- Aug 5, 2012
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Prologue--Those first three months of my life were perfect. I was hatched and raised by a broody hen, free-ranged from the time I was a week old. I took this for granted--little did I know my life and routines would be shattered with a single homeowners association meeting. The homeowners association banned chickens, and suddenly the Food lady had three days to get rid of us chickens. She called every other chicken owner she knew, and split us up among them, telling them that she would retrieve us when she moved or the ban was lifted. My sister Lilac and I went to an acquaintance of food lady's who had room in her coop for two more chickens.
The Diary of Lavender
Thursday, June 1st.
Today me and Lilac turn three months old, and today is the first day in the new coop. I was expecting a quarantine period, but we were just pulled out of the cardboard box and stuck in a coop full of full-grown hens. After being pecked several times by these hens, we retreated into a corner. Lilac whispered to me " Do you think they'd let us get food, Lavender?" I shook my head. "I have some left in my sack though" I answered, + pulling out my knapsack and sifting through it's contents. Before we left, I had quickly packed it full of my few belongings. I opened it up and dug through it, pulling out a bag of cracked corn. As I pulled it out, an unfamiliar book fell out. I frowned. I had packed several books, but not that one. I opened it. On the first page, in my mother's handwriting, was this:
My Dear Lavender, I am so sorry we must be separated. I cringe at the thought of you and Lilac, alone in a coop full of older chickens. You are not chicks anymore, have been pullets for a long time, but you are still so young, so helpless. I want you to keep a diary, want you to record this difficult period in your life so I can read it once we are reunited.
Love, Your mother.
I stared at the note for a long time. Lilac looked over my shoulder and said "oh, Mom gave me one of those too," and then began to eat the cracked corn. I dug through my pack and found a pen (another thing I was sure I hadn't packed). Mom had thought of everything. I scribbled in my history--the prologue at the beginning-- and then put it away. It is now late at night, and the hens are all roosting. Lilac and I will go eat once they are asleep. To pass the time, I will write about the coop. It has a roosting ladder at one end, and a row of low nestboxes at the other, with food and water in the middle. there is a pop door leading out to a small run--no free ranging here. Lilac and I have hidden under the nestboxes all day, where it is hard for the older hens to fit. I think the older hens have all gone to sleep now, so goodnight, Dear diary.
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