He would have to be tactful, but he could hardly tell her that he disliked the offer. But it was still a chicken. The thoughts and words swirled in his head like a mist as he fought to figure out what to say. It was like he was stunned stupid at the thought of accepting a chicken. It was a useful creature, for sure, but he did not think that his meager books had been enough for something quite as versatile as this bird. It would provide eggs all year, was easy to feed, and nothing was going to prey on a chicken if there were wolves about. Hell, it would be nice to get more chickens if they got a rooster; maybe his children could do with a lesson in raising something with chicks later.
"Yes," he said slowly, keeping the chicken carefully close to his body so she did not fidget. "I do, but I feel like I'll be cheating you, even if you do have a great big slew of the birds just flocking around." A chicken was valuable. It was not remotely as valuable as a horse, but it was still something! Chickens made more chickens easily, they had many eggs, and they were tasty when cooked right over a fire. They had feathers and the eggshells could even be used in art if someone was clever enough to figure out a way. "Are you sure this is worth the books I gave you?"
Photo taken by Luana. Table style inspired by Kitty.
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