The Legend of Erhart

Do not judge by appearances. Sometimes those that are different have their places.

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Excitement was growing every minute near the hen house. The egg the boy from the big house placed in the nest belonging to Sally Hen, the prettiest chicken on the farm, moved! Yes, it moved. All of the animals near the hen house said it was a prank.

”Eggs cannot move,” they said.

“Yes they can,” Sally said. She had watched many eggs hatch into plump little chicks. Each time the egg moved just before a tiny hole appeared in the shell. Eventually a large enough opening would develop and a tiny chick would escape through the opening and unfold as a wet ball. When the ball dried a fluffy yellow chick would scurry about the farmyard with no concern for all of the other creatures living and scurrying about. “Yes, eggs can move,” Sally repeated. “I should know,” she said as she settled carefully over the egg to protect and warm it.

Behind the bales of hay that lined the hen house the snake listened and thought about the new hatchling. He saw the egg, but he was not able to get to it without causing the chickens to make noises that would alert the man who lived in the big house. That would certainly be a great deal of trouble for him, the snake that lived beneath the bales of hay that lined the hen house. No, he would wait and when the young chick scurried about in blind curiosity he the snake that lived beneath the hay bales that lined the hen house would enjoy a fine chicken dinner.

Everyone scurried out of the way as the boy who lived in the big house scuffed his feet along the trail between the big house and the hen house. Today was the day he was told the egg would hatch. But when he looked into Salle Hen’s nest the egg remained much the same as when he placed there nearly three weeks ago. Sadly the boy turned his back to the nest and began the long walk to the big house. If he waited just a little longer he too would have seen the egg move.

“Click, click, click”, the sound was barely audible, but Sally Hen heard it. She raced to the nest and carefully nestled down onto the egg. “Click, click, click,” yes she was sure the time had arrived. Sally lifted her plump body and cocking her head viewed the egg with her right eye. A small hole in the shell was at the center of a series of cracks extending away and partially around the egg. Click, click, click, and a piece of the shell fell away exposing a squirming ball of grey and red. Something is wrong, Sally thought, “ I never saw a chick that was grey and red.” She remembered that chicks were yellow and red!

Suddenly a struggling hatchling stretched its head, then chest, then body and finally legs out of the shell and into a waiting world. Now I know something is wrong” thought Sally Hen. Everyone began to gather near the hen house. They were attracted to Sally Hen’s cries of sadness. Her new chick was terribly ugly and she was certain everyone else thought so too. Only the toad that lived behind the downspout of the hen house’s rain gutter did not think the new hatchling was ugly. But the toad was not the prettiest of creatures so its opinion was not very valuable. The new hatchling had strange feet with long sharp toes. Its beak was bent so pecking corn from the ground was not going t o work. The hatchling would need to be fed. Looking more closely Sally Hen realized the new chick was a freak, everything seemed wrong. Everything!

The snake that lived behind the bales of hay that lined the hen house listened to all of the commotion and decided his chances at a fine chicken dinner were growing slimmed and slimmer. Maybe he should think about the toad that lived behind the downspout of the hen house rain gutter. Yes, a plump toad meal sounded pretty good!

The gathering of all the creatures and the uproar they were causing attracted the boy’s attention. He walked carefully, so as not to scare all of the creatures away, to the hen house. He immediately saw the cause for all of the noise. The egg hatched and Sally Hen was circling the nest, head down, stiff legs tossing dirt and gravel as she paced. “Yahoo” the boy yelled scaring all the animals into a panicked run. The boy turned and ran to the house to broadcast the news. “The egg hatched”, he repeated over and over. Then he suddenly stopped. He realized the new creature was probably hungry. The boy knew what to do. His father told him when he found the egg and put it into Sally Hen’s nest.

The Toad who lived behind the downspout of the hen house rain gutter spent the day watching and listening, His hearing was so good he could hear the flies buzz inside the hen house; hearing the gossip was easy. He was glad Sally Hen could not hear the things other hens and the other animals were saying, he did not think the new hatchling he called “Awesome” was a freak. He did not think Awesome was ugly. He did not think Sally Hen should just push Awesome out of her nest. No, he just knew Awesome was different.

The snake that lived behind the bales of hay that lined the hen house also thought the new hatchling was different. When he, the snake that lived behind the bales of hay that lined the hen house, would sneak out to peak at the new hatchling he would get shivers down his long spine. There was something about that bird that made him fear the day it hatched.

Each day the boy brought scraps of meat to feed the new hatchling he had named, Erhart. Each day he would talk to the rapidly growing bird and would hand feed him strips of fish caught in the pond on the other side of the big house than the hen house. “ Erhart”, he would say. “Someday all of the animals will be talking about you”. The boy did not know that all of the animals were already talking about Erhart. And all of them now called the ugly chick that lived in Sally Hen’s nest “Erhart.”

One day while Sally Hen was strutting around the yard picking up corn kernels’ and pebbles she saw out of the corner of her eye, a slow, careful, silent movement from the bales of hay that lined the hen house. It was a sneaky movement slowly toward the down spout of the hen house rain gutter.

“Oh my, Oh my,” Sally shouted. “Oh my, oh my, HIDE, Mr. Toad!” The toad that lived behind the down spout of the hen house rain gutter rolled his big eyes. That was a special thing only toads and frogs could do. He could look in front, in back, overhead, underneath and sideways without moving his head. Then he too saw the movement. “Do not look into his eyes”, he muttered aloud. He remembered how as a very young toad, just after losing his tail, the advice the field mouse had given him. “If you look into his eyes that can put you to sleep and then you cannot escape him,” the mouse had warned. Hop, hop, hop and the toad that lived behind the down spout of the hen house rain gutter quickly ran away from the snake that lived behind the bales of hay that lined the hen house. Today would not be the day for a fat toad meal. The snake that lived behind the hay bales that lined the hen house looked at Sally Hen and hissed, “The next time I may get that ugly thing in your nest instead of the ugly toad that lives behind the downspout of the hen house rain gutter!” It was two days before Mr. Toad returned to his home behind the downspout of the hen house rain gutter. Everyone rejoiced at his return for they feared he left forever. Even the snake that lives beneath the bales of hay that lined the hen house was glad to see him return. But of course the snake’s joy was for a more sinister reason. Mr. Toad thanked everyone for their concerns and well wishes, but he especially thanked Sally Hen to whom he said with his deep voice, “Thee is a most outstanding creature. Thee has risked thine own life to save this humble toad. I am most grateful fair hen”. Sally Hen blushed!

“Thee and thine,” “hissed the snake that lived beneath the bales of hay that lined the hen house.” I will not forget thee and thine!”

Erhart was growing rapidly. The boy had to feed him almost continuously. What should have been white feathers were brown. Where a red comb should have been was covered with feathers that seemed to stand on end when Erhart screamed his high pitched scream. Where his legs should have been a pale yellow, bare and covered with scales, Erhart’s were strong feather-covered legs that ended in feet strong enough to hold the fish the boy brought while his sharp beak ripped away chunks for each bite. One day when Sally Hen was trying to snuggle into the nest to protect him, Erhart flapped his wings and sent Sally Hen squawking from the nest. Everyone was amazed. Erhart’s wings were gigantic. They seemed to fill the hen house from front to back. His body, they noticed he too was huge and he stood differently than any other chickens in the yard. “His butt drags” they all laughed. But Sally Hen didn’t laugh. Mr. Toad didn’t laugh, and the snake that lived beneath the bales of hay that lined the hen house didn’t laugh. In fact the snake that lived beneath the bales of hay that lined the hen house felt one of those shivers down his long spine. Erhart looked much like the creatures the snake’s grandfather told him about. The snake that lived beneath the bales of hay that lined the hen house thought those were tales to scare little snakes into behaving. Now he was not so sure.

But more importantly, other things were happening. While everyone was looking at Erhart, and a still dazed Sally Hen, the toad that lives behind the downspout of the hen house rain gutter was resting in the shade of the water trough. A small leak kept his resting place cool and wet.

Slowly and ever so quietly the snake that lived beneath the bales of hay that lined the hen house inched his way across the yard toward the water trough. Slowly, slowly, slowly” the snake that lived beneath the bales of hay that lined the hen house kept reminding himself. Do not move too quickly or make noises the others can hear, he thought.

The toad that live behind the downspout of the hen house rain gutter watched a fly circle the water trough and land near the small leak that kept the toad’s resting place cool and wet. SWAP! And the fly was gone. The toad that lives behind the downspout of the hen house rain gutter, with a smile on his face, pushed the fly, now stuck on the tip of his tongue, down his throat with his eyes. The other animal had marveled at that skill when he first did it in the farmyard. But this time only one animal saw the fly serve as a toad meal. That just added to my fine toad dinner, the snake that lived beneath the bales of hay that lined the hen house laughed to himself.

Suddenly it was very quiet in the yard. All of the creatures stared in amazement. One second the toad that lived behind the downspout of the hen house rain gutter and the snake that lived beneath the bales of hay that lined the henhouse were side-by-side, nose-to-nose, then WHOOSH! He was gone.

Everyone looked up. The snake that lived beneath the bales of hay that lined the henhouse, twisted and turned. An instant ago he felt the ground beneath the length of his entire body, now the only things he felt were the narrow bands wrapped tightly about him. All of the animals looking up at the sight saw Erhart, with the snake that lived beneath the bales of hay that lined the hen house in his feet, flap his gigantic wings and fly over a hill and out of sight.

The toad that lived behind the downspout of the hen house rain gutter was just beginning to realize how close he came to being a feast for the snake that lived beneath the bales of hay that lined the hen house. All of the animals also realized that their friend the toad that lived behind the downspout of the hen house rain gutter was been saved , AT THE LAST MOMENT, by someone much more capable than they; Erhart!

Sally Hen was happy for the toad that lived behind the downspout of the hen house rain gutter, and she was happy that the threat of the snake that lived beneath the bales of hay that lined the hen house was gone. She was happy for Erhart who she raised in her nest. But that was also why she was sad. Erhart had flown away with the snake that lived beneath the bales of hay that lined the henhouse, but the fact was Erhart flew away.

All of the animals were trying to make Sally Hen happy. They were saying, ”Erhart looked so brave,” and, “Erhart looked so big and strong.” They all agreed that Erhart was a hero and they were lucky he had been there to protect them.

The toad that lived behind the downspout of the hen house rain gutter could only shake his head in disbelief. Only a short time ago these same creatures were saying Erhart was a freak, and Erhart was ugly, and Sally Hen should push him out of her nest.

Then he saw it. Because he could see in all directions without turning his head, the toad that lives behind the downspout of the hen house rain gutter saw the speck in the sky. It was coming over the ridge.

A large shadow moved across the ground and everyone looked upward. Soaring effortlessly and with great majesty was Erhart. His wings turned up slightly at the tips and his tail was fanned out like a colorful kite. He seemed to float on the clouds.

“Oh, Erhart,” Sally Hen called out, “Where did you go?”

“I took the snake that lived beneath the bales of hay that lined the hen house over the hills and far away. He will never find his way back to harm the toad that lives behind the downspout of the hen house rain gutter. Each day I will fly above the yard to be sure no other snake will come to live beneath the bales of hay that line the hen house.”

So a tale was born and all young snakes were warned that Erhart, a guardian of the yard, soared in the sky above and if they decided to live beneath the bales of hay that lined the hen house, or tried to make a meal of the toad the lived behind the downspout of the hen house rain gutter, Erhart would come down and carry them over the hills to where they could not find their way back to the yard where Sally Hen had her nest.

…to be continued... forever.

By Robert L. Scarry

From: United States

Twitter: usnavy1990bob

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