The Creatures in the Night

I tell my kids not to be afraid, but maybe I shouldn’t.

Photo by Marc Arias on Unsplash

When was the last time you stood at the edge of the forest with both hands clasped around the trunk of a tree and shook it as hard as you could?

For me, it was last Wednesday and it is an action that I regret.

Wednesdays are our family’s busy day. With my husband at work, lessons, meetings and appointments, this middle day is always tough. Last Wednesday, I had fifteen minutes to stop at home, let the dog out, pack up some snacks and head back out to drop the kids at the babysitter so that I could make my 6:30 meeting.

Thanks to the end of daylight savings time, it was already pitch black when I pulled into the driveway. My headlights shone across the yard towards our chicken coop and I could see a buff colored lump sitting on the step in front of the closed door.

Cramped for time, I grabbed a flashlight as I let the dog out for a quick pee and run around the yard.

Upon investigation, I found that the chicken coop door had accidentally opened up at some point in the day and let the chickens run freely in the yard. This is not a big deal, except somehow the door had blown shut again before dark.

Chickens are creatures of habit and will always come home to roost at night. Except when the door…