is also a parable of avian hubris. One day Chicken Licken whilst travelling to the woods is struck on the head by an acorn not much larger than his pea sized brain. Chicken Licken deduces from this that the sky has fallen in and therefore he must warn the King. Had the acorn fallen on any head other than Chicken Lickens the official record might have been kinder. However, this normally unremarkable happening set forth a train of events leading directly to Chicken Licken, Hen Len, Cock Lock, Duck Luck, Goose Loose, Gander Dander, Drake Lake and Turkey Lurkey being eaten by Fox Lox and his children in a wild flurry of feather, blood and crunching bone.
Many theories have been advanced to explain the
strange belief that led to the fall of Chicken Licken and his
friends. Dazzled by the dappled green wood Chicken Licken not only
lost his way, some think, he also lost his mind. So convincing was Chicken Licken that seven
friends blinded by group think also lost their bearings. Whatever
the speculation there was general agreement that by the afternoon’s end
it wasn’t just Chicken Licken’s mind that had gone but so had the rest of him.
A board of enquiry found Chicken Licken's original deduction was in error and to conclude from one acorn that the sky was falling in showed a cavalier disregard for reality. The board was equally critical of Hen Len, Cock Lock and the others for sheepishly following Chicken Licken given his reputation as delusional. On the high attrition rate the board drew attention to the group's composition noting that eight such strikingly dim creatures joining in this manner was simply bad luck and could not have been foreseen.
Should fear of the sky falling in strike again, the board observes drily, look up. The enquiry also recommends upward looking as a solution to other problems like falling anvils or objects swinging by at head height. Had this advice been in place it is thought the death toll might have been smaller.
Yesterday, Nasa reported that in two weeks an asteroid of football pitch proportions will pass within 17,500 miles of the earth. Upward vigilance, watchwords for us all, methinks.
3 comments:
Very Funny.
I suppose they crossed the road for some foul reason or to get away from the side where they could duck from falling anvils and avoid goose bumps.
Always walk with an umbrella, that's what I say.
Umm, can an umbrella stop asteroids...?
I think the chicken licken story about sums up just how dim these birds really are. I'm afraid in the UK chickens have been completely eclipsed by horses in the UK press. I'm waiting for a food company to cross the two and devolop a chorse. Succulent white meat, but only if you can catch it. Ha ha.
G,
I've heard tell that umbrellas don't rate compared to hard hats as head protection. Only two more days to the fly past. Best get under the table, because that's where I'm gonna spend the 15t.
x
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