HE WOULDN’T LET GO OF THE CHICKEN—AND I DIDN’T HAVE THE HEART TO TELL HIM WHY SHE WAS MISSING YESTERDAY
That’s Nugget.
She’s not just a chicken. She’s his chicken.
Every morning before school, he runs outside barefoot—even in the cold—to find her. He talks to her like she’s a classmate, tells her about spelling tests and what he thinks clouds are made of. She follows him like a dog. Waits by the porch until he gets home.
We thought it was cute at first. Then we realized it was more than that.
After his mom left last year, he got quiet. Stopped smiling the way he used to. Wouldn’t even touch his pancakes, and those used to be sacred to him. But then Nugget started hanging around—this awkward puff of yellow that wandered into our yard from who-knows-where.
And something clicked.
He smiled again. Started eating. Sleeping. Laughing. All because of this one goofy bird.
Yesterday, Nugget was gone.
We searched everywhere. Coop, woods, roadside. No feathers, no tracks, nothing. He cried himself to sleep with her photo clutched in his little fist.
And then this morning—there she was.
Just standing in the driveway like nothing happened. A little muddy. A scratch on her beak. But alive.
He scooped her up, eyes shut tight like he was afraid she might disappear again. Wouldn’t let her go. Not for breakfast, not for school, not for anything.
And as I stood there watching him, I noticed something tied around her leg.
A tiny red ribbon. Frayed at the edges.
And a tag I hadn’t seen before.
It said:
“She kept crossing the road. I kept bringing her back.
Thought someone might be missing her.
Glad she found her way home.”
—Your neighbor, Jack (in the green house)
Turns out, Nugget’s little adventure led her two houses down, where an old man saw her pecking around his yard. He kept her safe overnight, gave her a little water and corn, and figured someone nearby had to be looking for her.
I looked at my son, still wrapped around her like his life depended on it.
I didn’t tell him what the note said. I just let him hold her.
Because sometimes, we don’t need the whole story.
Sometimes, all a heart needs… is to know it wasn’t left behind.
