Shortstory collections

The Surgery

"O no, the egg is cracking" whisper panicked Nina

Nina squinted her little grey eyes at the egg, then turned around and ran to her papa's room to deliver the urgent message.

Jack hurried to the table with a towel in hand and checked the temperature of the incubator. All seems fine.

"Phew," he exhaled a nervous breath.

Jack thought back to yesterday when he stumbled upon the rock of an egg accidentally in the forest while in search of firewood. He fell on it real hard yet it didn't break. But that's not what intrigued him, it was the fascinating design made in black ink. If he had to describe it, he would say "It's an ancient symbolic art with lines curved together which looked like the wings dancing and flying, using black ink on a white shell". It was half the size of his little finger.

He checked the surrounding as well up in the trees nearby to find the source of the egg. And found none. He returned home and even washed it to see if the design fades off. Nothing came off. He checked the rock to see if it really is an egg and if the life within is still alive. Thankfully it is.

But seven-year-old Nina had never seen such a beautiful egg.

"I want the egg to be my pet" Nina demanded in Jack's ear while he was crouched down to put the egg in the incubator. Thankfully he had the egg incubator from his parents.

Startled, Jack almost knocked his head in the incubator door and replied "Eggs can't be pets, Nina and you already have Ghost. Did you feed him this morning?" Ghost is the lizard that Nina insisted to keep, as a pet and also she named it.

"But I want it"

"No, you can't and it's final"

Heartbroken Nina went away only to return with a pint of ice cream.

"I want to feed the egg", Nina demanded

"Eggs have no mouth", Jack dryly replied.

"Then I will eat Maya's portion too"

Jack raised his brows at the name, "You are not eating all of it", he retorted and picked Nina up only to be manhandle by that little dinosaur and had to put her down.

Jack took out a lock from the cabinet nearby and locked the incubator door. A trick he learned over time.

Nina red with anger and ran up to her room only to return with her pillow, blankets. She made herself a little cozy bed near the incubator and called it a night staring through the glass at the egg.

"Dinner's ready "Jack called out

Hungry Nina ran to the dining table and gobbled her food down in 5 min and resumed her position.

Jack shook his head with a small smile playing on his lips at his daughter's antique.

Returning back to present jack was in the bathroom doing morning business when Nina hollered him to the incubator, the first thing she did after waking up.
Anyway mystery still remains, what egg is it?

The egg shook slightly. Looking down jack found Nina eagerly trying to shake the incubator with her very strong hands and well, body.

"look it cracked again", Nina shouted

"Calm down Nina your gonna scare the egg", Jack replied with his full attention on the egg

"Looks like Maya is struggling to break out of the egg, let's give her some more time", Jack observed

"Ok", Nina replied with a nod still staring at the egg with no intention to move

"If you won't go to brush and freshen up Ghost will leave you and go away forever"

That sent Nina running back to her room.

Jack returned to check the egg after five hours. No more cracks, this had jack's hand turn clammy with sweat. He picked the egg and checked if Maya is still hanging in there.
And Like a strong warrior, it is still there.
Jack quickly made up his mind to give the egg a survival surgery.

Yes, surgery. He took out his phone, a screw, a table lamp, and a warm towel from near the fireplace.

He tied his hair into a man bun and started on the operation.

He switched on the lamp then the torchlight in the phone and searched for the air cell by placing the egg over the torchlight. It cast a mixer of translucent and opaque shadow in the egg. He could feel Maya moving in the egg but perhaps she doesn't have enough energy to break through so he came up with the idea to make a hole in the air cell to give Maya the oxygen supply and get strong and breakthrough. Hope it works.

He picked the tiny screw and positioned it to the area where he located the air cell and started to spin it gently on the shell between his two fingers with slight to no pressure. Work is slow but it has to be done this way. Jack did not notice Nina standing by his desk.

Jack felt no more movement.

"hang in there little one, just a little longer", jack whispered as well as blowing warm air from his mouth to the egg keeping it warm.

It is 3 min 20s already, jack needs to work fast. He sped up the surgery and at precise 3min 56s, the hole was made.

No sound, no movement.

Thinking he was too late, "I am sorry Nina", he said solemnly

Nina had tears sparkling in her eyes and almost rolling down her cheek.

CRACK

Both turned to the egg so fast Jack almost fell out of his chair.

Nina was beyond excited jumping up and down.

Jack looked at Nina and back at Maya

"Unbelievable", he exclaimed

"I love Maya she is so beautiful, daddy can I hug it", Nina asked

"It's not real", Jack said and laughed nervously

"Yess it is"

"What is it even?"

"Can't you see daddy its Maya"

"No, I meant how is this possible"

"It's a chicken"

The end

Little did they know it was no ordinary chicken. 😉