Today i am posting one of my short stories :)

Pearl,'Y' and Sneha.


This is the story of a hybrid broiler chicken called 'Y'. I am not sure whether 'it' is a 'she' or a 'he'.
Y doesn't have the ability to lay eggs but designed to lay it's life. Conceived pragmatically in a genetic engineer's mind. Developed in a laboratory and hatched electrically. Fed with a balanced poultry feed; the purpose statement written for it's life is 'to give profit to the owner by growing fast, fat and by dieing fast, fat'.

There are trillions of 'Y's being digested every day. You can not find any difference between the main character in this story and the trillion others. Of course you can select a 'Y' at random for this story.

What makes this particular 'Y' so different is an accidental escape happened on a Sunday morning at the 'Naveen Broilers. Muni, the owner of that thatched shop is the only provider of Broiler chicken for that NH 45 village.

Sneha, one of the children of Muni, loves Pearl, the 'Deshi' hen raised in their home. The brown dots on black background of her body are the reason for the name.

Pearl is a 'She' for sure; the crush of 'Horn' the cock is the proof. Sneha shoos away Horn whenever he comes round and round Pearl.

Love at first sight that was what happened when Y hopped to the back of the Shop into the kitchen garden. Pearl on seeing Y felt the adrenaline surge inside. She had seen thousands of those caged white birds with a strange smell and sound. This is the first time she encounters one face to face.

“Are you a cock?”

“ A what?”

“ Do you lay eggs?”

“What is an egg?”

“Then you are a 'he' ” Pearl blushed and mumbled aloud. But Y didn't seem to notice that.

Pearl was happy and she gave a guided tour of that kitchen garden – her known world. Sneha was in the school and Horn was away on an expedition to the village threshing floor.

“Krrrr...rrr..” the mother hen by name Pitch announced with a warning the procession of the chicks.

“ Hi Pitch, this is my friend Y; He belongs to our species.” Before she introduced Y, Pitch was gone too far, busy guiding the chicks. Y was watching all with a blank stare.

“Aren't they sweet?” Pearl didn't expect any reply as she continued explaining many things. Y didn't seem curious to know anything.

“Come on.” Pearl invited Y to the top of the chicken house. Y tried to fly hoping hard and fluttering it's wings like Pearl. But did hurt it's left leg in the process.Pearl had to come down.
She pecked a worm and said, “Want to try this? Have you ever tried anything like this?.”

Y replied, “No.” but dutifully pecked once and turned away to answer the nature's call.

Pearl started the topic of romance subtly and expected a response.

Y was a Dumbo compared to Horn.

It waddled very slowly,

Gave only mono syllabic answers to Pearl.

Spoke very little on it's own.

Could not fly.

But the more Pearl had reasons to despise Y the more she cared her 'First love.'

The jealousy reactions of Horn really made it hard for Pearl to be around Y. Sneha didn't like that white fat bird. But she fought and got permission to let Y live in their chicken house; because Y was a friend of Pearl.

One day Sneha was very sad; her father didn't allow her to take part in the NCC camp. That camp was in preparation of the independence day parade in New Delhi. Sneha never visited any place beyond the town. Her father neither took her nor let her mother took her anywhere. He was busy in the broiler shop. But mother told her about many places she visited when she was in her college.

“She is not behaving like a girl at all. She is becoming very adamant and disobedient. You are the one who spoils her. The other day she was rolling on the ground to keep that broiler chicken. I lost One hundred and fifty Rupees and that thing is not worth even for ten paisa now. If this continues i will put her in a Hostel in the town. No arguing then.”

Horn and Y had a fight. It was not even a fight, an attack on an unsuspecting victim. Mother kept Horn in a small cane cage.Y lost many feathers in the attack.Mother put some turmeric powder and gingelly oil on the wounds.Y became very weak and thin. Sneha knew that it was slowly dying; she cried twice before her mother encouraged her with one of her pep talks and a folk story. At the end of the story Sneha laughed with the tears on her eyes.

Mother teased her with a tamil proverb, “The child who cried is laughing now; and it drinks Donkey's milk.” Sneha chased her mother and kissed on her cheek six times.

Pearl still walks Y and Sneha continues to scatter some grain daily on the corner for Y.