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Welcome to Stories Podcast.
I'm your host, Amanda Weldon.
Today's story is called Chicken Pickens, an adaptation of a classic fable written for you by Daniel Hines.
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Once upon a time, there was a teeny tiny little itty bitty baby chick named Vicky.
She had hatched just a few days earlier and she was nothing more than a handful of yellow fluff, bright as the sunshine hitting a sunflower on a sunny day.
Her voice was as small as she was, a little pip-pip-peep that floated through the air like one of her fine downy feathers.
Vicky had a handful of fuzzy teeny tiny little itty bitty baby chick brothers and sisters, and they were nice enough, but as teeny tiny little itty bitty as they were, Vicky was even teeny tiny little itty bittier, so she got pushed around when it came time to eat.
And that bothered Vicky.
Because, while she hadn't been around the big wide world very long, she'd been around just long enough to learn one very important fact.
She loved corn.
Yep, yeah, and yessiree, there was nothing like corn.
When she was a baby, she ate it in tiny cracked pieces, and now that she was a slightly older baby, she ate corn kernels broken into chunks.
One day, she hoped to have an entire kernel of corn all to herself.
But she always had to share.
And her mom told her, Vicky chicky.
A corn kernel is the size of your head.
You can't eat it.
But Vicky knew in her teeny, tiny little, itty bitty heart of hearts that she could definitely eat a whole kernel.
So it was one beautiful fall morning that the little chickie Vicky was pecking around the farmyard eating little pieces of cracked corn with her little beak and dreaming of a giant, whole golden kernel to herself.
One day, I'll eat a whole kernel like Mom, she said to herself.
I'll get a whole kernel, and I'll eat it, and I will be full for a week.
I'll be... Oh, what's that?
Her little eye had spied something glowing golden, half buried in the dirt of the farmyard.
Could it be corn? she asked, her eyes going wide and bright as new pennies.
She hopped through the yard and came to the item in the dirt.
It wasn't corn, but it was glowing a beautiful sunny yellow and had a big chunk of what looked like glass on it.
The glass caught the sunlight and reflected little rainbows all over.
It was the second most beautiful thing Vicky had ever seen.
The first being, of course, corn.
What is this? she said, scratching in the dirt and then pulling it free.
She looked at the strange object until she remembered what her mom had called it.
It's a ring, she said.
A golden diamond ring.
Now you might think it's strange that a mom chicken had told her chicks about a diamond ring, but it's not so strange as all that.
Vicky's mom had sung her a song that your mom might have sung you.
It goes, Hush little baby, don't say a word.
Mama's gonna buy you a mockingbird.
Which made sense, since Vicky had several friends who were mockingbirds and several enemies who were birds.
She liked to mock.
But the second line is, And if that mockingbird don't sing, Mama's gonna buy you a diamond ring.
That hadn't made sense.
Vicky and her brothers and sisters had peeped and pipped and even perped at their mom until she explained all about rings and diamonds and how humans thought that they were very valuable.
Valuable?
And now Vicky had one all to herself!
She picked up the diamond ring in her little beak and carried it off into a corner of the farmyard by the old gate.
The grass was always mowed short there, and the farmer's dogs kept the mean animals out, so it was a good spot for a teeny, tiny little, itty-bitty chick to hide and think.
I have this ring, she said to herself, thinking hard.
But what I want is corn.
It was a hard problem, especially when you had a teeny tiny little itty bitty brain.
But eventually, Vicky Chickie figured it out.
She could trade the ring for corn.
She had seen the farmer trade all sorts of things with people, usually vegetables for coins.
But she'd also seen everything from furniture and yes, even jewelry, traded for big bags of sweets or other fancy items.
Like corn.
So with that in mind, Vicky Chickie picked up the ring in her little beak and tottered across the lawn.
She tottered past the big cows mooing at their milking, then tottered past the pale pigs wallowing in their mud.
She tottered past the horses stomping in their stables and finally she tottered right down to the driveway and into the little farmer's market at the end of the lane.
Now it was only a little farmer's market, just the locals all coming together once a week to sell to the city.
Folks who drove out.
But to a teeny, tiny little itty bitty chicky like Vicky, it seemed like the biggest, most impressive festival in the history of the world.
There were stalls selling eggs, her mom's eggs, even though she didn't know it.
And there were stalls selling fine homemade cheeses wrapped in paper.
There was syrup and jams and bread and linens and crafts and just everything a little bird brain could think of, and more.
What a busy market, Vicky said to herself, looking all around and taking special care not to get stepped on.
I wonder where I should trade my ring.
She looked left and she looked right and she saw a woman who was selling ears of corn, all of them piled beautifully in a basket.
Vicky peeped in delight and then hurried over to the booth, dodging humans and dogs and the occasional tripping toddler.
We'll be back with the rest of the story after this.
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This is an ad for Nanimals.
Hi, Stories fans.
Pets are great, but have you ever tried putting a parakeet in your pocket or a cat in your backpack?
Spoiler alert, it won't go well.
But Nanimals are the perfect pals to play with on the go.
Nanimals are mini animal figures with heart meters that fill up the more you pet feed and move them.
They interact with you by making over 70 sounds and silly reactions.
And if you have more than one, nanomoles will interact with each other too.
You can connect them and swap their textured outfits to create different styles.
Nanimals are tactile and tiny, making them a great toy to fidget with on the go.
And since they come with a handy backpack clip, it's easy to take them anywhere.
Nanimals, collect and connect.
Hello!
Vicky said when she got to the stall.
Of course she was too small to hear, so she had to climb up on the tablecloth and stand right in front of the woman.
Hello?
Can you hear me?
Oh, hello, little chick, said the woman.
What can I do for you today?
I'm looking to trade for some corn, said Vicky.
The woman looked at her skeptically, and you can probably imagine why.
The little baby chick was standing there peeping at her, and what could it possibly hope to trade?
I don't think we can do business, said the woman.
But I have this to trade, said Vicky, reaching into her puffy yellow feathers and pulling out the diamond ring.
The woman at the stall gasped.
Where did you get that?
I found it, said Vicky.
That's much too valuable for a teeny-tiny little itty-bitty chick like you.
The woman said, reaching for the ring.
Give that here.
For the corn? asked Vicky.
For nothing, said the woman.
Who will believe a chick?
Thief!
Vicky shouted, and she leapt off the woman's table, the ring held tight in her beak.
It was a long way down, but she was just a ball of fuzz, and while her wings didn't fly yet, they could help her glide just fine.
She hit the ground with a plop and then ran across the market, leaving the nasty woman far behind.
Next, she saw a man who had a whole table of random stuff.
Everything from toys and sports stuff to watches and jewelry, like her ring.
As she watched, the man took a ring from another woman and gave her a handful of something in return.
Oh, the jewelry trader, said Vicky.
He's the man I need.
With the ring tucked back in her feathers, she made her careful way across the market yard and onto the man's table.
He looked at her and then smiled a wide smile.
Hello, little chick, he said.
What can Uncle Sal help you with today?
I have this ring, said Vicky, pulling it out for the man to see.
He smiled at the ring and then, with Vicky's permission, picked it up and looked it over.
He looked at it far away and then looked at it up close with a little magnifying glass.
Then he looked at it under the table in the dark and fully up in the sun.
He buzzed it with some strange tool and then put it down in front of Vicky Chickie again.
It's a real diamond ring and a very nice quality, he said.
The stone is small but clear.
I could give you a thousand dollars for this ring right now.
Interesting offer, said Vicky Chickie.
Very interesting offer.
Extremely superbly interesting offer.
I just have one question.
What's that?
What is a dollar?
Asked Vicky.
Not sure if the little chick was joking or not.
The man peeled a 10 bill off of his stack and laid it in front of the chicken.
Vicky looked at it.
Kind of pretty, sort of green.
Then she smelled it.
Very funky.
Not good at all.
Finally, she bent down and tasted a corner.
Blech!
No, thank you, she said.
These taste terrible.
Why would I want a thousand of them?
They taste... No, you can trade dollars for things you want.
But teeny tiny little itty bitty Vicky had teeny tiny little itty bitty patience too, and she was already done listening.
So she jumped off the table and walked away before she could hear the man explain that money could buy things like corn, which is, of course, all she wanted to buy to begin with.
Finally, Vicky saw a table that was practically bursting with corn.
It had stalks of corn out front, ears of corn shucked and ready to go, and even jars of canned corn as relish and soup.
Oh, my corn Vicky said, running full speed to the table and practically throwing herself to the top of it.
Why, hello, little chickadee, said the old woman behind the table.
You like corn, I guess?
Love it, said Vicky.
I'm looking to buy some.
Do you have any money? asked the kind old woman.
I have this.
Vicky pulled the golden ring out of her feathers.
It caught the sun very impressively, the gold flashing and the diamond gleaming like a burning rainbow.
That is beautiful, she said.
For this, I could give you three bushels.
Now Vicky didn't know this and you might not either, but a bushel is a big barrel of corn.
So Vicky was being offered more corn than a little chicken like her could ever eat, but since she didn't know what the word meant, A bushel.
No!
I want corn! but a bushel.
I don't care about bushels, said Vicky Chicky, getting aggravated now.
I don't want to get robbed and I don't want ugly paper and I don't want a bushel, whatever that is.
I want corn.
And with that, she took the diamond ring and jumped down off the table.
She stomped out of the booth and stomped out of the market and she stomped herself the whole way home.
When she got there she went to go sit in her private little spot by the gate and was surprised to see the farmer's wife there.
She was a wonderful lady and worked as a nurse in town.
She helped with the animals, and Vicky knew she sometimes had a little cracked corn in her pockets.
Vicky walked up to the woman and saw she was pawing through the grass.
It was strange behavior, so Vicky sat next to her to watch.
Where is it?
Where is it?
She was saying.
Then she looked over at Vicky and smiled.
Oh, hello, little chicken.
Don't mind me.
I just dropped my wedding ring this morning, and I'm hoping to find it.
The farmyard is so big, though.
It's probably gone forever.
Hearing this, Vicky immediately pulled the ring out of her feathers and offered it up to the woman.
It was a good thing that no one had bought it at the market.
It had belonged to her farmer's wife all along.
You found it.
She cheered, picking Vicky up and showering her with teeny tiny little, itty bitty kisses.
You're the best little chicken ever.
You need a reward.
What kind of reward would you like?
Vicky turned to her and smiled.
And from that day on, every morning, the kindly woman would bring Vicky a corn kernel of her very own as a reward for finding her ring.
And Vicky ate them until she was stuffed round as a fuzzy yellow tennis ball and happy beyond all belief.
The End.
Today's story, Chicken Pickens, was an adaptation of a classic fable written for you by Daniel Hines.
It was edited and produced for you by Ellie Hines and performed for you by me, Amanda Weldon.
If you would like to support Stories Podcast, you can leave us a 5-star review on iTunes.
Check out all of our merch available at storiespodcastcom.
Slash shop commission a special video on Cameo.
Follow us on Instagram at Stories Podcast, or simply tell your friends about us.
Thanks for listening!
Autumn is in full swing and IXL helps keep homeschooling lessons structured and steady, whether you're following a set curriculum or creating your own.
IXL is an award-winning online learning platform that fits seamlessly into homeschooling, especially this time of year.
It offers interactive practice across math, language arts, science and social studies for every grade, from pre-K through 12.
IXL adapts to your child's level and gives them the right challenge at the right time.
Whether your kid is reviewing third grade math or jumping into sixth grade reading, iXL meets them where they are and lets them move at their own pace.
And it keeps kids motivated.
Between the awards, challenges and little moments of celebration, IXL makes it easy to keep learning light and engaging.
Over 15 million students use IXL, and more than 75 research studies show it actually works.
That's real peace of mind for homeschool parents.
Make an impact on your child's learning.
Get IXL now.
And Stories podcast listeners can get an exclusive 20 off IXL membership when they sign up today at ixlcom.
Slash dragon.
Visit ixl.com slash dragon to get the most effective learning program out there at the best price.
