The Easter Story of Half- Chick

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/62/Church_of_the_Epiphany%2C_Hamburg

Once upon a time there was a Spanish Hen, who hatched out some nice little chickens. She was much pleased with their looks as they came from the shell. Three of them were plump and fluffy; but when the fourth shell broke, out came a little half-chick! It had only one leg and one wing and one eye! It was just half a chicken.

The Hen-mother tried to protect her little Half-Chick but it was a very naughty child and always did what he wanted. 

One day the little Half-Chick said, "Mother, I am off to Madrid, to see the King! Good-bye."

The poor Hen-mother wanted to stop him but he wouldn't listen.

When he had gone some distance the little Half-Chick came to a little stream that was caught in the weeds and in much trouble.

"Little Half-Chick," whispered the Water, "I am so choked with these weeds that I cannot move; I am almost lost, please push the sticks and weeds away and help me."

"The idea!" said the little Half-Chick. "I cannot be bothered with you; I am off for Madrid, to see the King!"

A bit farther on, the Half-Chick came to a Fire, which was very weak and  had almosts gone out.

"Oh, little Half-Chick," said the Fire, "you are just in time to save me. I am almost dead. Fan me a little with your wing, I beg."

"The idea!" said the little Half-Chick. "I cannot be bothered with you; I am off to Madrid, to see the King!" 

When he was near Madrid, he came to some bushes, where the Wind was caught fast. The Wind was whimpering, and begging to be set free.

"Little Half-Chick," said the Wind, "you are just in time to help me; if you will brush aside these twigs and leaves, I can get my breath; help me, quickly!"

"Ho! the idea!" said the little Half-Chick. "I have no time to bother with you. I am going to Madrid, to see the King."

After a while he came to Madrid and to the palace of the King. But as he was passing the windows of the kitchen the Cook looked out and saw him.

"The very thing for the King's dinner!" she said. "I need a chicken!" And she caught the little Half-Chick by his one wing and threw him into a kettle of water on the fire.

The Water came over the little Half-Chick's feathers, over his head, into his eyes The little Half-Chick cried out:

"Water, don't drown me! Stay down, don't come so high!"

But the Water said, "Little Half-Chick, little Half-Chick, when I was in trouble you would not help me," and came higher than ever.

Now the Water grew warm, hot, hotter, frightfully hot; the little Half-Chick cried out, "Do not burn so hot, Fire! You are burning me to death! Stop!"

But the Fire said, "Little Half-Chick, little Half-Chick, when I was in trouble you would not help me," and burned hotter than ever.

Just as the little Half-Chick thought he must suffocate, the Cook took the cover off, to look at the dinner. "Dear me," she said, "this chicken is no good." And she picked the little Half-Chick up by one leg and threw him out of the window.

In the air he was caught by a breeze and taken up higher than the trees. Round and round he was twirled till he was so dizzy he thought he must perish. "Don't blow me so? Wind," he cried, "let me down!"

"Little Half-Chick, little Half-Chick," said the Wind, "when I was in trouble you would not help me!" And the Wind blew him straight up to the top of the church and stuck him there, fast!

There he stands to this day, with his one eye, his one wing, and his one leg. It turns slowly round when the wind blows and keeps his head towards it to hear what it says.