Once, a cook kept a hen in his kitchen. The cook also owned a falcon. The hen knew that the cook would kill her one day. She felt very frightened. Thus, she went about looking miserable. She hid in the kitchen all day and did not talk to anyone. Finally, the day arrived when she was to be killed and cooked. The cook and his helpers went near the hen and tried to bring her to the cooking stove. However, the hen was so afraid that she did not move. Then suddenly, she jumped on a cupboard. The falcon was watching the hen. He said to her, “The cook is calling you. Go to him as I do when he calls me.” The poor hen replied sadly, “The cook’s call for me is a sign of death. For you, it is not a matter of worry, though.”
The Poor Hen
