I knew there was something wrong the moment I stepped foot into the backyard. The birds were not singing and the squirrels were not chattering. There was no noise at all in the yard which was unusual for it being so early on a summer morning.
Before I stepped one foot farther into the yard, I scanned to see what was disturbing everything so much. As I couldn’t’ spot any disturbance to the yard, I continued to the chicken coop in hopes I would find my breakfast. Money had been tight lately so I relied on the eggs my few chickens laid for most of my food. Most days I spent in fear that something would happen to my main food source and only source of protein.
My sense of unease increased as I neared the coop. The silence was disturbing and my heart continued to fall to my stomach. The chickens were not clucking and moving around like normal. I stopped in my tracks when I saw the feathers spread around the edge of the coop. I took a deep breath as I scanned the yard. The feathers seemed to be a little too perfect to be left by an animal. That’s when the ma came out from behind the coop, holding a knife.
“What took you so long?” He asked grinning. He looked like the lunatic I knew he was. My father was back to finish the job that had sent him to jail in the first place.
Standing Room Only 