarily and when they could see, they thought white feathers were floating down upon them, but it was snow! The chicken was gone and his tree covered completely and thickly in great fluffy snow. And they went to the tree and found a place of snow, it became called snowy grove.

They called this time of season Bawkmas to remember the great white chicken and his absolute grief which gifted Puddleby a very snowy place. They say that the snow are white feathers from the heavens and they gently touch everyones cheek as a token of protection from the white chicken. The people of town place colorful lights on the snow trees as representation of the fallen chickens he failed to save... that here he could protect them for all time. If you listen carefully enough, some say that you can hear a very distant, but still distinct "Bawk" from high, high above the snowy grove.

Merry Bawkmas!
-Thoom


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