The Great Rooster Heist

[Forward: This story is dedicated to my dearest; Giogi Silveroak. He was my rescuer in many times of crisis and taught me to revel in the comedy of life even when things were grim.]

Every great thief needs a fitting back story; something mysterious and romantic to cloak their persona in a veil of wonder. That is where our story begins, far -far- back into the distant past of an aspiring young thief.

Night fell across a small village surrounded by farms. Any laymen might think that there was little beyond vegetables to steal here but a true thief could easily see the potential hidden within. As luck would have it, that night a young thief crouched from house to house adding the occasional roll for flare and safety. He couldn’t afford to get caught during such a momentous task; a heist.

The thief pressed up against the barn; his target was now in view. In the window of the nearby house slept a rooster. The moonlight draped over the animal making it glow as if it were a dragon’s treasure or a maiden in need of rescuing. He steeled himself. He knew that if he rid the town of the Rooster, that woke everyone far too early, he would be lauded as a hero.

He crept up to the front door and readied his lock picks. He had worked on crafting the perfect picks for what would surely be the hardest lock of all time. The thief barely touched the door before it swung open. It was unlocked.

Clearly it was a trap, he thought. If not a real trap, then it was something meant to lull you into a false sense of security. It was a cunning plan but he could see past it. He was not going to be fooled.

He approached the sleeping rooster. Now it was only a matter of grabbing the beast and getting out. The easy part, he thought. One might think that you would bring a sack for such a job but have you ever tried to get a rooster into a sack? It is extraordinarily hard, even for a Master Thief.

He grabbed the rooster and made for the door but the wretched beast started to cry out, struggle and fight back! He was a thief; he was not equipped to fight. There was no other choice but to flee or he would risk getting caught. He made his daring escape out the front door running straight home.

In spite of tremendous danger, he lived through the ordeal to thieve another day. No vegetable in the village would be safe as long as he ruled the nights.

Written by Sawyer Tengille