Phil didn't know if it was the screams of the ducks, the cries of frightened hens and one very scared rooster, or the splintering of the boards that woke Phil up. But what he did know is that as soon as he opened his eyes the world dissolved into chaos, metal and wood flying around, zipping through the air. Phil had jumped up and then had to grab something to hold on to as the hutch was torn asunder and cast towards the ground. Phil hung on for dear life.
Hitting the ground heavily, Phil was thrown violently forwards, tumbling over and over across the ground. The world was a blur of green and black, and screams of pain and distress. Finally coming to a rest, Phil looked up at the sky to see a whirling cloud passing overhead. It had all kinds of debris swirling in it, Phil thought he saw a cow, but couldn't be sure it was gone so fast. He could almost hear the echoes of a "Moo".
Shaking his head in an attempt to gather his wits, Phil looked around. The "barnyard" was devastated. A huge limb had fallen out of the tree, smashing his hutch to smithereens, and flattening one side of the hen coop. The wire was intact, it had just collapsed on one side. Rising onto his back legs, Phil looked back towards the hutch. Molly and Frances had been in there. They had been separated, Molly was in heat, and the human beings didn't want Phil following Nature's course.
Suddenly fearful of their fates, Phil hopped over to the mangled ruins of the hutch. As he got near, he saw blood all over. Sniffing around, he soon located the body of Frances. She would never make him laugh again. Phil felt his heart tear in half. He was going to miss her greatly. As the tears welled up in his eyes, Phil heard a slight cough nearby.
Nudging a piece of board out of the way, he found Molly breathing heavily, hurt badly, laying beneath. "Molly," Phil began. "Shh," she said. "I'm hurt bad. I'm not going to make it."
"Don't speak that way, Molly." Phil pleaded. He could see that her fur was matted with blood, and it was spreading every second, his eyes couldn't hide the truth from him.
"Listen to me, Phil," she said, drawing strength to gather her breath, she continued, "Go Phil, be free. It is what you long for. Go home to your family. You can do it Phil, You MUST." And then she slumped down, the life leaving her eyes.
Phil wasn't sure that he could take it any more. It was too much. Everything that had become his life had been taken from him, and in return he had been given the opportunity to pursue that which he really wanted. The crack of thunder brought Phil back to himself. He looked around, "It was time to leave." he thought. "There would never be a better time."
Hopping as fast as he could, Phil ignored the calls of help coming from the chickens. Apparently, Bubba had had a heart attack. Phil laughed to himself. "Equality all right. He was too fat to move out of the way. Hypocrites never win."
Pausing at the fence, Phil looked back at his home of the past few years. He would miss parts of it, but was so glad to be free.
"I'm coming home, baby." Phil spoke softly. Now to find his way home.
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