The Boy and His Rooster | Day 475 Fiction Freewrite
I.
At the crack of dawn, the cock crew.
"Mummy, can we not do this?" The little boy whimpered as he tugged at his mother’s white maxi skirt.
“I'm sorry, darling, we have to do this. There is no other choice. The guests are coming any moment now and we have nothing to feed them with."
“Can’t the eggs be scrambled? Can’t the corn be made into bread?” His pleas persisted.
"We need some meat." The mother said, tenderly brushing away the tears that flowed down her son’s cheeks. “The Governor is coming.”
“Oh Mummy, I don’t want to see it.” The boy buried his tear-stained face deep into her apron, stained with cooking oil. “I’ll miss Mr. Rooster.”
II.
The evening came. Mr. Rooster was dragged like a lamb to slaughter, except that it went squawking and screeching, flailing its clawed feet everywhere.
The little boy did not attend its death ceremony. He also refused to touch the deep-fried chicken that accompanied his mother’s signature buttermilk biscuits with a fingertip.
So the boy spent the entire night bawling, so much so that he had to be put to bed early – the conversation with the Governor could not be interrupted.
Alone and tucked under his quilt, he whispered a eulogy to his departed friend. “I didn’t want to lose you…but the Governor was more important than you.”
The little boy cried himself to sleep. In his dreams, he thought he heard the cock crow.
I'll just straight up say I'm neither a vegan nor a vegetarian. I enjoy my meat. So this #freewrite story (inspired by @mariannewest's prompt) is not didactic. It's not meant to persuade people not to eat meat. Or even to eat less.
I think what I wished to bring out - or why I felt compelled to write this - is to highlight that they are living beings. These animals are creatures as well.
And while I don't espouse strict veganism, I believe in mindful eating - eating knowing that the chicken died to give me life and nourishment. To truly eat with a heart of gratitude - to the Creator who gives all things - and not taking any morsel for granted.
Any thoughts? 💕
P.S. Photos from Pexels
(Source: Artem Bali)
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That's me when I think about eating meat! I was vegan for several years but recently have fallen back into a vegetarian diet instead. I simply don't like the idea of depriving something of its life just to fill my belly.
Thanks for this well-written, graphic depiction of Mr. Rooster's last moments.
#powerhousecreatives
@mattifer You're welcome! (:
Just curious, did any specific book/event/experience trigger your thoughts on going vegan or vegetarian?
Hmmm...there wasn't one specific thing. I just found myself interacting with more folks who were vegan or vegetarian and I realized that I didn't eat much meat to begin with. So I decided to challenge myself to a vegan diet for one month - mainly to see if I was capable of giving up animal or if I was 'addicted' to it.
I gave it up just fine AND I liked the way I felt in my skin without putting animal products into my body so I kept it. I was full vegan for a couple years, but have recently slipped back into more of a vegetarian diet. When I cook at home it's vegan, but when I go out to eat I'll have cheese and dairy products.
I love eating meat too... But then reading this freewrite makes me sad too... Mr Rooster had to be sacrificed because there need to be meat for dinner... 😥 Mr Rooster is not dinner... He's a friend to the little boy...
Thank you for freewriting with us! Here's the prompt:- Day 476: 5 Minute Freewrite: Friday - Prompt: groundhog day.
Thanks again! With love and hugs.
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