《REINCARNATED IN ANOTHER WORLD BY ACCIDENT, I MUST LIVE AS A ROOSTER UNTIL I RECEIVE A NEW CHANCE》


 The Pretentious Song of a Determined Rooster

    He woke up in a good mood. The day outside looks great and the air has been getting more and more colder these past few days, indicating that winter is on its way. He hates summer with its days of infernal heat that never seem to end, although he hates using public transport full of people even more. The lack of personal space is suffocating, his clothes get wrinkled, and his nightmare becomes complete when he has to deal with sweaty people, especially men who don''t take care of their body hygiene. They are the worst.


    For him, there was nothing better to brighten up a monotonous day than a skirt blown up by the wind or a neckline that showed more than it should, and it would be even better if he could get a phone number or social network from girls.


    "Yaawnnn, another day. I need to get up soon."


    Looking at the screen of his cell phone, he realizes that he can''t slack off, it''s time to say "see you later" to his comfortable bed and get ready for work.


    His name is Ricardo Casanova, a curious surname that came from his father, Juan Casanova. He once read something about a famous Italian writer who was well-known for being a natural seducer and who had the same surname. Relatives? Unlikely.


    But it was a fact that his father, when he was his age, was a bit of a ladies'' man, at least until the day one of his girlfriends showed up at his door accompanied by her father and showing off a belly that he swore hadn''t been there before.


    With a child on the way, he had no choice but to abandon his adventures and to this day works as a civil servant, a position he earned through honest effort. Ricardo should have learned this from his father, but he wasn''t willing to suffer the same fate, no matter how grateful he was for his upbringing. It wasn''t what he wanted for his life.


    With that in mind, Ricardo left home and currently rents a small apartment with the cheapest rent he can get, from where he goes out every day to work at Deliwings''s Snack Bar, his first job. A name as ridiculous as it could be, but there are always customers, which at least shows that even though the main dish of the place is super-seasoned fried chicken, people like it in some way, perhaps masochistically.


    He finds it a joke to spend the whole day wearing a uniform that smells of oil, but he knew very well that no one starts at the top. According to his father,work dignifies a man, or at least that¡¯s what he believed. But Ricardo didn¡¯t think so. He wasn¡¯t there just to sweat and suffer until one day they threw him out on the streets.


    The store owner has a daughter the same age as him, who often shows up at the store and pretends to work just to please her "daddy". Ricardo haves a plan for this. He was counting on his luck and charisma, and he intended to win the girl over, maybe that would give him a chance to move up in the ranks and say goodbye to that smelly uniform. But until that happens, he needs to work hard to keep his job.


    After taking a good shower and using up the last drops of perfume he had gotten from a girl, he got dressed and went to the fridge. While chewing on a slice of pizza from the night before, he wondered if it would have been a good idea to spend more time with the girl at the perfume shop to get more perfume.


    It would have worked out if it hadn''t been for the fact that she had seen him flirting with the cashier girl at the bakery on the corner. In fact, the pizza he was eating was kindly offered by that girl he had made a pass at the day after the confusion had happened. He took a last sip of soda and went back to the bathroom to brush his teeth, his best business card.


    He didn''t need to wake up early this time. It was late autumn and luckily, the bus was emptier that day. He thanked the heavens for this gift he had received in silence.


    He made it his hobby to look out the window during the trip, admiring each girl who passed distractedly by the sidewalks, when he saw a store advertisement that made him slap his forehead loudly, scaring the other passengers.


    "Oh, shit! I forgot it was today!"


    He apologized to the passengers and then returned to his thoughts. He had forgotten, but the advertisement did him the favor of reminding that today was June 12th, Lovers''s Day (not related to valentine''s day) in his country. He was currently dating - or whatever his understanding of dating is - an employee at Deliwings''s.


    For him, Julia, his coworker, was nothing more than a relationship that started as a joke but ended up lasting two months even though he was flirting with other girls, his longest record to date.


    Damn, she¡¯s going to kill me¡­ - Thinking about the girl¡¯s fury worried him.


    The relationship between the two was not so bad, but a few days ago the boss¡¯s daughter finally started talking to him more and smiling at everything he said, so their relationship was on its last legs.


    Julia was reasonably pretty and according to him, she had breasts that were worth it.


    She hadn¡¯t realized yet that he had his eyes on another girl, but he needed to find an excuse to end the relationship in a friendly way, but this June 12th seemed to have come early just to mess up his life.


    Damn, there¡¯s no store near the snack bar that would be good enough to buy a convincing gift. Maybe I can find something during my lunch break?


    There was no more time to think. The place where he needed to get off was getting closer and the keys to the store were under his responsibility.


    There¡¯s no way, I¡¯ll sort this out later. He thought.


    He would find a way to trick Julia and give her something as a gift as soon as he had a chance to leave the store. But he would have to do it without the boss¡¯s daughter seeing, because they were dating in secret and the discovery would mess up his plans.


    They say thatwhere you earn your bread, you shouldn¡¯t eat meat¡¯, but the person who invented that expression can stuff himself with bread until he bursts, I¡¯m going to do well!- he thought, mockingly.


    It was 7:45 am. There were fifteen minutes left until tore opening time and he was the only one who had arrived. Ricardo took the keys out of his pocket and began and began to open the locks on the grill and the back door of the store and then went upstairs towards the men¡¯s locker room, a small and cramped room where he was forced to change every day. He put on the hideous white and yellow uniform but the worn-out oily apron will be for later.


    The uniform smelled of sweat, but he had no other choice. He had forgotten his spare uniform hanging in the service area and ended up getting wet in the rain the night before, there was no chance of drying it in time.


    On second thought, I have a day off tomorrow, so I can handle another day with this damn dirty uniform. With a bit of luck, I can trick Julia and give her her gift tomorrow.


    "Good morning, Ricardo! You¡¯re right on time, huh?"


    He felt his heart pound in his throat. Julia had just arrived. Since she was on time, she simply greeted him quickly and went up to the women¡¯s locker room. She wasn¡¯t wearing anything that could be considered flashy, but her curves stood out well and seeing her ass swaying as she climbed the stairs was a great sight for him.


    Wow, look at this beauty¡­ it would be a waste to break up with her.


    Now, a quick explanation about the keys. The manager that Ricardo loves to hate took advantage of the fact that the snack bar''s owner always arrived late to throw the keys in his hands and open the store himself. This saved him a lot of work. Add to that the fact that the manager really likes to drink and party at night and so Ricardo had to take on a new role against his will.


    Ricardo burns with rage inside every time it happens, but the manager had the store owner¡¯s back. He tried to console himself by saying that it was only a matter of time, because when he managed to have the boss¡¯s daughter eating out of his hand, this game would turn in his favor.


    "So, are you going to open it or not?"


    Julia had returned and was now standing next to him in uniform with a smile on her face. He remember seeing on the shift schedule that she would be coming to work, but he thought it would be in the afternoon, not this morning.


    This fact only served to further disrupt his plans to improvise a gift, since she would discover that there was none for her.


    Ricardo now hoped that she wouldn''t ask about her gift until the next day, or he would have to resort to stuffed animals from claw machines, he was particularly good at those. He picked up several plushies to give as gifts to other girls, his most basic strategy for winning them over.


    "I''m almost done. Hermes threw his job in my hands again, but since I''m responsible, I''m not going to let him screw me over."


    "Oh, that''s right. Hey, what''s that face? - Ricardo looked away as he spoke, but she had noticed. - Did you see any ghosts?"


    "It''s nothing. -It''s a lie, but there''s no way I''m going to say I forgot her gift!- I was just thinking about the shit that could happen if the boss came in and didn''t see Hermes in the store."


    " Let it go, it''s not your fault. They''re the big guys, so they can sort it out."


    "Hahahaha, yeah, I''m worrying for nothing, after all I wear the company shirt - "smelly, but I wear it" -. Did you count the money in your cash register?"


    "Yes, of course. At least this time thatcuteMarilise didn¡¯t make the mistake of counting the wrong change. I¡¯ve already paid two cashier''s fees because of her and she doesn¡¯t even care, a boss¡¯s daughter who doesn¡¯t know how to count money. Although she probably doesn¡¯t even carry money in her pocket for her parties, she uses daddy¡¯s card". - She answered while makingprincessgestures with her hands and body.


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    "It looks just like her, but I don''t remember seeing her making those gestures."


    "Ahh, stop being annoying!" - Julia puffed out her cheeks and stuck out her tongue.


    Marilise is the owner''s daughter, who is actually called Mr. Alberto, as he insisted on being called. Julia wasn''t talking nonsense; Ricardo had already followed Marilise to a rave party on the outskirts of the city and saw her spending her money with a credit card in one hand and a glass of drink in the other. Ricardo could already imagine how difficult it would be to win over a frivolous girl like her.


    "You better be alert, don''t make any silly plans with her. Hey, it''s already eight o''clock, thethe rest of the staffshould be arriving soon."


    Ricardo spoke as if there were several people, but in reality only two more employees were expected to arrive in the morning. Camila, the other attendant, and Marcelo, the cook who, according to Ricardo, was the one who really kept the store going with his well-prepared food.


    As for the manager Hermes, he must be running like crazy to get there before his boss while his latest hangover evaporates. Imagining him arriving late would be fun, but he knows it wouldn''t do much good. The store owner arrives whenever he wants, and every day he brings his beloved daughter with him.


    Alberto''s wife, Solange, only showed up at the end of the month to scrape the store''s coffers and pay for his expensive purchases. The employees breathed a sigh of relief when there was something left over for their salaries.


    "I''d better get ahead and turn on the fryers. I need to fry the breaded chicken that were left over yesterday. If I don''t sell them today and the health department shows up here, Alberto will eat our livers with onions."


    "Oh, sooo scary. But before that, here''s your girt!" - She said, extending her hand that carried a small green package.


    "A gift? My birthday is only next month!" - he shamelessly disguised it, although the birthday part was true.


    "Today is Lover''s Day, you idiot! Don''t tell me you forgot?" - She said, pulling Ricardo''s ear in a playful tone.


    The tone of her words sounded like a joke, but her look made it clear that he was stepping on a minefield. Any carelessness would be fatal. However, there was something more emotional in that look and Ricardo saw the chance he needed to improvise.


    "Oh, heck, no! I didn''t forget to buy it, but... I forgot it at home! Sorry, I promise to bring it back tomorrow without fail, the packaging is actually quite pretty!"


    "... Really? - He could see the sparkle in her eyes change and a smile appeared, the excuse seemed to works - I''ll charge you, okay?"


    "Okay, you can charge me. Tomorrow is my day off, but I''ll come to the store just to bring your gift, you can wait."


    "Okay, I''ll awaiting for this."


    "Oh, shit, now she¡¯s put me in a corner! I have to buy something, and it has to be done carefully or she¡¯ll cause chaos in the store!¡± - Thinking about the scene gave him chills.


    Luckily for Ricardo, the conversation was over. Hermes had just parked his car in a spot next to the store. It was possible to see from afar the deep circles under his eyes, meaning that last night had been one of those. He hadn¡¯t come alone. Camila and Marcelo jumped out of the car right after, with Marcelo standing next to the trunk of the car. Hermes came to meet Ricardo, his yellow smile of falsehood brighter than ever.


    "Good morning, Ricardo! Well done, you arrived on time and have already opened the store, earning a point with me. Have you fried yesterday''s breaded chicken yet?"


    "Good morning, Hermes! I was going to do that now..."


    "What do you mean? Damn, and I had praised you! - He growled furiously - Come quickly and get those boxes with Marcelo and take them inside! And then go fry those damn breaded chicken! If Alberto arrives and has nothing to sell, someone''s head will roll, and I guarantee it won''t be mine!" - He shouted as he opened the trunk.


    "Yes, sir! Right now!" - He answered mechanically.


    It was neither the time nor the moment to argue, but when Hermes stomped into the store, Ricardo whispered a curse under his breath:


    "_...You son of a bitch."


    In the car, there were several boxes with frozen chicken pieces dripping onto plastic sheets that were carefully placed in the bottom so as not to wet the freshly vacuumed upholstery.


    While they were loading the boxes, Marcelo mentioned that he was with Camila - they lived in the same neighborhood - waiting for the bus when Hermes showed up andkindlyoffered them a ride.


    The next thing they knew, they were in the parking lot of a supermarket. Hermes''s plan was to stock the store and he had hired a couple of idiots to do the job. That week''s chicken delivery was late.


    "I see, man. But the girls could help - oh, forget it."


    By this time, J¨²lia had already disappeared with Camila into the store. She avoided getting a lecture while Ricardo was being chewed up, but she made sure to quickly appear at the kitchen door.


    "Hey, don''t forget to open your gift later, okay?"


    It was after ten o''clock when the store owners finally decided to show up. They looked like a king and princess getting out of the carriage, a black Jeep with its body and wheels shining like it just came out of the car wash.


    First, Alberto came in with his usual bad-tempered scowl. Ricardo bet he would rather stay at home comfortably giving orders over the phone, but the man was the kind of man who only believed in fattening chickens if he could touch them himself.


    And besides, his office room had the best air conditioning in the place and a comfortable sofa; he wouldn''t be uncomfortable for anything. Without even saying good morning to anyone, he went straight to the kitchen and spotted the empty chicken boxes.


    "Hermes! Come here."


    Hearing his name being called, Hermes shivered. He strode over to meet his boss, trying to contain the effects of his drunkenness the night before. He couldn''t hesitate for even a moment.


    "G-good morning, Mr. Alberto! At your service! - He said with a more than forced smile - Is something not to your liking?"


    "The truck with the frozen chickens. Where''s that damn driver who hasn''t shown up to deliver them yet? Or did he only deliver these boxes here?" - He roared, pointing at the stacked boxes.


    "I called him again today! He said he needed to take his truck to the mechanic. There was a problem with the engine, apparently. But he assured me he would come and deliver them today after picking up the chickens from the distributor."


    "And those boxes?"


    "I went ahead and bought these boxes at the supermarket because there was almost nothing to sell. Here''s the receipt." - He took a folded sheet of paper out of his pocket and handed it to his boss.


    A vein in Alberto''s forehead looked ready to burst.


    "What the hell!" - The punch on the kitchen wall and the noise could be heard in the dinning area. - "Call that bastard again and tell him that if he doesn''t show up here by four o''clock he doesn''t have to come anymore! And he''ll reimburse me every penny!"


    After his verdict, he went upstairs to his office room while huffing.


    "Y-yes sir, I''ll do it right now!" - Feeling his blood freeze, Hermes ran to the phone, his legs wobbly.


    "Hello, Gilmar? It''s Hermes."


    "Hey, Mr. Hermes! Talk to me!"


    "I''ll get straight to the point. Mr. Alberto told me to tell you that if you don''t arrive by four o''clock with the merchandise, you don''t have to come anymore and that you''ll have to bear the loss. Sorry, boss''s orders."


    "Calm down, wait a minute! I''m not going to leave you hanging, the truck needs parts, but I''m already taking care of that. If I can''t use the truck, I have an acquaintance who can lend me his truck. Your boss can rest easy."


    "I understand you, these things happen. We''ll be waiting for you." - With a sigh of relief, Hermes moved to put the phone back on the hook.


    "Mr. Hermes, wait!" - That''s what Gilmar''s voice said.


    "Huh? What''s wrong, is there another problem?"


    "It''s just that there''s going to be a lot of merchandise, I''ll need help unloading it."


    "Oh, that''s all? No problem, I''ll hold Ricardo overtime and make him help you."


    "Ricardo? That skinny boy with the pompadour, right?"


    "Yes, him. Why?''


    "Nothing. See you later."


    Hermes hung up the phone, pondering for a moment what Gilmar meant by that, but in truth it didn''t matter to him, as long as he could keep Alberto''s fangs away from his neck.


    On the other end of the line, Gilmar hung up the cell phone while takes out the money of his pocket to pay the attendant for the gas station''s fuel. He lied without any regret about the condition of the truck. After paying, he left the gas station, but before heading down the road, he picked up the phone again and made another call.


    "Hi, Dad! I''m still at school, what''s up?"


    "Diana, I''ll come by your school to pick you up, we''ll sort that out today."


    "Oh, Dad, let it go!"


    "No way! He made you cry, I won''t let it go like that!"


    "I shouldn''t have told you."


    "You''re my daughter, and my job as a father is to take care of you. If that brat had the balls to kiss another girl in front of you, he deserves to have a little talk with me. I promise I won''t do anything wrong with him, just talk."


    "Do you promise?"


    "Yes, my sweetie. Trust your dad. See you soon."


    "Ok. Bye."


    With a sigh, the voice on the other end of the line nodded and hung up. Gilmar opened his cellphone message file and viewed a particular photo. A selfie. In it, his daughter was smiling, hugging a boy and a party in the background. It was Ricardo. Gilmar stared at his face and said in a low voice:


    "Just a little chat, really". - Then she checked the heavy iron bar hidden behind the bench, until then used only to scare away thieves.


    Back at the diner, Marilise finally enters in the snack bar. Wearing sunglasses and holding a cell phone, she posed like a model. Julia could barely contain her disgusted expression, trying not to let her notice. Marilise went up to her and greeted her.


    "Hi, friend. You look great today!"


    "Oh, hi, Marilise. Thanks, you too."


    "I always am, silly girl! Ricardo came today, right?"


    "Yes, he did, why?"


    "I''m just asking, don''t force your little head."


    "Okay. Listen, my schedule is changed. I had asked for a day off for tomorrow, what happened?"


    "Oh, your day off? It''s just that Camila needed the day off tomorrow to take her grandmother to the doctor, poor thing."


    "But she didn''t tell me anything."


    "Oooh, didn''t she talk to you? Camila! Come here quickly!"


    Camila came from the other side of the room. Clumsily, she tripped over a chair and almost dropped her thick glasses.


    Julia likes her; whenever she can, she helps her colleague serve customers and control her shyness, which made Camila Marilise''s favorite dish to exercise her supposed authority.. And this relationship of subservience reached its peak at that moment.


    "Y-yes, Miss Marilise!"


    "Milla, didn''t you ask to change your day off?" J¨²lia said she didn''t know.


    Millawas not an affectionate nickname. Not at all. It was the subliminal password making it clear to Marilise that she should act according to her instructions; she resorted to this nickname whenever it suited her, much to Camila''s despair. Every time she heard it, it made her swallow hard, after all, she needed the job to take care of her grandmother alone, the only relative she had left in the world.


    "Y-yes, my grandma is suspected of having pneumonia, I really need to take her to the doctor. I-I''m sorry, Julia!"


    "Okay, it''s okay, you need it more than I do."


    "Thank you!" - Camila answers tearfully, avoiding meeting Marilise''s eyes.


    "That''s it, Milla. That''s all, you can go."


    "Yes, miss!" - And off she went again to the back of the room as quickly as she came.


    Feeling triumphant, Marilise puffed out her chest and turned to Julia:


    "See? Now you believe me?"


    "But I didn''t say I doubted it, I just didn''t understand the exchange."


    "Oh, okay then. But don''t forget, whatever I say, it is said."


    "Okay, I get it, sorry."


    In fact, Julia really wanted to retort, but she knew that arguing with Marilise was like playing hopscotch blindly in a minefield. Camila would also be at a disadvantage, so she decided to swallow her salt. At least for now.


    "That''s better. I''m going to move up, my dad wants to teach me how to do the store''s accounting. Who knows, maybe one day I''ll teach you too, right? A little help to get ahead in life, let''s see. See you later!"


    Leaving Julia burning inside, he walked victoriously towards the stairs. But before stepping on the first step, he took the opportunity to speak to Ricardo, who had just come out of the kitchen with a request.


    "Hi, Ricardo! Don''t drop the tray, okay?" - A wink and that seemed to have a spell with the opposite effect; Ricardo almost dropped the plate of chicken wings in surprise.


    "H-hi, Marilise! It''s a beautiful day outside, isn''t it?"


    "Yeah, maybe. See you later." - He walked up the stairs smiling.


    "Yes, see you later!"


    Ricardo had a smile on his face, but when he saw that Julia was watching him more intently than she was writing down a customer''s order, he thought it best to hide it and deliver the order.

 The Rooster Is Roasting

    Although noon was approaching, the store was reasonably quiet. A van with the words ¡°Make a Wish- Prints and Parties¡± stopped in the cafeteria parking lot and a tired-looking young man entered the store. He was carrying large bags that looked heavy. He went over to Hermes, who at that moment was resting his arm calmly on the counter next to the cashier.


    ¡°Good morning, I''m from Make a Wish. I came to make a delivery to Mr. Alberto, is he here?¡±


    Hermes greeted him with a friendly handshake, but his piggish spirit prompted him to take a quick look at the bags out of the corner of his eye and only then did he offer to answer.


    ¡°Yes, he is, just go up that staircase and knock on the first door.¡±


    The boy passed Ricardo on his way to the stairs, so he took the opportunity to look at the bags and see their contents, but to no avail. They were dark bags, and it was impossible to see what was inside. A few minutes later he heard Alberto calling him from the top of the stairs.


    ¡°Ricardo! Come up here.¡±


    Working at the snack shop for almost a year had taught him that when Alberto called him, it had to be at the same time, and it was never something good. Going up the stairs, he passed the delivery boy coming down with his expression more relieved than before and when he saw him, he simply put his hand on his shoulder and said:


    ¡°Dude, good luck to you.¡±


    Ricardo didn''t understand those words at that moment and entered the office confused. Sitting in his chair, Alberto was waiting for him with an unmistakable smile. On his desk, a large pile of papers separated into blocks wrapped in plastic. But the most worrying thing were the objects that lay on the chair and on the floor in front of the desk.


    ¡°Mr. Alberto, what is this?¡±


    What Ricardo was referring to was a flashy white chicken costume with everything it had to offer: bird feet, fake feathers - many of them - made of plush, wings with holes in the tips for hands, red overalls with suspenders and a huge head with a crest just as big. And to complete the package of oddities, a yellow apron printed with the words: DELIWINGS¡¯S - TWENTY YEARS FILLING YOUR BELLY!


    ¡°This is your new job.¡±


    Ricardo had no words for that moment. His disbelief didn''t allow him to formulate anything, and the "good luck" he had heard minutes before now made much more sense. He dared to ask, even though he knew the obvious. He was screwed.


    ¡°What job?¡±


    ¡°You''re going to wear this costume and hand out flyers on the street advertising the store on the sidewalk. I want you to do this right now until your lunch break, and you''ll continue until it''s time to leave. And I don''t want to see you messing around!¡±


    Ricardo''s head was full of swear words like flowers in a garden. He thought Alberto was joking with him, but he wasn''t. The costume was ridiculous and felt very hot to the touch.


    ¡°Are you serious, Mr. Alberto? I don''t think spending the day stuck in this thing is going to do any¡­¡± - He was interrupted by a loud slam of a fist on the table from a stressed-out Alberto.


    ¡°YES, IT IS!!! And I don''t even want to dream of seeing you coming back with the flyers in your hands! I want at least three hundred distributed in each round. Are you finished? Come back here and get more. Got it?¡±


    ¡°And what about my job serving customers ?¡±


    ¡°Marcelo will deal it with the girls, they''ll find a way. Now get dressed and go outside.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    Pride swallowed dry like a stone from the floor, Ricardo picks up his costume and leaves the office, heading for the men''s locker room. Until then he hadn''t noticed her, but Marilise was comfortably lying on the office sofa, using her cell phone and holding back her laughter as best she could.


    Ricardo reluctantly put on the bizarre outfit while he thought of new curse words, but for him there was no other choice. He would lose his job if he refused to wear that thing. Not daring to look at the result in the mirror, he crossed the hallway picking up a bundle of flyers from the pile thrown out of the office by Alberto. It was then that he heard the door slowly open behind him. It was Marilise who was photographing him and didn''t even bother to hide it. Ignoring this, he walked down the stairs with difficulty because of his enormous feet that insisted on bending with each step he took, almost knocking him over halfway down.


    When they arrived at the salon, people''s reactions were mixed. Camila put her hands to her mouth in horror, Hermes ran to the kitchen to laugh, and Marcelo screwed up his face in pity, but inside he was relieved it wasn''t him. One of the customers choked on his soda and a more excited one in the back couldn''t contain his laughter despite his wife scolding him.


    But J¨²lia, on the other hand, had a milder reaction even though deep down she also wanted to laugh:


    ¡°This is Alberto''s doing, right?¡±


    ¡°Who else could it be? Now I have to go outside with these damn pamphlets until lunchtime and it''ll be like this until it''s time to leave. I haven''t even left and it''s already hot as hell.¡±


    ¡°If he told you to, you better obey. Go now because Hermes is looking at you badly.¡±


    The manager was now standing near the cash register with a serious expression, his red eyes indicating that he had laughed as much as he could in the kitchen. He must have already known what was going to happen, but he must have thought that keeping it a surprise would be much more fun.


    You bastard, you will pay me for this! - Ricardo swore to himself.


    ¡°Ricardo¡± - Hermes stifled a laugh - ¡°It¡¯s nice, huh? Go ahead and kick asses!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather kick your ass¡±. - He whispered.


    ¡°What did you say?¡±


    ¡°I said I¡¯m going to kick asses!¡± - He held the flyers in his hands and left before he had to give any more explanations.


    The sun seems determined not to hide behind the clouds so as not to miss the show. It was a little after eleven o¡¯clock and noon was already approaching, increasing the sensation of heat that Ricardo felt while encased in his pathetic mortal coil.


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Even though it was the end of a pleasant autumn, he was no longer sure where his body ended and his fantasy began, both in a forced symbiosis caused by the amount of sweat.


    To make matters worse, the pile of pamphlets seemed to be never-ending and people passing by had mixed feelings about the ridiculous creature:


    ¡°Poor boy, under rhis sun.¡±


    ¡°How bizarre, It looks like a spiritual offering, hahahahahaha!¡±


    ¡°I''m going to post it on my profile, it''ll go viral.¡±


    Time passed like this. There were those who felt sorry for him, but the nasty comments would pile up around him if they had physical form.


    He felt his strength slowly leaving his body. The costume didn''t allow o bring his phone so that he would at least know how much time was left until his break and that bothered him.


    It didn''t take long for him to start making plans to ruin the damn costume and not wear it a second time, he believed he wasn''t capable of such a feat. But remembering that he would be beheaded alive by Alberto if he don¡¯t move away from such thoughts. A familiar voice brought him back to sanity:


    ¡°Ricardo, I brought it for you!¡±


    Julia with a bottle of mineral water in hands seems like a mirage in his personal desert. Ricardo grabbed the bottle and poured it into his mouth without thinking. Maybe because the water was very cold he didn''t immediately feel that it was quenching his thirst.


    Although he was bothered by the resulting thermal shock, he was grateful that they had remembered him.


    ¡°Phew! Thanks a lot, Julia, I really needed it. It wasn''t Alberto who told you to bring it to me, was it?¡±


    ¡°Him? Ha! Not at all. I told Hermes that I was coming to bring you water and you need to see the look on his face. By the way, I bought this water, got it? You can pay me later.¡±


    ¡°Hold on, I''ll give it back right away.¡± - He made a gesture of putting his index finger in his mouth and returning the liquid he had consumed back to the bottle.


    ¡°Ewww! I was just kidding, man!¡±


    "I know, did you know you''re an angel?"


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I know. Well, let me go before they call me screaming, hang in there.¡±


    ¡°I''ll try. Oh, Julia! Do me a favor?¡±


    ¡°Another one?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Another one. Stop by the locker room, I think I forgot my phone on the mirror table. Put it in my locker for me?¡±


    ¡°Okay, I''ll check for you. See you later!¡±


    ¡°Thanks. See ya.¡±


    With his mind clearer after the kindly offered water, Ricardo felt a weight on his conscience when he thought about Julia. He intended to keep the relationship going for a while longer until Marilise fell into his arms, but for a brief moment he thought it might be nice to stay with her and stop the random flirting. But only for a moment.


    Well, I''ll think about it better later. I''m still young. There are a lot of girls out there that I still want to meet before I settle down, it would be sad to take away their chance to get to know me.


    Back at the snack bar, Julia walked straight through the dining room towards the stairs without paying attention to the movement, but she stopped for a moment before stepping on the first step.


    ¡°Camila, hang in there just a little longer. I''ll go upstairs real quick, okay?"


    Hermes, who had been counting the minutes until her return on his gold-plated watch, didn''t stay silent when heard this:


    ¡°It''s become a mess now, huh? First the water, now this. There are customers waiting, you know?¡±


    ¡°I''m just going to the locker room, I''ll be back in five minutes!¡±


    ¡°Tsk, okay, go ahead and do it. But I''ll take it out of your lunch time!¡±


    Turning her back with a scowl, J¨²lia went up the stairs and crossed the hallway towards the men''s locker room. In fact, Ricardo''s cell phone was under the small table built into the mirror. Just as she picked it up, a bell rang. She hesitated for a moment, but curiosity got the better of her and the fact that the screen wasn''t blocked encouraged her to continue.


    Wow, it''s full of messages. Who are they from?


    It would''ve been better if her hadn''t done that . As she scrolled through the messages, she saw that they were all from female senders, names that she had never heard of Ricardo¡¯s mouth, not even as a joke.


    I''m his fucking girlfriend! How many girls are there? I''m going to check it out right now.


    Resolutely, she slid her finger over the screen and, one by one, viewed each message, and the whole truth that had been hidden until that moment came to light.


    >Alice Blonde:


    ¡°Honey, that trip to the mall is guaranteed, right? Reply to me as soon as you can, okay? Kisses.¡±


    >Carla Brunette:


    ¡°Hi! It''s been a week since I''ve seen you! I want to see you, call me.¡±


    >Monique Bookstore:


    ¡°I loved that book you recommended to me. Who would have thought that you like something so romantic¡­ Come with me to buy the next volume? Kisses.¡±


    >Lucia Big Boobs:


    ¡°Wow, Ricky. We hooked up that one time and you never came to see me again. I miss you so much! Call me.¡±


    Julia couldn¡¯t stop anymore. Her trembling fingers and teary eyes were no longer in control. She had forgotten that she could only be there for a few minutes, but sadness had made her time stop.


    Dozens of different names and nicknames, all feminine¡­ How long had he been messing with them? She had reached message number 43, and this one in particular caught hher attention. She felts a stab in her heart like a hot knife. It was dated today, still unread:


    >Marilise Little Boss:


    ¡°Ricardo. You¡¯re actually quite funny and that stolen kiss yesterday gave me goosebumps. But seriously¡­ What would I want with a bum? You works for my dad frying chicken.


    I heard from Ines at the candy store that you never leave there without buying chocolates, but I¡¯ve never gotten any. And I saw you following me at that party, and to make matters worse... I know you¡¯re dating that idiot Julia, or is she just a snack before me?¡±


    ¡°I hate that idiot, always getting involved where she shouldn¡¯t, acting all good. I hate pretending to be her friend, I even thought about asking my dad to send her away. You''re a wimp, and that fool deserves you!¡±


    Julia felt like she was going to collapse on the floor, but a new message had been just pop out, and that was the last straw:


    >Marilise Little Boss:


    ¡°I almost forgot: That idiot asked Hermes for the day off on the same day as you, I bet she wanted to ask you out, a perfect date, maybe? But no.¡±


    ¡°I changed her day off and forced that wimp Camila to lie saying she needed the day off, I love how she does what I want. And that idiot Hermes doesn''t even say a word, after all, after my parents, I''m the one in charge here. ¡°


    ¡°Why am I telling you this? Because you''re a wimp, you''re not going to tell her. And I love screwing you guys over. Happy Lovers¡¯s Day!¡±

 The Rooster is Fried

    A very loud sound of something breaking is heard. Ricardo''s cell phone hit the mirror when it was thrown by Julia in a fit of rage. Feeling dizzy, she leaned on the table and almost cut herself with the small shards scattered over the furniture, and the tears wouldn¡¯t stop falling.


    She didn''t want to believe what she had read, but there it was, letter by letter, proof of Ricardo betrayal. She pinched herself hard until her nails were dug into her arm and a light trickle of blood ran from the wound.


    But how could she wake up from a nightmare while awake? The pain she inflicted on herself was tiny compared to what she was feeling at that moment.


    ¡°He will pay for this! She will pay for this!"I''LL MAKE BOTH OF THEM PAY FOR THIS!¡±


    With a scream of fury, Julia hurriedly left the locker room, and as she left, the door made a loud bang against the inside wall of the room, damaging the hinges.


    ¡°Jeez! What''s all that noise?¡±


    The door to the office opened, revealing a frightened Marilise while her father was still getting up from his chair. When she came across Julia, who looked like the very personification of hatred, she felt a chill down his spine. Even so, he couldn''t hold her tongue.


    ¡°Oh My God, Julia, what was-¡±


    ¡°SHUT UP, YOU FUCKING BITCH!¡±


    The slap that followed was so strong that Marilise lost her balance, falling unconscious onto a pile of boxes full of paper bags for takeout. Her swollen left cheek had the exact impression of Julia''s palm in a purplish-red tone. Alberto was speechless for a moment before supporting his injured daughter.


    ¡°WHAT IS THIS, GIRL!? ARE YOU CRAZY?¡±


    Julia didn''t listen to him. She hurried down the stairs with heavy steps, ignoring the customers who looked at her in astonishment at the noise and screams coming from upstairs.


    Julia had a place in mind where she wanted to go, but first of all she went to the kitchen. Marcelo, who had turned off the stove to go see what had happened, was shocked to see the girl entering the kitchen and picking up something from the preparation table.


    She came back from kitchen with a large knife in her hands and the customers, upon seeing her armed, had no other reaction than to freeze in fear. They didn''t want to interfere with a nervous and armed girl in any way, no matter what she intended to do.


    Hermes, who had left the store to smoke, had the brilliant idea of blocking her way with his arms open.


    ¡°What was that up there? And what was that knife for?¡±


    ¡°Get out.¡± - She said in a low voice.


    ¡°Huh? You''re not going to answer me? Be careful how you talk to me, girl!¡±


    ¡°I said get out of my way.¡±


    ¡°First give me that knife! It belongs to the store!¡±


    ¡°Then try to take it.¡±


    This time Julia¡¯s voice was clear and her imperative tone seemed to make the knife especially sharp.


    Hermes, finally understanding that it wouldn''t be smart to persist, ran upstairs. Camila froze in fear, barely able to breathe, and Marcelo, who had left the kitchen to see what had happened, hadn''t realized his knife was missing until he saw it in Julia''s hands, who was now rushing out the front door.


    Ricardo was no longer where he was handing out the flyers. He had moved under a leafy, distant tree, trying to escape from the sun, and hadn''t noticed Julia approaching.


    ¡°Ahhh, enough! I can''t do this anymore. I''m going to the store for lunch. Julia? What''s wrong? Why are you crying?


    ¡°...Alice Blonde¡±.


    ¡°Huh? Say what?¡±


    Julia''s gaze seemed bloodshot, fixed on Ricardo. Still not understanding, he tried to ask again.


    ¡°J¨²lia, w-¡±


    ¡°Carla from the mall. Monique from the bookstore.¡±


    Shit, this doesn¡¯t sound good.


    ¡°W-what are you talking about? What names are those?¡± - Ricardo tried to disguise his voice, wavering.


    And then he noticed the knife in the girl¡¯s hands.


    ¡°Lucia... Big Boobs...


    He had no more doubts about what had happened. He remembered having asked her to pick up his cell phone, it was clear that she had looked at the messages. He thought it best to slowly walk away from the girl without turning his back on her.


    ¡°Listen, Julia, I can explain...¡±


    ¡°...and a bunch of other girls I¡¯ve never heard of. They¡¯re all girls you¡¯ve hooked up with. All while you were with me. All this time. All this. Time.¡± - He pointed the knife at Ricardo.


    ¡°Julia, look. Those girls are my friends. The messages are just for fun, you know? It¡¯s nothing serious, you need to calm down!¡± - He was sweating coldly, he had to try to convince her.


    ¡°I¡¯m not done¡­! - Julia''s posture changed to one of clear attack intent amidst screams - EVEN THAT BITCH MARILSE! RIGHT IN MY FACE!


    Julia charged at Ricardo, who had barely avoided being hit in the stomach. She ran into the tree and almost crashed into it. Ricardo took the opportunity to run, but he went in the opposite direction to the snack bar.


    The costume seems even heavier and his feet were slipping inside his sweat-soaked paws, but he still had the strength to run down the street with Julia in tow.


    ¡°I''M GOING TO KILL YOU! TRAITOR! BASTARD!¡±


    Ricardo ran at the top of his lungs. The head of the costume had been lost somewhere along the way, but it didn''t matter to him now. It was his neck that was at stake at that moment.


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    Julia, who as far as he knew, wasn''t the athletic type, ran only with the strength of hatred. It didn''t seem to take long to catch up with him in that heavy costume, but they had already walked two blocks and the snack bar was getting further and further away.


    Let''s go back in time a little.


    In another part of the city, Gilmar the driver had just dropped his daughter off at home with his wife. He intended to take her with him to sort out the situation with Ricardo, but he changed his mind, thinking it would be better to leave her out of the matter.


    When he was back in the truck and starting it, he felt someone grab his arm.


    "Dad! Please, don''t do this!" It was Diana, his daughter who had opened the truck door to try to stop him.


    "Calm down, my sweetheart. I told you. Dad is just going to talk to him."


    "With that iron bar back there?" She pointed to the object.


    "It''s just a little scare, I promise it won''t be anything more than that."


    His wife intervened, grabbing her daughter and forcing her to let go of his arm. Her look was full of doubt and fear, because she knew her husband very well. He''s a good father, but when it came to his daughter, he could turn into a monster if he had to.


    ¡°My dear, come here, get away from the truck!¡±


    ¡°No, mom! He''s going to kill Ricardo!¡±


    ¡°No, he won''t! Gil! Please! Think Twice!¡± - She begged.


    ¡°I know, Marcia. I will.¡±


    Before he could be stopped again, he starts the engine and the truck slowly moved away. In the rearview mirror, he could see his wife and daughter hugging on the sidewalk, getting further and further away. He grabbed the iron bar and placed it on the passenger seat. His destination was already set: Deliwings¡¯s Snack Bar.


    ¡°Nobody messes with my family. Nobody.¡±


    Back in the present day, the chase continues. Julia was not willing to give in, but she was starting to show signs of fatigue. Ricardo made a bad choice and ended up cornered in an alley. There was nowhere left to run with Julia positioned in front of him.


    ¡°...Pant, pant¡­ now¡­ I¡­ got you.¡±


    ¡°Julia, don''t do this!¡± - Exhausted, he softened his voice as best he could.


    ¡°DON''T DO THIS? DID YOU EVER THINK BEFORE DOING WHAT YOU DID? DID YOU?¡±


    ¡°NO, I DIDN''T THINK! I KNOW THAT!¡±


    ¡°AND WHY?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°WHY?¡±


    ¡°BECAUSE I''M A PIECE OF SHIT!


    Julia looked surprised. Ricardo had never said anything about himself that wasn''t something to brag about, nothing negative. Admitting something like that was new.


    ¡°...because I''m a shit. A womanizer. Greedy. Insecure. I know all of that very well¡±¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Julia, I know I have no right to justify mysel!, I did a lot of shit and I have no way of contesting it.¡±


    ¡°...Why you''re greedy?¡±


    ¡°I didn''t want to be like my father, spending my whole life serving others and then living off a meager pension when I''m no longer good for anything. Is it wrong to want a better life?¡±


    ¡°That doesn''t justify hitting on that slut. And what do you mean by being insecure?¡±


    ¡°Because I know I''m not the kind of guy girls want, I invented this player facade, I wanted girls to notice me.¡±


    ¡°I noticed you! I like you, you idiot! And some of these girls must like you too!¡±


    ¡°Even so I felt insecure!¡±


    ¡°You''re so childish for thinking like that!¡±


    ¡°I KNOW...! Yeah, I know.¡±


    ¡°If you knows, what are you going to do now, then?¡±


    ¡°I''m still thinking. But there''s one thing I know I have to do.¡±


    ¡°...And what is it?¡±


    ¡°Forgive me.¡±


    ¡°After all this, do you think it will be that easy? Will forgiving you change anything?¡±


    ¡°No, I know it won''t. But it''s a start. I''ll start with you. Forgive me.¡±


    ¡°And the other girls?¡±


    ¡°It''ll take a while, but I''ll apologize to all of them, for as long as it takes.¡±


    ¡°Do you think that after all this I''ll still like you?¡±


    ¡°No. I don''t deserve you. It''s too much to hope for that.¡±


    ¡°Are you really sorry?¡±


    ¡°I am. I need some time to fix everything, but I''ll try hard to prove to you that I am sorry.¡±


    ¡°Fine. I''ll believe in you. For now. Don''t disappoint me again.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Julia took a deep breath, trying to organize her own thoughts. After a minute of silence, she asked:


    ¡°And now, what do we do?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? I''m not the one who has to do something?¡±


    ¡°Not after I slapped Marilise in her face.¡± - She replied embarrassed, looking away.


    ¡°What did you do?¡±


    ¡°The damn bitch sent a message to your phone. She was just chatting you up, she doesn''t want anything to do with you. She knew we were together so she wanted to make fun of us.


    She messed with my day off so we wouldn''t have time off together and even intended to ask her father to fire me. That bitch!¡±


    ¡°I didn''t know that part.¡±


    ¡°Because when she sent the messages you were out. And now you won''t see it anymore, because... I threw your phone at the mirror and it brokes. ¡°- She replied, looking away.


    ¡°You broke my phone!?¡±


    ¡°I got angry, what did you want?¡±


    ¡°Okay, forget it, it''s just a phone. And that knife there?¡±


    ¡°I took it without Marcelo knowing. He''s going to go crazy over this.¡±


    ¡°Marcelo? I''m thinking about Alberto spitting fire! We''re going to get into trouble, you can be sure of that.¡±


    ¡°If I don''t get arrested for beating up that bitch, I''m already in profit.¡±


    ¡°If that happens, I''ll hit him, then we''ll go to jail together.¡±


    ¡°Hahahahahaha, really?¡±


    ¡°After this crap here, he owes me more than anything.¡± - He stated while pointing at the costume with his fingers.


    ¡°It''s all ripped apart.¡±


    ¡°Not more than I wanted. If I wasn''t only wearing underwear in here, I''d take them off right now and tear to pieces.¡±


    ¡°Hahahaha! I know. I think we should go, but before that...¡±


    ¡°What the- ARGH! Ouch...


    A punch hit Ricardo squarely. Since he didn''t have time to prepare himself, he fell rolling on the floor groaning in pain. After throwing the punch, Julia stretched with a smile on her lips.


    ¡°Ahhhh, now I''m feeling much better! You didn''t think you''d get out of this without taking anything, did you?¡±


    ¡°To tell you the truth, I did.¡±


    ¡°Come on, get up quickly. Take my hand.¡±


    ¡°Ouch, okay, I deserve it. Will it leave a mark?¡±


    They began the walk back to the snack bar. Julia was calmer now, and they were making plans to look for another job together. Julia is really tough, but she''s an even better girl than I thought. I need to rethink my actions; I''m grateful to her for waking me up. ¨C He thought.


    The afternoon seemed more pleasant to both of them now that they had made peace, making them walk at a slow pace. There was no hurry to return and face the destiny that awaited them.

 The Roosters Escape

    Gilmar was very tense behind the wheel. His whole body was sweating coldly, after all, he was almost at the snack bar. What he was about to do was something he didn''t like at all.


    But his head was telling him that something had to be done for his daughter. He is a hot-headed man, but although he rarely resorted to violence, he was determined to teach a lesson to the bastard who hurt Diana.


    On the truck''s dashboard there is a photo of his daughter when she was six years old, sitting on his wife''s lap. Next to it is another photo of Diana in her teens. He caressed the photo tenderly.


    ¡°I''ll be right back, my dear. That shameless brat is going to get the fright of his li- ¡° - He suddenly fell silent.


    Something caught his attention. He had just passed his target in the company of a girl. He recognized him easily after recording that smiling face in the selfie in his memory; there was no way he could be wrong. It was Ricardo, the damn guy who hurt his daughter. He was close enough to him and far enough away from the snack bar to exact his revenge.


    ¡°Ahhh, it looks like luck is on my side . It''s going to be now and here.¡±


    He accelerates his truck and turned the next corner. He intended to go around the block and surprise his prey from behind.


    ¡°Tell me something, Ricardo. Did you open my present?¡±


    ¡°Huh? No, I ended up putting it in my pants pocket, it stayed tin my closet. I''ll give it back to you when we get there.


    ¡°No, it''s yours. It''ll be a souvenir.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure? I hadn''t even bought yours...¡±


    ¡°I figured. But leave it like that for now, give me something later.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I''ll try hard to find something worth it.¡±


    ¡°I''ll charge you, kay? I''m very pers- huh?¡±


    Julia couldn''t finish her sentence. A horn honked loudly behind them and Ricardo reflexively pulled Julia away from the edge of the sidewalk, but the truck that was passing close to them didn''t continue on its course, but stopped a few meters ahead.


    ¡°Hey, are you crazy? Go scare someone else! - Ricardo shouted while showing his middle finger.¡±


    ¡°Oh, scare? But I haven''t even started yet¡­¡±


    The owner of the answer got out of the truck next. Julia recognized the person as Gilmar, the freelance delivery man who supplies the snack bar.


    ¡°Mr. Gilmar? What are you doing here? Hermes is like crazy waiting for you at the store!¡±


    ¡°Oh, I know. It''s just that I need to take care of something first. With that young man there by your side.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± - Ricardo was confused. - ¡°What do you want with me?¡±


    ¡°Oh, why such a rush, big guy? But, if you want to know... Remember this young lady here?¡± - Gilmar pulled out his cell phone, displaying a photo on its screen. The selfie.


    ¡°This girl¡­ Diana? Oh, it''s Diana!¡±


    ¡°That''s right. Diana, that''s her name, very well.¡±


    ¡°But why do you have this photo?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that''s because¡­ she''s my daughter.¡± - He pulled the iron bar out of the truck - ¡°My dear daughter, who you had the nerve to betray! MY DAUGHTER!!!¡±


    Gilmar charged Ricardo with the iron bar, hitting his shoulder. He fell to the ground.


    ¡°AHHHHH, my shoulder!!! Wait a minute, let''s talk!¡±


    ¡°Ah, but we''re already talking, don''t you understand? TAKE THAT!¡±


    A second attack, but this time it didn''t hit him. J¨²lia, recovered from her previous fright, grabbed Gilberto''s arm before he hit his target.


    ¡°LET ME GO! I''M GOING TO BEAT THIS FUCKING KID!¡±


    ¡°No, you''re not!¡±


    Julia pushes Gilmar with all her strength and then wields the knife, getting between him and Ricardo who is down.


    ¡°Don''t even try! I have a knife!¡±


    ¡°HA! You had one!¡±


    With a quick movement like a golf swing, the iron bar whizzes through the air, hitting the knife squarely and breaking its blade, which is thrown into the air and then falls near the wheels of the truck stuck between a manhole and the asphalt. Unarmed, J¨²lia stumbles back and falls to the ground.


    ¡°Look, I don''t hit women, so stay quiet now!¡± - He turns to Ricardo - ¡°So, where were we?¡±


    ¡°NO!¡±


    Julia recovers from the fall and grabs Gilmar from behind. Getting up from the ground, Ricardo threatens to go after the driver in defense of the girl.


    ¡°Julia! Let go of him and run away!¡±


    ¡°You idiot! You¡¯re t the one he wants to get! Get out of here, hurry up!¡±


    Ricardo hesitates for a moment, but realizes that if he runs the driver will go after him, leaving Julia safe behind.


    ¡°So you want me? Come get me then!¡±


    He ran as best he could and had already distanced himself a little when Gilmar finally got rid of Julia.


    ¡°Come back here, brat! OW!¡±


    Even though he got away, he didn''t expect that Julia could bites his arm. she managed to take the iron bar out of his hands and throw it a few meters ahead.


    ¡°Damn brat!¡±


    This time Gilmar can''t contain himself and ends up slapping Julia, who falls to the ground one more time. He tries to get his iron bar back, but Ricardo was already disappearing at the end of the street, and he wouldn''t be able to reach him on foot.


    ¡°Shit! You''re not going to get away!¡±


    Gilmar hurriedly climbed into the truck and started it, accelerating as much as he could. He heard a strange noise, but his anger spoke louder.


    If the truck''s trunk wasn''t full of frozen chickens, he would have been able to get more speed, but he couldn''t get rid of the load at that moment. He kept pressing the accelerator as hard as he could without taking his eyes off the fugitive.


    The chase beguns. In front, Ricardo ran as fast as he could, especially now that the truck was getting closer. Being on foot, he had the disadvantage of speed, but he used this fact to make it difficult for his pursuer by turning at every corner that appeared.


    He thought about jumping over the wall of a house, but with the costume he was wearing, he wouldn''t be able to do that, so he preferred to keep going until he could get help.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    He realized that the path he had taken was leading him towards the snack bar, which was not the best place to go at that moment, but with the confusion that Julia said she had caused, there was a possibility that Alberto had called the police, which could have been his salvation.


    Indeed, upon reaching the beginning of the long street that led to the establishment, he noticed a police car parked in front of Deliwings¡¯s. He was saved.


    ¡°Just a little longer, hold on, my legs!¡±


    The truck appeared just behind at the beginning of the street. Seeing where he was and the police car up ahead, Gilmar couldn¡¯t believe that everything had gone wrong.


    ¡°Damn, the cops! Why are they here? Right now, when I almost made it!¡±


    ¡°RICARDO! WHERE DID YOU GO? AND WHERE''S THAT CRAZY WOMAN?¡±


    It was Alberto shouting, his scowl more fierce than usual. Next to him was his wife, holding their daughter, who was crying fake tears after giving her statement to the police.


    Hermes, who had been reassuring the curious customers and passersby that nothing was happening and the snack bar would continue running as usual, spoke up:


    ¡°Look, Mr. Alberto! Gilmar is coming! But why was he running like that? By the way, Ricardo finally you showed up! Where''s J¨²lia?¡± - His over-the-top acting wasn¡¯t convincing at all.


    ¡°Help me! He wants... to get me!¡±


    ¡°Go fuck yourself! I want that crazy woman arrested!¡± - Alberto retorted.


    Gilmar had no choice but to stop the truck. He took a deep breath and parked a few meters away from the snack bar, feeling something was off with the truck. If the situation got complicated for him, he would deny everything with all his might.


    He only regretted not giving the beating he wanted. He got out of the truck and slowly approached the group gathered there, his eyes sparking at Ricardo.


    ¡°Gilmar, you finally decided to show up! Bad timing, but you came. Did you bring the load?¡± Hermes asked, ignoring Ricardo''s statement.


    ¡°I did bring it, sir, sorry for the delay. But What''s going on here? He was sweating cold. Maybe someone had seen the chase and called the police after recognizing Ricardo or the girl.


    ¡°A crazy woman who worked at the store attacked Mr. Alberto''s daughter and ran off with one of the kitchen knives. Can you believe that? By the way... it seems like she was after you, Ricardo. Can you explain that?¡±


    Ricardo never liked Hermes, but hearing him call Julia crazy made him even more furious.


    ¡°We had a fight, but we were making up when this guy showed up wanting to hit me. And Julia is not crazy at all!¡± He retorted.


    ¡°It doesn''t matter what you think, because both of you are fired! Assault and abandonment of duties. You won''t get a penny from me!¡±


    The police officers, who had been observing the situation, decided to intervene this time, intrigued by everything they had heard since they arrived.


    ¡°Very well, we came here because of a report of assault and theft and now we have another report of assault. Could you give us more details, young man?¡±


    ¡°Officer, he is making up a crazy story to try to get out of being fired. Gilmar is a good man and he is only here to make a delivery!¡± - Hermes tried to divert attention, but the police officers became even more suspicious.


    ¡°Young man, you were the one who made the report. Is it true or not?¡±


    ¡°Well, it''s just that...¡±


    At that moment Ricardo''s head started thinking.


    He exaggerated, but his anger had a reason. I only got hit in the arm. Accusing that guy wouldn''t do any good because the only witness is Julia and because of the assault and the knife, they won''t believe her. Hermes will acquit Gilmar and accuse J¨²uia anyway. The best thing would be to forgive him and try to free Julia somehow.


    ¡°So, what''s going to happen?¡± The police officer reinforced his questioning.


    ¡°Sorry, officer, I overreacted. I messed with his daughter at a party and then he came to scold me and I ran away.¡± - He stated. Gilmar was shocked at that moment, not believing that the same guy he wanted to attack was now exonerated him. His anger subsided a little.


    ¡°Are you sure? And those bruises on your shoulder and face?¡±


    ¡°I had a fight with Julia, my girlfriend. I told her she could punch me because I was unfaithful to her. Because of that stupid fantasy I tripped and hit my shoulder on a pole.


    ¡°But they said the girl who attacked you came after you with a knife. Did she threaten you with that knife?¡±


    ¡°SHE''S CRAZY! SHE PICKED A FIGHT WITH THAT IDIOT AND MY DAUGHTER WAS CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF IT! THAT''S ALL THAT HAPPENED!¡± - Alberto raised his voice intervening, but the police officer signaled for him to remain silent.


    ¡°...Go on, boy, I want to hear you.¡±


    ¡°Thanks. She¡¯s my girlfriend, and the knife was just to scare me. She hit his daughter because she was always teasing her and harming her at the store. Things happened at the same time and she had an outburst. It was my fault. She must be coming back here now, she''s embarrassed after all this.¡±


    ¡°Very well, let''s wait for her to arrive to find out all this. And you gentlemen, keep yourselves contained! I can''t give a statement without hearing all sides! ¡°- He said to Alberto and Hermes, upset by the reprimand.


    Ricardo was calmer now. Maybe it would be possible to exonerate Julia of part of the accusations. They would be fired, but that was the least of their problems. They would find a way from then on.


    Well, better the devil you know.


    A loud bang echoed and everything went dark for Ricardo.

 Interlude - The Rooster Is Served

    You may be confused about the sudden explosion and wondering what happened, so let''s go back in time a little for more details. Now we are at the exact moment when the driver Gilmar threatens Ricardo with his iron bar:


    ¡°No, you won''t!¡±


    Julia pushes Gilmar with all her strength and then wields the knife, standing between him and Ricardo who has fallen.


    ¡°Don''t even try! I have a knife!¡±


    ¡°HA! You had one!¡±


    With a quick movement like a golf swing, the iron bar whizzes through the air, hitting the knife squarely and breaking its blade, which is thrown into the air and then falls near the wheels of the truck stuck between a manhole and the asphalt. Unarmed, J¨²lia stumbles back and falls to the ground.


    ¡°Look, I don''t hit women, so stay quiet now! - He turns to Ricardo - So, where were we?¡±


    ¡°NO!¡±


    Julia recovers from the fall and grabs Gilmar from behind. Getting up from the ground, Ricardo threatens to go after the driver in defense of the girl.


    ¡°Julia! Let go of him and run away from here!¡±


    ¡°You idiot! You''re the one he wants to get! Get out of here, hurry up!¡±


    Ricardo hesitates for a moment, but realizes that if he runs the driver will go after him, leaving Julia safe behind.


    ¡°So you want me? Come get me then!¡±


    He ran as best he could and had already distanced himself a little when Gilmar finally got rid of Julia.


    ¡°Come back here, kid! OW!¡±


    Even though he got away, he didn''t expect Julia to bite him on the arm and she managed to take the iron bar out of his hands and throw it a few meters ahead.


    ¡°Damn brat!¡±


    This time Gilmar can''t contain himself and ends up slapping Julia, who falls to the ground. He wanted to get his iron bar back, but Ricardo was already disappearing at the end of the street, and he wouldn''t be able to catch him on foot.


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°Shit! You''re not going to run away!¡±


    He hurriedly climbed into the truck and started it, accelerating as much as he could. He heard a strange noise, but his anger spoke louder. If the truck''s trunk hadn''t been full of frozen chickens, he would have been able to go faster, but he couldn''t get rid of the cargo at that moment. He kept pressing the accelerator as hard as he could without taking his eyes off the fugitive.


    And here, my dear readers, is the key to the future event, a succession of events that culminated in the current situation.


    When Gilmar started his truck and resumed the chase, his truck ended up running over the broken blade of the knife and the iron bar with one of its wheels, which were close to each other at that moment.


    This proximity caused a kind of leverage effect, projecting the blade with enough force to not only cause a crack in the connection of one of the gas cylinders located below the truck between the cabin and the truck cargo box, but also caused splinters in the battery cables when it got stuck between them.


    When Gilmar was forced to end the chase of Ricardo, the movement of the truck when it was braked caused the knife that was precariously attached to it to come loose and fall, supported by the pair of stripped wires serving as an electrical conductor.


    The sparks ignited the slowly leaking gas, causing a strong explosion in the cylinders that shattered the cargo box and threw one of its contents out, breaking down the cargo box doors. A cardboard box full of frozen chickens.


    The force was enough for the box to be thrown like a cannonball and find its target in the chest of an unsuspecting Ricardo who didn''t even see what had hit him.


    Now that the necessary explanations have been given, let''s return to the main story.

 Unexpected Farewell

    The pain Ricardo felt was instantaneous, and he didn''t even have time to scream. The box of chickens hit his chest with such force that he didn''t notice his ribcage being crushed like a cardboard box being blown up by a powerful punch. He lost consciousness immediately.


    At that moment, his mind overflowed uncontrollably with memories of the past. He was seeing his entire life flash before his eyes.


    He saw the first time he sincerely confessed his love to a schoolmate when he was eleven years old:


    ¡°Dating? With you? No way!¡±


    At a party at the same school about a year later, he saw girls from afar disdaining his appearance after refusing to dance with him:


    ¡°That skinny guy? Let him just stand there, no one will dance with that!¡± - Said one of them.


    ¡°Only a blind woman would accept that plucked chicken!¡± - said another.


    At fifteen, determined to change from a loser to the most desired among girls, he sought out exercises and miracle recipes:


    ¡°Boy, you''re such a chicken, no supplement will be able to handle that. Give up.¡± - His teacher at the gym gave the unpleasant verdict.


    These people will see! I''m going to become a stud and all the women will fight over me! - he said to himself as he worked out on his own in his room, his desk cluttered with vitamins and exercise books bought with his allowance.


    There were also memories where his efforts finally began to pay off and he was noticed by the girls. With his inflated ego, he didn''t realize that he was treating them just like numbers in his fone list.


    His last visions were of the persecution and finally the day he asked Julia to be his girlfriend:


    ¡°Okay, I''ll do it. Let''s see what happens.¡± - She smiled.


    Everything went dark again, her smile being the last thing to slowly disappear.


    ¡°Where am I?¡±


    ¡°Hurry up! Get some scissors, cut that costume!¡± - He heard a strager¡¯s voice.


    Ricardo could see himself on a surgery table. Several doctors were standing over him.


    ¡°Hey, take it easy with those scissors!¡± - He shouted, but no one paid him any attention, it was as if he were invisible.


    With the costume removed, his chest was sunken to a point he didn''t imagine he would be capable of. They opened his chest with the scalpel.


    ¡°YUCK, how disgusting!¡± - He shouted, seeing his own insides, or what was left of them. What he saw looked like a deep bowl of tomato soup filled with pieces of his own bones floating around.


    ¡°Chest Wall Collapse, several broken ribs, punctured lungs.¡±


    ¡°Doctor, the heart has stopped again!¡± - warned an assistant.


    ¡°This is the fourth time! Defibrillator! Let''s try directly on the heart!¡±


    They tried once. Twice. Three times.


    ¡°Go for it, me! Hang in there, man!¡± - Ricardo tried to cheer for himself, but the worst happened.


    ¡°Doctor, there''s no more answer. He''s dead.¡±


    The doctor in charge of the surgery stopped for a moment, sighed and stretched out his arms so that they could remove his bloody gloves.


    ¡°What a shame, such a young man. Time of death?¡±


    ¡°1:52 p.m.¡±


    ¡°Clean and suture the body. I''m going to report his passing.¡±


    ¡°Well, that''s it, I¡¯m really dead. It''s over.¡± - Ricardo sighed. He decided to follow the doctor out of the operating room. Before leaving, he looked at his body once more on the operating table, being cleaned, the remains of the bloody rooster costume were placed in a plastic box in the corner. He left.


    In the waiting room, besides the police officers, there was almost the entire Deliwings¡¯s cast, except for Alberto''s wife and the afternoon shift employees who stayed at the snack bar waiting for news. Leading the group was Alberto, who went to the doctor:


    ¡°So, Doctor?¡±


    The doctor looked serious, put his fingers together and gave the saddly news.


    ¡°Unfortunately, the patient is dead. Multiple broken ribs. Both lungs were punctured. We suspect that the liver and spleen were ruptured, but we were unable to stabilize the heart to continue treatment. I''m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, doctor, I''ll tell his family.¡±


    As the doctor left, Hermes approached. His eyes were wide as headlights, sweat running down his forehead.


    ¡°And now, Mr. Alberto?¡±


    ¡°And now you take over from here.¡±


    ¡°What do I do?¡±


    ¡°Don''t play deaf. You take over the rest. Tell his parents and call the cheapest funeral service you can find. I''m going back to the snack bar to see if I can keep the business going until tonight. This funeral is going to cost me a fortune, not to mention the compensation, and losses after losses. The snack bars¡¯s reputation has gone down the drain.


    ¡°With all this tension? I don''t know if it''s going to work.¡±


    ¡°So what? He died and that''s it, it''s over.¡±


    Ricardo wasn''t surprised by the reaction of the two. It was what was expected from two petty people. Marcelo and Camila were sitting on the sofa waiting, visibly sad.


    Marilise, oblivious to everything, was in another corner using her phone to check the swelling from the slap with the camera. There was an exaggerated bandage on her face covering the injured part. But there was one person missing.


    Julia came running down the hall. She was still wearing her store uniform, which was messy and had dirt marks on it.


    ¡°Where is he? Where is he?¡± - Tears ran down her eyes, renewing the previous marks. She was supported by the police officers. Marilise thought it best to stay further away as a precaution.


    ¡°He''s dead. And you have other problems to solve!¡± - Alberto replied, harsh as always and pointing his finger at her.


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    Julia collapsed on the floor. The bad feeling that had been eating away at her chest since she arrived at the diner and heard what had happened finally had its end. Despair finally took over her.


    ¡°RICARDOOO! WHY DID YOU GO TO DIE! AHHHHH!!!¡±


    One of the police officers helped her sit down and tried to calm her down, but Alberto was still not satisfied.


    ¡°There''s no point crying now! Until earlier you were running after that idiot with a knife! You hit my daughter who was not at fault at all! You''ll answer for all this at the police station, and I hope you rot in jail!¡± - He threw the last shovel of lime when he saw his own daughter turn her face with a strange expression. Disconcerted by her reaction, he fell silent.


    ¡°Sir, take it easy, tone it down, we''re in a hospital. We''ll do whatever needs to be investigated at the police station, and the guy''s testimony needs to be respected.¡±


    ¡°What''s up? Are you going to side with this crazy woman? It''s your duty to arrest her, do your job!¡± - Hermes really wanted to finish his boss''s words, but when he saw the police officer''s eyes almost flashing, he took a step back.


    ¡°You''re speaking to an authority figure! Lower your voice while you can, or I''ll arrest you for contempt. Let''s all go to the police station right now!¡±


    Alberto''s plans to reopen the snack barr, if it hadn''t been decided before, was now completely canceled. Only Hermes stayed to contact a funeral service and Ricardo''s parents, relieved at least not to have to spend the rest of the day holed up in a police station.


    Watching everything, Ricardo felt sorry for Julia, but she was unable to hear him, and she didn''t even manage to punch Alberto in the face when he tried. His fist only went through the head of the ignorant ex- boss. Resigned, he began to think.


    ¡°And now, what will happen to me?¡±


    The answer came soon after. He felt his vision darken and, not knowing how to react to it, he just gave in to fate.


    When he realized, the place arond him had changed completely, but he realized it was no longer the hospital, but a room that was a little too big to be a room in a house, with long wooden benches and flowers scattered around.


    He tried to pull from his memories to see if he had been there before, but when he saw the coffin with his body right behind him, he understood. It was his own wake.


    ¡°Wow, how much time has passed?¡±


    At that moment, several people entered the place, one by one or in pairs. He soon recognized his parents in front, with heavy expressions and tears running down his mother''s eyes.


    Right behind them, a few more relatives appeared, former schoolmates, almost all the employees of Deliwings¡¯s - Hermes in front, but not wanting to be there - with the exception of Alberto, his wife, Marilise and not least, Julia.


    Has she been arrested? Damn Alberto!


    To his surprise, several girls he had had his adventures with also showed up, about 12, but none of them showed any signs of crying despite their sad faces.


    ¡°I don''t know if I''m proud that they came here or if I''m upset that they''re not crying. Well, I did my best, after all. It''s a shame I can''t apologize to them.¡± - He was content.


    Rites performed, tributes said - Hermes''s being the most theatrical possible, much to the dismay of his coworkers - People gradually left the place and the body alone. After everyone had left, Ricardo noticed that someone had entered through the other door of the chapel. It was Julia.


    ¡°She looks terrible, she even looks thinner. And it''s all my fault, I know that and I''ll never be able to fix it again.¡±


    She was wearing less tidy clothes than the other girls, but in black, as the occasion required. Ricardo didn''t understand why she hadn''t entered with the other people.


    But he noticed that she had dark circles under her eyes and marks on her face from someone who had cried recently. He went straight to the coffin, which was still open, and leaned over this body.


    ¡°Oh, man, Ricardo¡­ you left without even having the chance to see the gift I gave you. But I managed to get it. Marcelo got it from your closet for me. Here it is.¡±


    He took a silver necklace from the wrapping paper, on which hung an ornament in the shape of a stylized bird of an undefined species. He opened the hook and put the necklace around Ricardo''s neck.


    ¡°There you go. My grandmother owns a little shop that sells mystical items, many of which she makes herself. She says that it brings protection and luck to those who wear it, but now we''ll never know, right? Take it with you, okay?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I wish it was all a lie, that you were by my side. I wanted to see you apologizing to the other girls, asking for forgiveness, trying to change... even if you weren''t with me anymore, I''d rather see you alive and well.¡±


    ¡°¡­I''m sorry.¡± - Even though he couldn''t hear, Ricardo replied.


    ¡°But now you''re gone. Your body is still here, but soon they''ll take you to the crematorium. Everything you once were will end up inside a damn box.¡±


    ¡°...I''m sorry.¡±


    ¡°But, you know? If there really is life after this, I''ll pray that you can come back and be happier, no matter what. If there''s someone up there, may they be kinder to you next time. Rest in peace, okay?


    ¡°I didn''t want it to be like this.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I almost forgot to tell you what happened after all that. I was fired, but Alberto went back on his word and didn''t accuse me of the assault. Camila told Marilise¡¯s mother everything she knew about her, so he had no more arguments to accuse me.


    ¡°Go for it, Camila! And serves Marilise right!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Gilmar lost his truck, but since he had insurance, he''s already gone back to work and is helping me find another job. You know those breaded foods you were going to fry? They were spoiled, a lot of them.The confusion and that explosion ended up attracting the press and the health department "suddenly" decided to show up.¡±


    ¡°Alberto had to pay a huge fine and the diner got a badly spoken off, it''s going to take a long time to recover. Camila now has another job and is much calmer.


    Well, that''s it. You''re gone, but everything got sorted out somehow.¡±


    Julia leaned over the coffin once more, this time her lips touching Ricado''s cold lips. Even though he was watching everything from the outside, he could somehow feel her warmth.


    ¡°I love you, you crazy man. I''ll never forget you.¡±


    He felt all the tenderness she had for him that she never really valued. He didn''t want to leave without telling her in his own words, even if she couldn''t hear them.


    He approached her face, trying to return the kiss, and his transparent lips touched hers.


    Julia was startled and turned her gaze to where there shouldn''t be anyone. A tear ran down her face, a smile broke out. She could see him!


    ¡°RICARDO!¡±


    But there was no more time. A bright light was beginning to pull him somewhere. In time, she managed to hear his last words:


    ¡°Be happy, Julia. I love you too!¡±

 From the Egg to a New World

    Everything around him went white and soundless. An infinite and serene white.


    Where am I now? What¡¯s going to happen to me?


    His chest emanated a strange light and he once again felt his body being pulled into what seemed to be a tunnel that had appeared out of nowhere in front of him. If Hell is where he¡¯s going, he¡¯s resigned; he would never expect to reach Heaven, not after everything he¡¯s done.


    At the end of the tunnel, he was once again in a place of infinite white with even more tunnels, the number of which was impossible to calculate. Once again, his chest shone even brighter, and a new pull occurred at an absurd speed; he could barely move.


    ¡°Hey, wait a minute! GO SLOWLYYYY¡­¡±


    The speed increased more and more to the point that he felt like his body was dissolving like sand and could disappear at any moment. He decided to close his eyes and let himself be carried away when he heard a strange voice:


    ¡°H-HEY! WHO ARE YOU? WHERE DID YOU COME FROM- OH, COME BACK HERE!!!¡±


    Whoever it was, he couldn''t stop even if he wanted to. It sounded like a woman''s voice, but he didn''t have time to see where it was coming from.


    How long am I going to stay like this? I''m starting to get sick-


    With a sudden stop, his soul finally imploded into dust and everything went dark. Without eyes, he couldn''t see. Without ears, he couldn''t hear. There was only his consciousness, or so he thought. And even that now felt like it was fading away. And he felt nothing else, losing track of time once again.


    Did I fall asleep? What''s this tight feeling?


    In the middle of the darkness, he was somewhere tight and hot. He couldn''t feel his breathing and that made him uncomfortable. Wherever he was, he wanted to get out, and get out now! He looked for a foothold in the stuffy darkness, but as he tried to grope for a way out, he realized that something was wrong.


    I can¡¯t feel my hands! Where are my fingers? And my feet, they feel weird!


    Having checked all the oddities, he now tried to feel his face. But even this was no longer as he knew it. He became desperate when he felt his protruding, pointy mouth. He began to scream at the top of his lungs.


    ¡°HELP! GET ME OUT OF HERE! HELP!¡±


    He hadn¡¯t noticed until then that his voice was also strange, it seemed younger and shrill, but that didn¡¯t matter now. It was then that in the midst of his despair he heard a cracking sound around him and from outside there were also banging sounds.


    ¡°Is there anyone out there? HEY, I¡¯M HERE!¡±


    Finally a hole opened before his eyes. He was free. He dragged himself through the exit, forcing it to widen, but he couldn¡¯t see anything, because getting from a dark place to the light required time to recover his vision.


    The first thing he saw with great difficulty was what he was trapped in. It seemed to him to be a huge eggshell, slightly pink in color, or whatever color it was.


    ¡°What the hell is this? Did I hatch from an egg? What''s going on here...?¡±


    Looking at his own body only served to increase the panic he already felt. He had wings, bird feet and now he could see what was in front of his face. A beak!


    ¡°WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS???¡±


    ¡°...Fuck? What the fuck is this, my baby?¡±


    His train of thought had been interrupted by someone. Now completely accustomed to the light, he turned in the direction of the voice and came across what looked like a huge bird''s paw. He followed its shape to the other end and found a giant bird connected to it. It was a white chicken with giant yellow spots. And it was staring at him curiously.


    ¡°UAAAAHHH! WHAT THE HELL?¡± - In shock, he jumped back, falling onto the eggshell and finishing breaking it. The giant chicken showed no surprise at his fright, looking at him curiously.


    ¡±Are you okay, my baby? Did you hurt yourself?¡±


    ¡°Well at this point is a very relative word, but... I didn''t hurt myself¡±. - When he realized what she had called him, he asked - Why are you calling me your baby?¡±


    ¡°Because you are my baby, why else would you be?¡± - The answer was so natural and direct that it made Ricardo - or whatever he was now - gape.


    ¡°Stay here, my baby. I''m going to call your father. DARLING! COME HERE! HE''S BORN, OUR BABY IS BORN!¡±


    Ricardo looked around and only then realized that he was in some kind of chicken coop. There were several straw nests close to the walls, perches and a strong smell coming from the dirt floor with sawdust and full of dark piles that he preferred not to know what they were, although he was sure. It really was a chicken coop. And he, a chick.


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    ¡°Where is he, Kohko? Ah, my precious son! He is beautiful, my dear! Our son!¡±


    ¡°Yes, dear! Our baby, and our salvation.¡± - She put her neck to his as if they were embracing and closed their eyes, sighing.


    Now there was a huge rooster in front of him. Prominent comb, sharp spurs, yellow eyes staring at him with a mixture of seriousness and joy. He began to shout.


    ¡°MY SON IS BORN! EVERYONE COME AND SEE!¡±


    Outside the chicken coop there was a great commotion of mixed voices in the distance. Other chickens, it seemed, and very excited.


    ¡°Kel, my dear. We need to give him a name.¡±


    ¡°Yes, a pretty name, as he deserves.¡±


    ¡°I like Chiko, what do you think?¡±


    ¡°He lacks grandeur. Kello, since he is my son, how about that?¡±


    ¡°Very ugly¡± - Even Ricardo was surprised by his ¡°mother¡¯s¡± blunt sincerity - ¡°Hmm¡­ Kikko?¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s almost the same as before¡± - Kel retorted, upset.


    ¡°My name is Ricardo!¡± - He tried to intervene. He didn¡¯t like names at all.


    The couple looked at each other. Ricardo felt like he shouldn''t have interfered, but now it was too late and so he remained silent, waiting for an answer.


    ¡°Ricardo? What''s that name? You were just born, my son. Where did you get that from?¡±


    ¡°He started talking right after he hatched, my dear. He''s definitely special! I didn''t think that name was ugly, but... I know! Rikko! What do you think, my dear?¡±


    Kel, his ¡°father¡±, was thoughtful for a moment while looking at him with his inquisitive gaze. Then he gave his opinion.


    ¡°Very well! Rikko, that''s going to be your name! Welcome, Rikko!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it''ll do the trick.¡± - Rikko thought quietly.


    ¡°What did you say, my baby? Mommy didn''t understand.¡±


    ¡°I-it''s nothing, I like it! My name is Rikko!¡±


    He thought it best not to bring up the subject any further, not that it mattered to him at that point, he was more interested in knowing where he was and what situation he had gotten himself into. The fact that chickens could talk didn''t even surprise him anymore. The buzz outside the henhouse was louder and closer, and that was when Kel spoke again.


    ¡°As for the name, we''ve settled it. Now we need to show it to the others. Come, Rikko. They must be curious to see you. Move your legs and come ruffle your feathers!¡±


    Rikko was now outside the henhouse. In the sky, a timid sun was rising behind the mountains and he could feel the freshness of the wind bringing the scent of the trees. - Much better than being confined in that cramped egg, - he thought.


    In front of him, a large group of roosters and hens of various colors were looking at him curiously, forming a half-moon. They were talking to each other in a disorderly manner, making it difficult to understand what they were saying. Kel took the lead and said:


    ¡°Listen up everyone! This is Rikko! Our son!¡±


    ¡°Finally after so long, Kel! We were already worried!¡± - Said a black rooster in front.


    ¡°Yes, Goppa. I had lost hope, but I was blessed at least one last time.¡± - Kohko replied, proudly.


    One last time? What did she mean by that? - Rikko was thoughtful about that statement, but having Goppa looking him in the eye pushed that thought away for now.


    ¡°He seems healthy. It''s still too early to be sure. If he grows, you might not be taken. Rejoice and have hope!¡±


    One of the orange chickens sang with joy and went to talk to Kohko. She seemed very happy.


    ¡°I knew you could do it, Kohko! There''s more to you than anyone expected!¡± - She said, looking at the other chickens in a satisfied tone.


    ¡°That''s an insult!¡± - A gray hen commented in a clearly displeased tone. - ¡°I, Gelda, never doubted!¡±


    ¡°That''s right! That''s right! That''s right!¡± - A group behind Gelda took her pains in chorus. Gelda felt powerful, starting to retaliate once more and even more fiercely.


    ¡°See? We don''t need someone so suspicious! Better hold your tongue, Kakke, you might end up making your eggs more bitter than bile!¡±


    ¡°ENOUGH! ENOUGH OF THIS!¡± - Goppa shouted, silencing Gelda and the others. - ¡°Today is a day of joy, and we should congratulate you both on your offspring! I''m sorry about that, Kel. I imagine you have a lot to teach your son, so you better do it now. Forget about these spites.¡±


    ¡°I''ll do it, thank you.¡± - Kel nodded. - ¡°Come, Rikko, I''ll show you the place.¡±


    Kel led him through a hidden hole in the fence and began to show him around. It seemed to be a small farm focused on raising chickens, with few animals that denoted any use other than subsistence.


    There were two horses in a small stable, two cows and a bull in a fence, and four goats with a heifer. There was a rustic house in the center of the farm, so he assumed it was the home of the owners of the place, who until then had not appeared yet, perhaps sleeping.


    There was a large dog sleeping peacefully with its tongue hanging out in a small house right next to the house. In the back of it, there was a vegetable garden, a cornfield, a well and a stream that ran through the farm. Apart from the dirt road that led somewhere, that was all there was to see and nothing more.

 A Difficult Meal, a Hard Truth, and a Discovery

    After a quick tour of the small farm, Rikko already knew almost everything about what was there. He couldn''t help but notice that the main building, the farmers'' house, was very rustic and somewhat different from the movies he had seen.


    As they returned through the hole in the fence, he noticed a group of chickens gathered in a corner. They were the chickens that had been arguing earlier with Gelda in the center, who seemed to be saying something in a low voice. Rikko didn''t like this attitude, but what kind of plans could chickens have?


    Better keep an eye on them for a while. - He thought.


    But at the moment the most important thing for him was to fill his belly, which had started to rumble minutes before.


    ¡°Er... Dad? When are we going to eat?¡±


    ¡°That''s right! I''m sorry, I got so excited to show you around that I forgot you hadn''t eaten anything yet. But without further ado. Let''s get started.¡±


    Since he was so hungry, Rikko hadn''t stopped to think about what kind of food chickens ate. Not that he couldn''t imagine, after all, it''s common sense - at least to him - that chickens eat corn or feed. It could also be leftovers, but he would find a way to choose and avoid eating something rotten.


    ¡°To find food, first of all you need to use your paws to scratch the ground. You have to use your claws and scratch the earth hard, like this. - Kel turned the ground vigorously, little by little bringing up black earth around him.


    Seeing those movements, something occurred to Rikko''s mind. He remembered something about what chickens did for food, and seeing Kel turning the earth only served to make him apprehensive about what was to come. His fears were realized with the last scratch.


    ¡°Ah, there they are, very fat and long, a great feast by the way. Help yourself, my son.¡±


    Earthworms. Dirty with earth on the outside and full of earth on the inside. A nice handful of them, wriggling exposed to the sunlight, desperately trying to get back to where they came from. Rikko felt his stomach - or gizzard, who knows - turn.


    ¡°Urgh. Dad... do I really have to eat this? It looks so... disgusting.¡±


    ¡°Disgusting? But you haven''t even tried it, my son! Come on, give them a few pecks to kill them and then eat them. Just watch!¡±


    Kel pecks three times, making one of the worms stop moving, catches it with his beak and swallows it with pleasure. Rikko was left to just contemplate the disgusting sight.


    ¡°Mmm, delicious. See? Now it''s your turn.¡±


    Rikko looked at her father, looked at the worms and looked back at his father. She felt his head spin and his throat went dry. As if they noticed his reaction, the worms moved even more as if in defiance. His desperation had reached its limit.


    ¡°I-I... I... Mommy, help me- MOMMY???¡±


    He tried to ask his mother, who was nearby, for help, but he couldn''t hold back his scream. Kohko, who had been following the two of them a few steps behind, had discovered a group of cockroaches hidden under a board on the floor and was swallowing them as if he were tasting the best of delicacies.


    ¡°Oh, dear! Leave some for me!¡± - Kel hurried to his wife, grabbing two cockroaches with shiny shells at once. With their meal done, they turned their attention to a small chick with its food still on its plate.


    ¡°Excuse me, my son, did you want some cockroaches? But you haven''t even eaten your worms yet. Hurry, eat them before they hide!¡± - Kel showed concern.


    But Rikko had his own problems at that moment. To eat or not to eat? Logically he didn''t want to, but the apprehensive look on his parents'' faces was causing him overwhelming pressure at that moment. There was no other choice, it was all or nothing.


    If I eat it all at once, I might not even be able to taste it. - He thought hopefully.


    He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and swallowed them like spaghetti until there was nothing left of them. Or almost nothing, since a small piece was moving vigorously in the corner of his beak. He forced a smile and a look of pride in himself. He vomited it all up and then passed out.


    ¡°Son, wake up! Are you okay?¡±


    When Rikko woke up minutes after fainting, his parents looked at him with concern. Some chickens came to see what happened, curious. With great difficulty, Rikko managed to get up. He felt terrible, but he got up.


    ¡°Son, what happened to you?¡± - Kel asked softly. Kohko was next to him crying, but she seemed relieved.¡±


    ¡°I just got dizzy, I think it was the hot Sun.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so it was... what is Sun? Why did it do this to you?¡± - Kel didn''t seem to understand what he was saying.


    ¡°HUH? Oh, that thing up there!¡± - He pointed with his wing.


    ¡°The Eye of Fire? Yeah, it could be. It''s really hot today. Are you feeling better?¡±


    ¡°A little. Sorry, Daddy, I wasted the worms.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Mommy and I ate everything after you passed out.


    Rikko preferred to pretend he hadn''t heard that, there was nothing else to throw up.


    ¡°Daddy, is there anything else to eat? Something that doesn''t move?¡± - He thought it best to specify just in case.


    ¡°Hmm, I''m going to take you to eat yellow dots. And drink water too. Come on.¡±


    He walked next to his father as best he could, reaching a kind of feeder that was a few meters away from the chicken coop. He prayed that those yellow dots weren''t something else disgusting. She wouldn''t be able to handle it.


    ¡°Here they are. Yellow dots. Can you eat these?¡±


    Corn. A large amount of chopped corn kernels had just been placed there by someone. If there was corn to eat, why the hell did you take me to eat worms? - He felt like cursing Kel, but when he remembered that he was a bird, he accepted that this was how they dealt with food. But he couldn¡¯t help but think for a moment that he would make nuggets with it if he had the chance.


    ¡°I think so, I¡¯ll try.¡±


    As expected, the kernels were hard and dry, but just the fact that they weren¡¯t something disgusting like insects and worms was already ¡°better than nothing¡± according to Rikko. He ate as best he could, alternating with water from the waterer so as not to get stuck.


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    ¡°I did it, Daddy! It was so tasty.¡± - He lied.


    ¡°What a relief! Come on, now I¡¯m going to teach you how to bathe in sand.¡±


    If corn was something offered to them every day, the feeding problem would be solved at least for now. And bathing in sand is a habit that birds do to get rid of parasites, Rikko ¨C or rather, Ricardo ¨C learned about it through books when he was trying to win over a librarian girl.


    ¡°UAAAAAHHH!!!¡±


    Rikko couldn''t resist the fright. A huge centipede - at least in relation to its current size - came running from under the waterer towards him, but Goppa appeared out of nowhere killing and devouring it right there.


    ¡°Hum, I''ve been keeping an eye on that rascal for three days, I finally caught it. Thanks for attracting it, Little One.¡± - He thanked as the last pairs of legs disappeared into his beak.


    ¡°Err, ugh, you''re welcome.¡±


    ¡°He''s weird, isn''t he?¡±


    ¡°Yes, very weird.¡±


    ¡°A tasty meal like that and he doesn''t even try to peck, what a waste.¡±


    ¡°Poor Kohko, your last son is useless...¡±


    A chattering among the chickens began behind Rikko. Goppa went to scold them, but it seems he will be the main attraction of the henhouse for a long time. In the distance, Gelda and her friends once again watched everything from afar with sharp eyes, and this did not leave him with a good feeling.


    For the rest of the morning, things seemed a little calmer for Rikko. He learned to bathe himself with sand. To flap his wings to gain momentum and climb up on the perches so that when he could no longer sleep under Kohko. The afternoon passed and night fell, making him fall asleep peacefully under his new mother.


    Tomorrow will be a new day in this new life of mine.


    The next day, for the first time, he had visual contact with the owners of the farm. It was the farmer''s wife. She was a lady of just over forty years old, plump and with huge breasts, long hair braided at neck level and covered by a green bandana. Her face was ugly, frowning and tanned by the sun.


    This one is definitely not my type. - He thought.


    But her clothes were what caught Rikko''s attention the most. They didn''t look much like the farm girl clothes you see in movies. They resembled the clothes of RPG characters. He had played video games when he was younger and he knew this because he dated a gamer girl and ended up playing several of them again for about four months, so he knows the basics of these things.


    ¡°Son, that''s one of the owners here. Don''t ever cause them any trouble, or you''ll be the one who''ll have trouble with them.¡± - Kel warned.


    The woman was washing clothes in the stream and hanging them on a wooden clothesline to dry. It was then that the farmer came out of the house. He was similar in age to his wife, tall and slender with a face as grim as hers. Clothes of a similar pattern, with patches here and there. He picked up a bucket, filled it with corn, and then walked towards the chicken coop. He saw Kohko and Kel coming towards the feeder with Rikko right behind.


    ¡°Humpf! Finally one! For now they''ve escaped the pot, but it''s only a matter of time.¡± - He commented with his hands on his hips, before heading towards the cows carrying a bucket and a heavy bale of hay on his back.


    Rikko couldn''t understand a single word the farmer had said. Having watched several foreign films, it was clear that the language was unfamiliar to him and that it was not like anything he had ever heard. He began to suspect where he was, but he needed more information and doubted that the chickens could have what he needed to know. He would start wandering around on his own to find out.


    After a while, the farmer returned with a basket in his hands. He was collecting the eggs from the nests through the hatches of the henhouse, but when it was Kohko''s turn, he simply looked at the empty nest with contempt.


    ¡°We''ll see tomorrow.¡± - He slammed the fence gate and went home.


    Four days passed and the farmer did the same thing. He looked at the nest and looked at Rikko. Even without understanding what he was saying, Rikko began to imagine what was happening.


    The farmer expected Kohko to lay more eggs, and her continued negative response could mean that she was getting old and unproductive, and the same could be said of Kel.


    They would go to the pot and that wouldn''t take long, which worried Rikko. He was attached to the two and was grateful to them, he wouldn''t allow this misfortune to happen. But how? What could a little chick do to prevent the death of its parents?


    I still don''t know what I can do, or if I can, but I''ll find a way to repay them for what they do for me. You can wait.


    Late in the afternoon, an idea occurred to him. He could steal eggs from other hens during the night by rolling under Kohko. If he did this often enough, he could fool the farmers into thinking that Kohko had started producing again, postponing his fate. He would do it that very night.


    Late at night, all the chickens were already asleep. Rikko slowly crawled out from under Kohko and went to search the other nests. He had to do this with the utmost caution, or he would wake the chickens and his plan would go down the drain. One by one, he peered into the nests, but to his dismay, he found no eggs.


    Damn, do they only lay eggs at dawn?


    He had already given up hope when he noticed something. It was an egg! It had been left aside by a hen completely absorbed in her sleep. This was his chance. He was slowly rolling the egg across the floor towards his mother¡¯s nest when a light caught his eye from a crack in the wood. He stopped his work for a moment to look through the crack, and the surprise almost made him fall.


    WHAT THE FUCKING HELL IS THIS?


    Outside, in the dark night sky, two moons floated in the sea of ??stars. One was more or less the same color as the one he knew, but a little bigger. The other was a slightly pinkish hue and smaller. This discovery left him astonished. He looked again to be sure.


    Two moons? What the hell is this place? Am I really in another world? I don''t understand anything anymore! Damn it!


    After a few minutes of thinking, he came to the conclusion that¡­ there was no conclusion. He still needed to help his new parents, so finding out where he was would have to wait for another opportunity. He rolled the egg again and when he reached the nest, he slowly placed it under Kohko, who didn''t feel anything. His mission was accomplished, at least for that moment.


    Not far away, someone was watching his movements. It was Kakke, the first hen to celebrate the birth of her son with Kohko. She closed his half-open eye and went back to sleep.

 The Calm Before The Storm

    The days pass. Rikko''s plan begins to show results with the farmers showing satisfaction with Kohko''s egg laying, which made him feel more at ease. On the other hand...


    ¡°Pako, are you sure about this?¡±


    ¡°Of course I am, Goppa! It came out of me, and this morning it was gone! My egg is gone!¡± - A hen said in tears.


    ¡°It doesn''t seem to have been the work of foxes. I didn''t see any sign of paws either inside or outside. Could it be a snake?¡±


    ¡°How Horrible! Snakes? No way, no way! The last time one appeared here, it was like a nightmare!¡± - Another hen said.


    ¡°Whatever it is, there are eggs disappearing here and there, you need to do something, Goppa! As soon as possible!¡± - Says Gelda energetically.


    ¡°I know, I know. Let''s see what I can do with the other roosters. Kel, have you noticed anything?¡±


    ¡°No. As you know, I''m getting old, my senses are not what they used to be.¡± - Kel stated, somewhat discouraged. - ¡°But at least I''ll try to keep Rikko protected as long as possible.¡±


    ¡°Ha, Ha, Ha, He''s useless, really.¡± - Gelda scoffed - ¡°Taking advantage of the occasion... What a miracle, Kohko has been laying eggs. Truly a miracle!¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that, Gelda? Explain yourself!¡± - Kel didn''t like the strange tone in the inquisitor''s voice.


    ¡°Oh, it''s nothing, just something that occurred to me, sorry. Ignore what I said and go take care of your little boy.¡±


    Kel stared at Gelda for a while longer, although she showed no signs of changing her attitude. He knew her better than anyone, but his days had been tiring, so he thought it best to end the subject, at least for now.


    ¡°Okay. Rikko! Let''s eat!¡±


    Rikko followed him out of the chicken coop, but he was paying close attention to their conversation. His plan was starting to show signs that it wouldn''t go very far.


    But damn, I thought they wouldn''t realize it so quickly. I underestimated them too much because they''re chickens. I need to be more careful, or they''ll catch me.


    He remained thoughtful in that early morning. He swallowed the corn kernels one by one while he devised a new way to ensure Kel and Kohko''s survival, and he needed to be quick. But his thoughts became scattered when his sense of smell took over.


    ¡°Sniff, sniff. What''s this wonderful smell I''m smelling? - The smell seemed new to him, so he decided to look for its source.


    Kel had ended up on the other side of the chicken coop, eating something that couldn''t be seen from afar. Maybe ants, attracted by the food scraps that the farmer had thrown on the ground that morning. Riko took advantage of his distraction to head towards the fence. The intoxicating smell seemed to be coming from outside.


    ¡°Wow, am I seeing things?¡±


    It wasn''t. As he focused his eyes toward the main house, he noticed that the kitchen window was open. And on its wooden sill, there was a plate that looked like ceramic, and on it was something that looked like a delicious, freshly baked pie. Saliva dripped from Rikko''s beak.


    A pie! My eyes didn''t deceive me!


    His memory flashed back in time for a moment, to the day one of the girls he had courted gave him a homemade pie that she had made herself. His stomach began to growl fiercely, not letting him think straight.


    I can''t stand eating chopped corn and vegetable scraps anymore! I''m sorry, farmer lady, but this snack has my name written on it.


    He looked for the secret exit in the fence. His wings weren''t yet big and strong enough to climb the fence in one jump, so the hole Kel had shown him days ago would be of good use now. As he passed outside, he looked to make sure no one had seen him.


    Perfect, no one had seen me. - Now, all he has to do is go slowly over there and grab that delicious treat.


    Slowly Rikko approached the house. First, he hid behind a large rock, then behind a tree, a wooden tub and finally, he was next to the window. But at that moment a problem arose before him: how would he reach the window?


    Even if he flapped his wings, he would barely get half the height he needed. He analyzed the situation until his neck started to hurt.


    ¡°Oh, that''s it! I''m a genius!¡±


    He noticed that the wall of the house was made of wood coated with some kind of putty, and that large crooked nails here and there were enough to reach the window if he used them as hooks.


    Very carefully, he jumped on each one of them, using his paws to hold on and spreading his wings to keep his balance. Soon he finally reached the windowsill.


    ¡°Phew, I made it. It was hard work, but this little beauty will be worth it. And now¡­¡±


    He watched through the corner of the window. He couldn''t see the farmer, but he could hear him taking a shower in the back of the house. His wife was busy preparing food on the wood stove with her back to the window. He needed to be quick, but he decided to wait for a better opportunity.


    ¡°Missus, bring me my clothes! And a towel!¡±


    ¡°Man, seriously? It''s always like this! I''ll get it right away!¡± - His wife put her hands on her waist in a disapproving tone, but left the kitchen soon after.


    Even without understanding a word, for Rikko this was the chance he needed. He advanced on the pie and without delay, began to tear it apart with his beak. An explosion of nostalgic flavors invaded his being. He was in ecstasy.


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°This... mmph... is so good! !¡±


    His palate soon identified the flavor of the pie. BLACKBERRIES! Sweet and tender, and some kind of jam with the same flavor. He was in paradise.


    He was, because an unexpected event brought him back to reality:


    ¡°Oh... hello, do you always come here, Big Guy?¡±


    It was the couple''s dog. A dog huge enough to reach the railing and sniff Rikko''s butt. After analyzing it, he logically realized that that little being shouldn''t be there, so his curious posture changed to angry as quickly as Rikko would have liked.


    ¡°Growl¡­¡±


    ¡°Whoa, calm down¡­ turn those sharp teeth that way¡­¡±


    He needed to think fast or his life would end because of a simple pie. He gathered all his strength and in the split second that the dog opened his mouth, he pushed the pie plate with everything he had.


    The attempt worked, making the dog''s mouth busy for a moment and then Rikko jumped out of the window flapping his wings incessantly, managing to land about three meters ahead and running at full speed towards the fence.


    The dog made a move to go after him when he realized he had been tricked. But a lick on the corner of his mouth made him change his mind and change his target, a skinny chick, to that beautiful plate of sweet food. He destroyed the pie in seconds, leaving only the plate.


    ¡°AHHHH, YOU DAMN DOG! YOU¡±LL SEE, JUST WAIT!¡±


    The woman caught him red-handed with his nose smeared with jelly. She chased the poor dog with a straw broom and cursed at the top of her lungs. Meanwhile, Riko came in out of breath through the hole in the fence, almost being caught by his father.


    ¡°Rikko! So you were here all this time?¡±


    ¡°Wheeze - huh? Oh, yes, I was. All this time!


    ¡°What happened to your beak? What''s that mess? And what was that noise?¡±


    In his desperation, Rikko had not noticed his condition, with his beak and chest smeared purple. He had to invent something.


    ¡°Oh, that? I... I ate some blackberries that had fallen here on the ground, the wind must have knocked them off the tree. They were great! And I didn''t hear anything!¡±


    ¡°Blackberries? Oh, those dark things? Yes, they are really good. Now go drink some water to wash off that dirt and then go play with the other chicks.¡±


    ¡°Yes, daddy. Right now!¡±


    Relieved that he had not been discovered, he ran to the other side of the chicken coop, his belly full of pie and not the least bit sorry for the dog.


    Meanwhile, somewhere on the farm, the dog was hiding. If we could understand what he was thinking, perhaps it would be:


    ¡°Damn little one. He¡¯s going to pay for this...¡±


    Later, Rikko thought of another plan to prevent his parents from becoming a meal, but to no avail. Stealing eggs was dangerous, he could be discovered, but he had no other choice. He considered the idea of ??reducing the number of eggs to the minimum possible.


    Well, I¡¯ll try to catch one more tonight and wait a couple of days to catch another one. Goppa should keep watch with the other roosters, but I know they are heavy sleepers, it will work out.


    Night falls, and Rikko awaits the moment for another venture. Since he is a little older, Kel allowed him to leave the nest to sleep on the perches with the adults, so it would be a little easier to move around.


    The moons were already high in the sky when he silently climbed down from the perch and, as he had predicted, the roosters were in a deep sleep with their heads hanging down. He crept through the chicken coop towards the nearest nest, when he felt someone pulling him from behind.


    ¡°Wha-¡±


    ¡°Shhh!¡± - The misterious being who had pulled him in the dark whispered next to his head as he covered his beak. - ¡°Come with me.¡±


    He was discovered, but by whom? Without a choice, he agreed to be taken out of the chicken coop in silence and, by moonlight, he met his discoverer.


    ¡°Mrs. Kakke, I¡­¡±


    ¡°I already understood everything, boy, don''t bother explaining. You''re stealing eggs to save your parents. I understand your actions, but there would be no point in saving them if in the end someone has to be sacrificed in their place.¡±


    ¡°And what do I do, then?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. Don''t do anything.¡±


    ¡°But they''re going to die!¡±


    ¡°We are someone''s food. Whether it''s our eggs or ourselves, it''s a destiny we can''t escape, and it will always be that way. Your parents have already fulfilled their roles, and you are proof of that, and I am a witness.¡±


    ¡±And what''s the point of that?¡±


    ¡°You are their greatest and only treasure. And I know they would give their lives with pride if it were to protect you. Accept this fate willingly.¡±


    ¡°What if I don''t want to? There''s nothing saying I have to.¡±


    ¡°Really, there isn''t. But if you don''t want this for yourself, then run away. As far away from here as your paws will take you. Let us fulfill our destinies and go create your own. You''re young, you can do it.¡±


    ¡°Let''s all go together! Run away together!¡±


    ¡°None of us would be able to survive, we''re too used to this life. Except you.¡±


    ¡°...Why only me?¡±


    ¡°Ever since you were born, I''ve always thought you were different, and your parents must think so too. If anyone among us is capable of living out there, it''s you. Trust old Kakke, boy¡±.


    ¡°...I don''t know...¡±


    ¡°And you''ll never know if you don''t try! Think about it. And if it makes you leave more at ease, I''ll talk to the others, see if they''ll agree to continue what you''ve been doing for a little while longer. Well, I don''t count on Gelda and her followers at all, but we''ll find a way, I promise you.¡±


    Hearing that made Rikko more hopeful. It was just a promise, but knowing that Kel and Kohko would have some chance of living with the help of the other chickens made her heart lighter.


    ¡°Okay, I''ll think about it.¡±


    ¡°...Okay? Well, you really are quite different. Let''s go inside before anyone wakes up. And you can take my egg, accept it as a promise of better days.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Mrs. Kakke.¡±


    ¡°Huhuhu, you''re a good boy.¡±


    Before dawn, Rikko was back in his place on the perch, fast asleep, and another egg was under Kohko to be discovered in the morning. On the other side of the henhouse, Gelda watched Rikko with her eyes half-open.

 The Egg of Discord

    ¡°...I''LL SHOW YOU!!!¡±


    Rikko woke up suddenly amidst screams that morning. Still groggy from sleep, he climbed down from his perch, almost tripping over an exposed root, when he saw the source of the noise. It was Gelda in yet another one of her scandals surrounded by other chickens, nothing new until then, but...


    ¡°Ah, so the little thief decided to wake up. Did I disturb you?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± - Rikko had a bad feeling. - ¡°What did you call me?¡±


    ¡°Don''t pretend not to understand! I already know that YOU are the one responsible for stealing the eggs! Don''t try to deny it now!¡±


    Kel and Kohko came from outside the chicken coop, still unaware of the matter.


    ¡°What''s all that screaming about? Gelda, what''s up now?¡± - Kel instinctively took the lead from Rikko as soon as he saw him cornered by the other chickens while Kohko took him under her wing.


    ¡°Oh, Kel, you don''t know? Are you sure? That your beloved son is the thief who has been stealing our eggs?¡±


    Kel was astonished, but feeling outraged by the accusation, he ruffled his feathers and sharpened his gaze without looking at Gelda.


    ¡°What? Well, I demand an explanation!¡±


    ¡°But with great pleasure!¡± - Gelda puffs out her chest proudly ¨C ??¡±At no point did I buy the story that the egg thief came from outside. It had to be someone from here and I knew I couldn''t count on a bunch of useless roosters to keep an eye on him.¡±


    Goppa interrupted at this point, his expression showing extreme disgust, unlike his usual seriousness.


    ¡°Spare us your venomous comments, Gelda. Get straight to the point!¡±


    ¡°Last night I pretended to be asleep when I realized that little thief had woken up and was wandering around the nests looking for eggs. That''s when I saw Kakke surprise him and take him out. I followed them and could hear what they were talking about.¡±


    ¡°And what were they saying?¡± - One of the hens wanted to know, but was soon silenced by Goppa with a signal of her wings.


    Gelda was tired of being interrupted by now. Not waiting for Goppa''s signal to continue, she declared:


    ¡°The stolen eggs were being placed under his mother to pretend that she was still laying and thus prevent her from being taken!¡±


    ¡°_OOOOHHH!!!¡±


    It seemed like the chicken coop was about to collapse with the amount of screams of despair and disapproval. Pandemonium had just broken out and Rikko had nowhere to run. Under her mother''s wing, she thought that perhaps she could only count on the protection of her parents at that moment.


    ¡°That is a very serious accusation you are making against our son, Gelda, watch your words. And watch them very carefully!¡± - Kel had to raise her voice to make herself heard amidst the din.


    ¡°I second your words, Kel, my old friend.¡± - Goppa took the turn to speak and, looking Gelda deep in the eyes, asked:


    ¡°I hope you have proof according to what you said. Prove your inquisition to everyone right now. By the way, before that... Rikko, come here.¡±


    Rikko made a move to leave her mother''s embrace, but Gelda stomped her paw on the floor.


    ¡°No way! I know you''re going to ask him if he stole the eggs, and of course he won''t admit it! It wasn''t just once or twice, it was several times! My proof is more than enough to show the truth. Come with me!¡±


    Gelda didn''t wait for them to agree to her invitation, she went straight to Kohko''s nest and pointed to the egg that was there. Now, in front of the rest of the group, she declared again.


    ¡°Here''s the proof!¡±


    ¡°Gelda, it''s just Kohko''s egg, that doesn''t prove anything.¡± - Goppa sighs in dismay.


    ¡°Know this, my dear husband Goppa, this egg belongs to Kakke. She offered her own egg to be placed in the nest. She is in cahoots with them! ¡±


    ¡°That''s an insult!¡± - Kakke shouted. - I-


    ¡°Silence! Your turn to explain yourself will come!¡± - Goppa called her attention. - ¡°Go on, Gelda, and be brief!¡±


    ¡°As soon as I heard her offer her egg, I ran to her nest and made two marks on the shell with my claws. This will be the proof! You can see with your own eyes!¡±


    Everyone was silent for a moment. Rikko was sweating coldly. His plan had been unmasked and he couldn''t imagine what would come next. He could see Kohko''s look of concern and his father was no longer ruffling his feathers.


    Goppa said nothing more. He went to the nest and carefully turned the egg with his sharp claws. And there, to his surprise, were two well-marked lines on the shell.


    ¡°Marks! Two marks.¡± - Shaking her head from side to side, Goppa directed her gaze to Rikko. Despite the anger and disapproval, his words still contained some kindness.


    ¡°Rikko. Come here. It''s your turn to explain yourself. Tell the truth and nothing else.¡±


    Kohko, sad, still tried to hold her son in her wing, but Kel stopped her in the gentlest way she could, equally sad. Rikko was now facing Goppa and trying to ignore Gelda with her satisfied look.


    ¡°It was me.¡±


    ¡°OOOOHHH!!!¡±


    New screams echoed through the chicken coop. Goppa signaled with his wings trying to silence the chaos, but persistence led him to a more drastic measure, shouting at the top of his lungs:


    ¡°SILENCE!!!¡±


    With the scream, not even a whisper could be heard. Even Gelda shuddered, not because Goppa was her husband, but because he was the most respected and feared Rooster in the place. Having achieved the silence he desired, he continued.


    ¡°Why did you do that, boy?¡±


    ¡°Because I know that without laying eggs, my mother and father would be taken away, and I don''t want them to die.¡± - Rikko managed to say everything without taking her eyes off Goppa, who sighed upon hearing the confession.


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°I understand you. You''re still young, but you need to learn that what you did would not only be useless, but also caused a lot of confusion. Everyone here is in the same situation as your parents, there is no privilege or merit that protects us. Do you hear me?¡±


    ¡®Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°But what''s done is done. You were wrong for stealing and deceiving everyone. Kakke was wrong for protecting you.¡± - And then he turned to Gelda - ¡°And you, Gelda, were wrong too.¡±


    ¡°Me? I was wrong?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you were wrong. You were right to report it, but even though you were right, you let yourself be carried away by your personal grudge, and as your husband, I can''t ignore that.¡±


    Walking to the center of the chicken coop, taking Rikko with him, Goppa proclaimed:


    ¡°As leader, I declare that Rikko must be forgiven. Let us not forget his deed, but let everyone take pity on the fact that he is just a child trying to protect his parents. He made bad decisions, but the purity of his desire is sincere. Let us end it here, and not another word.¡±


    A new chatter arose, but this time it was basically divided, with those who still wanted punishment arguing with those who were moved by Rikko''s actions and accepted their leader''s decision. A new shout from Goppa demanding silence and finally the chatter ended.


    ¡°Rikko, my son. Our beloved son!¡± - Kel and Kohko came to their son''s side, pressing him between them and putting their heads together in a sign of joy.


    Goppa, satisfied, left it to his parents to give him the proper lecture and went to disperse the others. Little by little, everyone was going back to their lives, except for one. Gelda.


    ¡°This isn''t going to stay like this...¡±


    Kel took Rikko out of the chicken coop with Kohko, looking for a more private place to talk. The sun was already showing behind the trees and a cool breeze was blowing. They chose the shade of a tree and crouched under it. Until then, in silence, Kel spoke.


    ¡°Well, my son... we are happy with your attitude, but at the same time very disappointed with what you did. I don''t want to repeat Goppa''s words, but we hope you never do that again, do you understand?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Dad, I promise not to do that again.¡±


    ¡°But I have to admit, it was ingenious. You even took care to change who would pick up the eggs, no one here would have the intelligence to do something like that. You really are different.¡±


    ¡°But I''m still a little upset!¡± - Kohko replied - ¡°There were eggs appearing under me without even feeling that I had laid them. If on the one hand I was happy, on the other I was very worried about my health.¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry, Mom.¡± - Rikko couldn''t look at her parents out of shame, she tried to hide it by playing with the pebbles on the ground, stirring them with her beak.


    ¡°Well, I forgive you. But later we have to look for the owners of the eggs and apologize properly, do you understand?¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma''am. And why is that... Mrs. Gelda so grumpy?¡±


    Upon hearing the question, her parents paused briefly, thinking about what they would answer.


    ¡°Gelda always boasted about the amount of eggs she laid, but when I started laying my own, she felt threatened. Since then, she has always been jealous of me.¡± - Kohko replied.


    ¡°Because of that, Goppa even proposed that Kohko be his wife, but fortunately for Gelda, I got there first, hahaha.¡±


    Ah, they are chickens, what else did I expect, a big plot? I feel like an idiot for asking. - Rikko seemed a little disappointed as to the reason.


    ¡°What a grumpy chicken¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is. But don''t say that to anyone, you''ve already caused enough trouble to make her your enemy, it''s not worth it.¡± - Kel warned emphatically.


    ¡°Yes, daddy. I promise.¡±


    ¡°Oh, look! It''s Kakke. She found a handful of worms. Let''s go to her to thank her for her help and eat some.¡± - Kohko commented, but she seemed more interested in the worms than in the conversation itself.


    ¡°Oh, yeah... go ahead, I''ll stay here in the shade for a little longer.¡± - He didn''t want to be in time to offer her more worms.


    The rest of the day went well despite the initial conflict, but there were still some hotbeds here and there mulling over the subject and in the end two "factions" emerged that divided the henhouse. Those who were in favor of punishment and those who wanted to forgive, and it wasn''t very hard to imagine which side Gelda was on, after all she was the head of the complainers. Night fell and a new morning arrived. Kel was drinking some water when Rikko came to him.


    ¡°Daddy, what''s out there?¡±


    ¡°Out there? Be more specific.¡±


    ¡°Besides these lands where we live.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes¡­ we don¡¯t know for sure, we were born and live here.¡±


    ¡°Nothing, nothing at all?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly nothing. At least we know that there are horrible monsters.¡±


    Hearing the word monsters, Rikko shivered. But if he ever decided to run away from the farm, he needed to learn as much as she could about that world.


    ¡°What kind of monsters?¡±


    ¡°We only saw one, some time ago. It was about to invade these lands, but then others came like the owners here, only younger, I think. They carried things that cut and others that made lights and a lot of noise. They killed the monster and then took it away. It was big, green and had sharp claws and teeth, a horror. I hope I never see one again.¡±


    Hmm¡­ right. Putting together everything I¡¯ve seen and heard so far, I really am in another world. And reincarnated as a damn chick. What else could go wrong?


    ¡°I want to see the world out there.¡±


    ¡°Are you crazy, kid? There are monsters, and there are certainly other things that can eat us and suck our bones afterwards, we would never be able to live there. We are the food of the owners here, it is an undeniable and immutable fact. Don¡¯t ever think about that nonsense again!¡± - He scolded.


    Stay here and become country food? No way! I¡¯ll find a way to escape even if it¡¯s by myself!


    ¡°Yes, Dad.¡±

 A Cruel Plan, Sad Fate, and an Encounter

    A few days passed after the incident with the eggs. That''s when a group of people from outside arrived, about 18 to 20 people, maybe even more. They brought baskets, bags, and even some live animals in their carts. Two huge pigs and four sheep.


    Everyone in the chicken coop stopped what they were doing to watch. Rikko was just finishing his corn when he noticed all the commotion, so he took advantage of the fact that he was a little older to climb up on the fence and take a better look.


    What kind of crowd is this?


    There were people of all ages, women and men. Children ran around the farm making noise and stirring up birds in the trees by throwing stones and sticks. The men cleared the land with straw brooms, shovels and rustic rakes while the women divided into groups.


    Some younger women washed and peeled fruits and vegetables by the stream while singing and gossiping; the older women took the animals to the back of the house; the older women received the sacks and other items in the kitchen and from the hole in one of these sacks something that looked like flour was leaking. The dog had been tied under a tree far from the house, probably so that it wouldn¡¯t bite people.


    Wow, I think they¡¯re going to have a party! And a big one!


    Rikko felt very excited about all of this. It had been a while since he had attended a party, considering his previous life. Not that he could participate in the celebration itself, after all he was no longer human, but perhaps there would be leftovers that could be shared with the chicken coop. But it was then that the horrifying sounds of the animals in agony could be heard in the back of the house, and dark thoughts filled little Rikko¡¯s mind.


    Those screams¡­ those animals have just been sacrificed! Where there¡¯s a party, there¡¯s food, and if there¡¯s food¡­ there¡¯s meat! And we¡¯re meat too! What now?


    If there were any doubts left in Rikko¡¯s head, they were confirmed when the farmer came to the chicken coop with a basket and collected all the eggs there, not even leaving a single one for the brooding hens. Before leaving, he looked at the hens and then said in a low voice:


    ¡°What a mess. They throw us a party and we still have to offer food too. Thank goodness we don''t have to give them much. Two is already good enough.¡±


    What the hell is he saying? - Once again Rikko cursed herself for not being able to understand a single word, but one thing was certain: There would be chickens at the party, just not as guests.


    Rikko wasn''t the only one who realized this. Gelda was old enough to have seen this situation happen a few times before, and unlike the other chickens, she hadn''t forgotten about her friends being taken away. Her vengeful mind started working. She ran to her admirers and called them secretly.


    ¡°Come with me, we have things to discuss.¡±


    Rikko was still wandering around pecking at the pebbles, wondering what to do. Simply shouting ¡°run away, they¡¯re going to eat us all¡± wouldn¡¯t be much help, since the birds were raised with the resignation that they existed only to provide food. Trying to save only their parents might be the best thing to do, but how could he convince them to do so? It was then that, lost in thought, he heard:


    ¡°Hmm, they were delicious, weren¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°Yes, delicious! Dark, fresh and juicy, mmmm¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s tell the others!¡±


    ¡°No way! Let¡¯s go inside and come back later to eat more.¡±


    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s go, it¡¯ll be our little secret, hehe.¡±


    Three chickens had just returned from the hole in the back fence that led to the blackberry tree. The tree was indeed loaded, so it wasn¡¯t unlikely that there would be ripe blackberries on the ground. It was then that Rikko had an idea:


    That¡¯s it! I¡¯ll lure my parents outside by calling them to eat blackberries! If I do this when the farmer comes, we won¡¯t be in sight, and from there I¡¯ll try to convince them both to run away. It¡¯ll have to work!


    With the plan in place, Rikko thought it best to check if there were enough blackberries on the ground, or it would be difficult to keep the two of them occupied for long. He ran to the back of the chicken coop and climbed through the fence.


    _Oh, great! There¡¯s a lot!


    There were still a good amount of blackberries on the ground, especially around the tree trunk, where the juiciest ones were. The first part of the plan was complete, now all he had to do was lure his parents there.


    ¡°Since I''m here, I''ll eat some really quickly, and... HEY!¡±


    Rikko''s mistake was giving in to his greed. He didn''t expect Gelda to be waiting for him above him, and next to her, a large, heavy old basket hanging from the blackberry tree on the tip of an old branch. All Gelda had to do was push the basket with all her strength, making it fall on Rikko, trapping him. The chickens from before were just throwing the bait, and he fell like a duck. Or a chick.


    ¡°You didn''t expect that, did you, little thief?¡± - Gelda was now staring at him through a small hole in the basket.


    ¡°Get me out of here, you bag of feathers! Get me out of here now!¡±


    ¡°Oh, don''t be in such a hurry, you hasty little chick. Now if you''ll excuse me, I need to take care of my life. Oh, but don''t worry, your parents will come and get you. Or not, hihihihihihihihi!¡±


    ¡°You old coot! You''ll see when I leave! Come back here!¡±


    In the chicken coop, the chickens were still scratching around normally, when Gelda saw the farmer coming with a machete and a basket. She started running and screaming.


    ¡°FOX! FOX! There''s a fox coming this way! Everyone get inside!¡±


    Chaos took over. At first, everyone ran from one side to the other aimlessly, but then Goppa took control of the situation.


    ¡°Calm down! Let''s all go inside! Roosters, block the entrances from the inside, we can''t let the fox in! Kel! Kohko! What are you doing? Come on!¡±


    ¡°You guys go! We need to find Rikko!¡± - Kel shouted before turning his back and running.


    Goppa did not insist, the safety of the others was at stake. In a few seconds, almost everyone was inside the chicken coop. The roosters used their claws to hold the small doors that gave access to the nests, since the large door was always locked from the outside. The only ones who had not taken refuge were Kel and Kohko, who were looking for Rikko, and a proud Gelda who watched her victims from afar.


    ¡°Here he comes, I better go in now.¡±


    The farmer was already outside the fence. The machete he held in his hand gleamed sinisterly in the sunlight. He found it strange to see only two chickens walking around, but it didn''t matter. His appearance did not match his physical constitution, because he entered the fence with agility, closing it from the inside, and Kohko was already defenseless in front of him.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°OH NO! KEL, HELP ME!¡±


    The farmer wasted no time and the machete came down quickly, but instead of Kohko, Kel was the one who was hit while defending her, being hit hard in the right wing. Even injured, he managed to tear the farmer''s arm with his claws in a last-ditch effort before finally being caught and pressed to the ground.


    ¡°KEL!!!¡±


    ¡°DEAR, RUN AWAY-¡±


    The merciless machete claimed its new victim and Kel''s head rolled across the ground. Kohko was shocked to see her beloved decapitated, unable to escape the direct blow:


    ¡°Kel¡­¡±


    Their now lifeless bodies were placed in the basket that the farmer was carrying. Gelda, not feeling even a shred of compassion, took advantage of the farmer''s distraction to leave her hiding place.


    She approached the chicken coop, satisfied that she had stayed until the last moment. But when she tried to enter through one of the small doors, she realized that it was tightly closed. The person holding her from the inside was Kakke, who had seen everything that happened through a crack.


    ¡°OPEN! LET ME IN!¡±


    ¡°DON''T OPEN! The fox is outside! Hold on tight!¡± - Kakke shouted.


    No one dared to obey the voice that came from outside. Goppa, the only one who could notice Gelda''s absence, was too busy holding a small door on the opposite side, unable to hear his wife screaming in the midst of the confusion.


    ¡°BASTARDS! IT''S ME, OPEN! OPEN! O-¡±


    A sound was heard amidst the screams from outside and inside. Gelda was now just another decapitated corpse on the ground to be collected by the farmer.


    ¡°Two would be good, but I''ll take one more, just in case they complain.¡±


    Outside the fence, Rikko heard the commotion in the chicken coop, but there was nothing he could do. The heavy basket wouldn''t give in to his efforts and in the position he was in, he couldn''t see the farmer.


    About half an hour later, the noise in the henhouse was losing strength, but that only made him even more worried. The change in the chickens'' mood had been too sudden.


    Rikko was already exhausted from pushing and banging against the basket and didn''t notice that he had fallen asleep. When he woke up, he had forgotten about the time and the sunlight was already touching the basket under the blackberry tree and illuminating his eyes through a crack.


    ¡°The sun is already high. It must be around noon. I can''t take it anymore, I want to get out of here now! I want to look for my parents!¡±


    He made a move to start his fight against the basket again, but something caught his attention. He hadn''t noticed a spot of soft earth on the ground where one of the mulberry tree''s roots was.


    ¡°Can I dig and get out of here?¡±


    He concentrated all his strength on his feet to turn over the ground, which wasn''t as soft below that spot as he would have liked and there were some stones that were stubbornly refusing to budge. It took about an hour to dig a hole big enough to squeeze through and get under the basket.


    ¡°Oof, I did it! I need to go to the chicken coop now!¡±


    His feet were covered in dirt and bruised from the effort, but he couldn''t stop to rest, his concern for his parents was greater. When he arrived at the chicken coop, he found the chickens still shaken. There were signs of blood here and there on the ground. He felt that the worst had happened. Kakke and Goppa came to meet him.


    ¡°Rikko! Where have you been?¡± - Goppa was happy to see him for a moment, but then his expression changed.


    ¡°Kakke, you better tell him. I can''t.¡±


    ¡°Tell me what?¡±


    ¡°Rikko, forgive us. I don''t know how to tell you this, but... your parents were taken, along with Gelda.¡±


    Rikko couldn''t speak. He had already felt it, but having confirmation was even worse than the doubt. It took a while for him to regain his reasoning. But when Kakke and Goppa thought he would say something, he ran at full speed towards the main house. At that time, everyone present was eating and celebrating what seemed to be the farmers'' wedding anniversary. Kakke came after Rikko, trying to stop him, but it was too late.


    ¡°Rikko! ¡­ Please, don''t look. ¡°


    But he didn''t hear her. He didn''t want to hear. The celebrants were sitting around a huge improvised table. On the table, various country-style dishes were laid out, and among them¡­ a porcelain platter containing chicken remains that were being finished off.


    ¡°...no...¡±


    In a distant tree, the couple''s dog was tearing and gnawing at the remaining bones of her parents and Gelda. He felt no pity for his enemy; she had reaped what she had sown, after all. But he couldn''t say the same about her parents.


    ¡°Ugh! ¡°


    Sadness took over Rikko. His food wanted to go back down his throat, he felt dizzy, his legs lost strength. Those were not his original parents. They stayed in their old world, their old life. But the little time he spent with them made him feel loved once again, just as much. And now they were gone.


    He wanted to hate the farmers, but what was there to do? They lived their lives the way they could. Maybe he could hate the violence with which they killed his parents if Kakke decided to tell him how it happened, but the truth is that he preferred not to know. Now there was only one thought in his head.


    ¡°I''m leaving here.¡±


    ¡°So you decided. Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°I don''t know. Anywhere far from here will do. I just don''t want to stay here anymore.¡±


    ¡°Then go. Go right now, while no one is looking and don''t look back. Go ahead and live the life that Kel and Kohko gave you. Good luck, little one. May life be kinder to you.¡±


    ¡°Goodbye, Mrs. Kakke. Take care.¡±


    And then Rikko left, with only Kakke as a witness. Baggage? None. What could a simple chick carry with him? Certainly hatred and regret, in addition to the sadness over the death of his parents, which he could perhaps have postponed if he had not been deceived.


    For some reason, he remembered Julia at that moment. He wanted her to be there, comforting him. But now she was just a memory burning strangely in his chest.


    A few hours of walking and the farm could already be seen in the distance and night was giving its first signs. He felt hungry and thirsty, he also felt cold, but he wanted nothing more than to go far away. He would even prefer to die torn apart and chewed up in that forest by some monster or animal, it would have been better than staying in that damned place waiting for his turn to complete a meal.


    Ironic, isn''t it? Someone who once worked serving chiken, covering them with seasoning and frying them in hot oil, was now one of them and felt dejected by the death of two. If that wasn''t ironic, at least it would be sad. At least for Rikko now, with no route or destination.


    Night finally arrived. The two moons hung in the cloudless sky, two eyes of unequal sizes watching that pathetic little being. Too exhausted to continue, he found a hole at the base of a tree, and there he made his bed with dry leaves. And he fell asleep.


    His sleep was not peaceful. He reviewed memories of his past life, especially those he least wanted to see. His heart felt tight. He threatened to cry, and the vision of Julia appeared again and comforted him. Then he remembered the most recent events, felt despair and Julia welcomed him. And then he remembered his uncertain future, and Julia smiled at him.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be okay, Ricardo.¡±


    Ju-


    ¡°FINALLY FOUND YOU!¡±