I was going through some old files on my computer while backing it up and came across several I had written in high school. I had forgotten about most of them, some for good reason. I found an old assignment from English class: we were supposed to write a fable. Here is mine.
Humphrey’s Lesson
A long time ago, in a far-off land, there was a little chicken named Humphrey. Now this particular poultry had many brothers and sisters, many cousins, and many, many friends. He also had a mama chicken who fretted day and night about all her little baby chickens, and especially about Humphrey.
Well, one day this little baby chicken was playing with all his brothers and sisters, and all his many cousins and friends, and he decided that he wanted to do something different. He decided to go off on his own. So he said goodbye to his mother hen, his many brothers and sisters, and all his cousins and friends, and set off all alone.
But while he walked along all by himself, Humphrey got just a wee bit bored. You see, it was no fun traveling all alone, so he hoped to find someone to play with on his way. And who should he meet, but a sly fox!
Now you know, and I know that foxes like to eat chickens, and especially chicken eggs, but poor little Humphrey didn’t know this. So he went up to that sly fox, and said, “Hi. Who are you? Will you play with me?” And, of course, the fox agreed, secretly planning, all the while, to eat the little chicken up.
Well, soon, Humphrey began to get a little homesick (you see, he had never been away from his mama, and his brothers and sisters, and cousins and friends before), and he wanted to go home. And the fox, sly as he was, decided to go with Humphrey back to his home, and his mama, and brothers and sisters, and cousins and friends. Of course, Humphrey agreed, after all, wasn’t the fox his friend? But that sly fox only wanted to eat poor Humphrey up!
Well, lo and behold, the two travelers arrived at Humphrey’s home. But when Humphrey’s mama saw the fox, she went into a tizzy.
“Humphrey, why’d you bring that good-for-nothin’ fox home? Didn’t ya think he might be plannin’ to eat us all up?”
But Humphrey defended his friend. The fox didn’t mean to eat them all up!
Well, his mama just kept scolding him, and pleading with him, and worrying, so Humphrey finally asked his friend, the fox, to leave so that Humphrey’s poor mama would stop worrying.
But do you think the fox left them alone? I don’t. And since then, I’ve never heard of a chicken who will trust a fox.
Dramatic Lyric 