Letters to Voltaire - Short Stories

The Wolves and the howling Rooster

In the deep countryside, there was a farmhouse inhabited by a large group of hens. The hens lived in peace worrying about hatching their eggs and waiting to peck at the grain every day for multiple times, with meals guaranteed comfortably at noon, in the middle of the afternoon, and just before midnight. As they gained weight, they enjoyed their lives waiting for the God of the chicks to take them to heaven.
One day, however, a pack of wolves approached their quiet farm, preeviding the possibility of a banquet early in the afternoon, so as to not spoil their mood with indigestion. Later in the day, the chief rooster was confronted by the leader of the wolves:
<<you are nice, fat and gallash, do you? But tell me, are chicken more bitten than you? Or are they fatter so much that I'm already hungry, even before seeing them?>>
When the rooster tried to speach a few miserable words, he caused general hilarity among the wolves, who hadn't leave before saying that the next morning they would kidnap and devour a "limping female hen". Immediately the rooster rushed into the chicken coop, so as to make everyone aware of the situation:
<<These wolves are really hungry. But for sake, who called them? Am I tastier, or is Susina down there? What did we do to them, oh, what did we do to them, oh Lord of chickens? Tomorrow everyone will be limping, so fools won't know which one to take.>>
And so they decided as that. The next day, here are the wolves, ready to take their meal. The chickens seemingly were all claudicant, and the thing at first sent the predators into confusion. But soon they realized that everyone limped on the same foot but a female hen, the only one who really was claudicant.
<<Oh sly Rooster, you gave the order and everyone executed: but didn't you thought that as they knelt, you were the only one who didn't lie down? That's why one dies today, and tomorrow another one will die.>>
The rooster was appalled. But there was no need to cry over each other: after all, one less hen was not a problem.
<<these wolves are really hungry. But for sake, who called them? Am I tastier, or is Siria over there? Tomorrow we will dye ourselves yellow, so they will believe we are too unripe and bitter to be eaten.>>
And so they did, making sure everyone was dyed the same color in order to not arouse suspicion. The next morning, here they are again at the chicken coop, ready to savor their prey. Incredibly, the trick seemed to work. But the smartest wolf thought that only the little chicks are yellow, so they ended up slaughtering all the yellow dyed, adult hens, leaving few elements still alive.
<<Oh sly Rooster, you gave the order and everyone executed: but didn't you thought that while everyone played, you were the only one who sang? For you are a hypocrite, many have died today and tomorrow it will be up to you.>>
The rooster did not believe to his ears. The wolf seemed very clear, and soon he would be the one to be devoured if he had not invented something.
<<These wolves wish to devour me. But for sake, do I really taste so good? If we're not united tomorrow, they're going to have a feast on me. Tomorrow you're going to do like me, and you're not going to say a word.>>
The next day the wolves still showed up at the chicken coop, now reduced to a lugubrious silence due to the disasters of the previous days. The hypocritical rooster, thinking he would be supported by the remaining population, disguised himself as a wolf while the wolves would have eaten the others. The rooster still howled among his fellow companions, but they did not react as he had anticipated. The wolves noticed the deception and killed him.
<<Oh sly Rooster, you gave an order, and everyone executed: you deserve this, for you can't fit a round peg into a square hole. You masked yourself with the best of intentions, and your own actions condemned you. Actually, this was a trivial excuse for the lunch of the strongest.>>