Overtaken by joy and in a hurry to leave for the symphony, I failed to retrieve the easel and at least edit the announcement. So, when the children walked in from the evening's activities, the colorful letters flew at them with a gust that sent at least one whaling down the stairs.
At first, I wondered what might be the cause for such drama, but on my way to rescue the forsaken teenager, I bumped right into my artful proclamation and immediately realized what had triggered such a reaction. All I could do was rush in after my daughter to deliver the great news that "We got Teri back", which did little to improve her emotional state.
My husband whisked me away to the symphony and we agreed not to concern ourselves with Clio's survival or lack thereof until morning.
Of course, I managed a call to the police department to ask what one does in the case of a missing chicken. The officer could hardly maintain his composure, but I appreciated the painstaking effort he put into answering all of my questions with all the sincerity he could muster. I told him it was OK to laugh, and he did, heartily, as he instructed me to take up my matter with the local SPCA.
The morning brought a flurry of activity with farmer's market, board meetings and preparations for the dinner party we were to host that evening. I spent the early parts of the morning questioning neighbors and knocking on doors. Most folks were entertained by my story, but nobody had any information.
I fidgeted my way through my board meeting and rushed down to the SPCA to post my missing chicken. Half the day had passed and left me with little hope of finding Clio. Discouraged, I turned the key to the front door. The moment I stepped inside, the children were simultaneously and incoherently attempting to reach me with the news.
As it turned out, one of our neighbors was walking her dogs when she ran into another neighbor with a dog. The lady mentioned that she had found a chicken in her yard the previous evening, only after her dog had a bark-off with a l i t t l e w h i t e b a l l o f f l u f f . A child had come around looking for the dog, but did not claim the chicken. Little, white and fluffy sure did sound familiar!
Tilly.
