Tall Tales

"Chick, chick, chick," called Carol Chory as she chucked corn onto the ground. Chickens popped out of the hen house and scurried into the yard. Charlie Chicken strutted to Carol Chory's side.

"Something new, Charlie," cried Carol, "Here is some caramel corn." She gave Charlie a handful. Charlie Chicken scratched at the caramel corn, then took a chunk and swallowed quickly. Carol Chory chuckled and went inside.

Beside Charlie, a hen began to choke on the caramel corn. She flapped about the coop in a frenzy. Soon chickens were choking and flapping all over the chicken coop. Charlie swallowed another chunk of caramel corn. The corn got caught in his throat. Charlie Chicken choked and flapped out of the coop and into Cobb street.

Charlie Chicken bumped blindly into Karl Kramer's cart full of chocolate-covered cherries and flopped inside. To Karl's consternation, the cart began to tilt. Suddenly the cart full of chocolate-covered cherries began rolling down Cobb Hill. Karl gave a shout and chased the cart. Charlie Chicken choked and flapped among the chocolate-covered cherries.

Kristel Cramdon screamed when she saw Karl's cart full of chocolate-covered cherries careening down Cobb Hill with Charlie Chicken's white wings flapping frantically at the front.

"Look out!" called Karl.

As the cart rolled past Kristel, a loose piece of board hooked into her cream-colored coulats and ripped them right off. Kristel gasped and tried to cover her polka-dotted bloomers, just as Karl Kramer crashed into her.

The cart continued its calamitous path down the hill, cream-colored coulats flapping at the rear and Charlie Chicken choking and flapping at the front. It cruised under the ladder on which Ken stood cleaning his chimney. The ladder collapsed and Ken landed face-first among the cartons of chocolate-covered cherries.

Charlie Chicken flapped frantically in fright as Ken gave muffled cries from underneath the cherries. Kristel Cramdon's cream-colored coulats fluttered in the wind and the cart full of chocolate-covered cherries continued to roll down Cobb Hill toward the center of Coon Falls.
Policeman Chad Charles leapt into Chin's China Shoppe to avoid the cart. He crashed into Chin and they fell to the floor, crushing most of Chin's china.

The cart took a short cut through Carla Cutler's courtyard and caught her laundry line, full of frilly pink underwear, on one of its upward planks. Kris Kringle, Carla Cutler's charcoal-colored miniature collie jumped aboard the cart when he smelled the chocolate-covered cherries.

Kris Kringle took a bite out of Ken's nose before discovering it wasn't a chocolate-covered cherry. Ken clouted Kris Kringle and blotted his nose with Carla Cutler's pink underwear. In the front of the cart, Charlie Chicken continued choking and flapping as the cart cruised into Cobb Court at the center of Coon Falls and crashed into Cami's Custard Stand.

Kris Kringle landed in a vat of chocolate custard. Ken splashed into the Coon Court fountain, as the chocolate-covered cherries cascaded all over the square. Carla Cutler's frilly pink underwear showered upon Cami's customers and Charlie Chicken crashed onto the ground. The caramel corn came flying out of Charlie's throat and rolled into a storm grate.
Charlie Chicken was annoyed by the rucus. He ruffled his feathers and went home. Charlie strutted past Cami's Custard Stand, where Cami was shouting at Ken about her underwear-strewn customers. He strolled passed the chocolate-covered Kris Kringle, who was licking custard off of his charcoal-colored fur. He went by a red-faced Carla Cutler, on her way to collect her collie and her frilly pink underwear. He flapped around Chin's China Shoppe where Chin was chucking china at Policeman Charles. Finally, he edged around the polka-dotted-bloomer clad Kristel Cramdon, who was clobbering Karl Kramer with her handbag and strutted into his yard.

Mrs. Chory's chickens had flopped in feathered heaps all over the yard, gasping heavily. The caramel corn lay uneaten on the ground. Carol Chory came out of the house. "How did you like the caramel corn, Charlie?" she asked. Charlie Chicken gave an indignant sqwauk and marched back into the chicken coop.