My name is Ghini. I am a tiny chicken of a guinea-fowl – though I am full-on fluffy with clear stripes, my wings are still only the size of plasters - so my elders are a bit sceptical yet, about all I want to say. But I want to send out this story to the big world of chickens like you, out there, yay!
We guinea-fowls are one big large family, that I know. You may have seen us out walking and scratching and pecking for things, in the dust. We find all sorts of interesting titbits we do. And some human friends kindly throw us seeds, or leave us water. Us chicks always have a nanny or two, herding us about.
There are many dangers we have to face every day. Uncle Gill told me about things called snakes, but I haven’t seen them yet. Huge things called cars are always heading straight for us. And dogs, who snap and bark. Today I had a most frightening adventure so now I have much more to say, and my uncles and aunts they say, tell the world Ghin!
Today I was following an interesting insect with many legs… Suddenly I fell down into a space - I guess you may call it a sunken drain. I couldn’t see a way out, and though I cheeped my lungs hoarse, no guinea’s in earshot. Suddenly appeared what they warned me so often about. Zsa Zsa, the fearsome cat! I cheeped and cheeped. She put her face up close and stared at me, with big green saucer eyes. I knew something not very nice might happen not long after.
Cheep! Cheep! Cheep! I yelled. This carried on for a frightening while. Then, praise be, I heard a human shouting, Zsa Zsa! And before Zsa Zsa could do what a fearsome cat might do (I am still here to tell the tale), a pale human hand scooped me up, and clapped out the sky with a palm. I sat in the pink, wondering, what now? The human was talking to me, she was, I think saying nice things, but I was worried, yes I was.
And then the human was carrying me here, and carrying me there, and talking to lots of other humans on the way. We went on a long walk down a road, and I was cheeping now, more worried, I was. Suddenly the sky opened up again, and she dropped me on the banks of a stream. Eish, now I had no idea where I was. I looked about, grass, a butterfly, I guess I must move… She was standing watching me, and then she came nearer, I ran, and … she scooped me up again!
By now I was praying like we do, to Great Creator Guinea, please save me! I want to be a great guinea, I want to live and do what great guinea’s do! And this is how I know a prayer never goes unheard. The human, clasping me in the soft pink shroud, carried me back up the long long road, but this time I could hear in my head what she was saying! She was holding me to her heart, and she was praying, let us hear little guinea, where our hearts may us lead! We entered some bushes, and then lo and behold, I could make out the sound of my old Uncle Gill in the fold! She threw me (a bit hard) and I rolled in the dust, but I jumped up and ran for all I was bust.
And so other chickens, my brothers and sisters out there, here’s what I want to say, please lend an ear. There are humans out there who can speak with their hearts, have good cheer! Who know how to listen to the stuff that’s in here - and in the space around us everywhere. The stuff we can’t see, but makes us all one; when all humans know this, the future may be fun!
Story by Carolyn, pictures by Nina
We guinea-fowls are one big large family, that I know. You may have seen us out walking and scratching and pecking for things, in the dust. We find all sorts of interesting titbits we do. And some human friends kindly throw us seeds, or leave us water. Us chicks always have a nanny or two, herding us about.
There are many dangers we have to face every day. Uncle Gill told me about things called snakes, but I haven’t seen them yet. Huge things called cars are always heading straight for us. And dogs, who snap and bark. Today I had a most frightening adventure so now I have much more to say, and my uncles and aunts they say, tell the world Ghin!
Today I was following an interesting insect with many legs… Suddenly I fell down into a space - I guess you may call it a sunken drain. I couldn’t see a way out, and though I cheeped my lungs hoarse, no guinea’s in earshot. Suddenly appeared what they warned me so often about. Zsa Zsa, the fearsome cat! I cheeped and cheeped. She put her face up close and stared at me, with big green saucer eyes. I knew something not very nice might happen not long after.
Cheep! Cheep! Cheep! I yelled. This carried on for a frightening while. Then, praise be, I heard a human shouting, Zsa Zsa! And before Zsa Zsa could do what a fearsome cat might do (I am still here to tell the tale), a pale human hand scooped me up, and clapped out the sky with a palm. I sat in the pink, wondering, what now? The human was talking to me, she was, I think saying nice things, but I was worried, yes I was.
And then the human was carrying me here, and carrying me there, and talking to lots of other humans on the way. We went on a long walk down a road, and I was cheeping now, more worried, I was. Suddenly the sky opened up again, and she dropped me on the banks of a stream. Eish, now I had no idea where I was. I looked about, grass, a butterfly, I guess I must move… She was standing watching me, and then she came nearer, I ran, and … she scooped me up again!
By now I was praying like we do, to Great Creator Guinea, please save me! I want to be a great guinea, I want to live and do what great guinea’s do! And this is how I know a prayer never goes unheard. The human, clasping me in the soft pink shroud, carried me back up the long long road, but this time I could hear in my head what she was saying! She was holding me to her heart, and she was praying, let us hear little guinea, where our hearts may us lead! We entered some bushes, and then lo and behold, I could make out the sound of my old Uncle Gill in the fold! She threw me (a bit hard) and I rolled in the dust, but I jumped up and ran for all I was bust.
And so other chickens, my brothers and sisters out there, here’s what I want to say, please lend an ear. There are humans out there who can speak with their hearts, have good cheer! Who know how to listen to the stuff that’s in here - and in the space around us everywhere. The stuff we can’t see, but makes us all one; when all humans know this, the future may be fun!
Story by Carolyn, pictures by Nina
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