Native fowls or cocks – Emmaculate Ferdinando
You see all these native fowls or cocks. ????
They are relatively damn fast and Smart.
Maybe because they are indigenous.
Sometimes, I feel they are quite faster than a Panther.
During one of the Christmas holiday, a day to Christmas to be precise.
A woman came to were I and my friends were playing Street football.
She beckoned on us to assist her in catching her cock which was on the run.
The four of us were happy.
This is something as young boys we loved doing.
Running round the neighborhood to catch domestic animals is one useless activity we derive joy in doing.
Most often times, we run after goats.
That day happened to be the first time we would be chasing a native fowl.
We were used to chasing the type of chicken they call “Agric”
Those ones hardly run well.
“It will be an easy task”
We though to ourselves.
The woman showed us were the cock had run to.
Immediately, we all sprang into action.
We gave the cock a very good chase of it life. ? ? ?
Surprisingly, the cock was prepare and up for the game.
It ran swiftly and effortlessly through the street.
It gave us some. Distance.
We didn’t give up.
We continued our quest.
Ordinary chicken!
Mbanu!!
We can’t give up.
In the course of the chase, the chicken came to a closed street.
This type of street that doesn’t lead to another street.
We were happy that at last, the cock had entered our trap.
Or have you forgotten?
Everyday for the thief and one day for the owner. ? ? ? ?
The cock went close to the fence, anticipating it’s next move.
The four of us gathered around it with formation 2-2
That tactic formation Liverpool used in knocking Barcelona out of the Champions League ? ? ?
Two of us at the front and the other two at the back.
The both of us at the front advanced carefully l towards the cock. ? ?
As we advanced, the other guy whispered to me.
“At the count of 3 we jump together “
” ok”
“1….2……3…”
Boom!!!!
Both us dived towards the chicken the way Nerma always dive in the box 18.
The cock was smart.
We were foolish.
As we dived, the cock flew over us, like a fly over bridge. ? ?
We missed the cock,
And hit our head against the fence. ????
Hushhh!!!!! ? ?
It was damn painful. ? ? ? ?
Stupid chicken, you are dead today. ? ? ?
The other two defenders behind weren’t expecting what happened.
Immediately the cock flew past we the strikers,
It landed on the face of one of the unsuspecting boys behind and gave him a scratch on his eye.
The next thing we heard was a cry of pain.
“Yey oju mi….. Oju mi” ( Yey.. My eyes my eyes)
We momentarily forgot our plight and laughed real hard. ? ? ?
“Omo o le” ( lazy boy) the other boy behind said to him.
“So you’re yelling like a dying man because of a cock “? ? ?
” You are mad” the injured boy replied him.
Rubbing our heads the same way “papa Ajasco” always do to his, we ran after the cock.
This time, more annoyed and fierce.
On sighting us, the cock began the death race.
I told you these cocks are smart. ?
It ran back to the owner’s Street.
The woman was outside waiting.
As the cockroach approached her, we screamed that she should block the way and never allow it to pass.
Instead of this woman to ‘Jejely’ and humbly respect her age. She didn’t.
She came towards the cock, facing it one on one.
You remember that David and Goliath fight?
The way David faced Goliath one on one.
That was what she did.
Someone should have told her that catching a native fowls was not about age.
In fact, it’s about how young you are.
As the cock approached her, she was shouting “Emu! Emu!! Emu!” ( catch it! Catch it! Catch!)
The next event that followed was one we the kids of that neighborhood never forgot in a long while.
On getting close to her,
Mama dived like “Degea” (Manchester United keeper) but unfortunately for her, just like how Messi goal passed through Degea, the cock passed through mama “Torros” (in between her legs) ? ? ?
The next thing we saw was mama lying flat on the ground shouting ? ?
“Yey Yey Yey……… Owo mi” ( my hands)
We were perplexed.
We couldn’t laugh ? ?
We couldn’t shout.
We were confused.
We don’t know whether to help mama get up from the ground, Or continue chasing the cock.
We chose the former.
We forgot about the cock and went to help mama.
We helped her get up.
On getting up, She said,
“Thank you my children, please leave that stupid chicken alone. Let it go an die, it’s not me it will kill “
We smiled.
Mama never knew the joy in us when she made that statement.
We ourselves, we were tired of chasing the useless cock ?? ? ?
? ? ? ?
Native fowls or cocks
