Poetographie

Risa woke up one Sunday morning to the loud crows of chickens outside their house. She was stretching her back and yawning when she heard her playmates’ voices.

Suddenly alert, she went out of her room, passed by her mother who was preparing breakfast, and joined her playmates who were playing catch on the wet road. It had rained the day before so Risa and her playmates stayed home all day.

“Today is my day!” Risa thought as she happily ran around, urging her playmate to catch her.

“Risa!” Aling Pacita, Risa’s mother called. “Get in here and eat your breakfast!”

Risa did not listen to her mother. She was busy playing.

“Risa!” Aling Pacita called out for the second time, her voice louder.

Still, Risa ignored her mother. Aling Pacita went out of the house and called Risa for the third and fourth time. Aling Pacita’s voice started to sound angry. Grouchily, Risa went in their house. She followed her mother to the kitchen where a glass of mango juice, a cup of rice, some reheated left over vegetables from last night’s meal, eggs, and noodles were waiting on the table.

“I don’t like to eat rice, Ma” Risa said wrinkling her nose in disappointment to the food on the table.

“What would you rather eat?” Aling Pacita answered. “There are children going hungry in the streets Risa and you have more than enough.”

Risa just sat on the chair staring at the food on the table. “I will be back in fifteen minutes. I’ll be at the store to pay for the eggs and noodles.” 

“Can you buy me one of those chips?” Risa asked, suddenly excited.

“Eat your food Risa,” was all her mother’s reply.

Risa rolled her eyes and crossed her arms on her chest. When her mother left, Risa hurriedly went to the sink to throw the rice on her plate. She was snickering as she drained the rice down the sink.

As she was about to go back to the table, she heard a loud BOOM from inside the sink. Suddenly, rice grains popped out like pop corns from the drain. They flew in the air and landed on the floor. Risa was shocked. Her mother should be on her way by now! She hurriedly went outside to get the broom. She was about to go back to the kitchen with a broom in her hand when a giant white rice stood in front of her, blocking the door.           

            Risa stood there for a while. Her knees shaking, her eyes ready to pop out in disbelief.

            “Eat your food, Risa” the giant rice said in its booming voice. Risa could smell burnt rice from where she was standing. Risa heard her stomach growl. She did feel hungry. But the giant rice started moving towards her and only then did Risa realize her food was about to eat her!

            “AAHHH!!!” Risa yelled. She ran outside their house, the rice monster running behind her. She ran through their backyard, frightening the chickens until she reached a dead end.

            “Eat your food Risa” the rice monster said again. It was about to reach out for Risa with its rice hands when its rice foot got stuck in a puddle of mud. It tried to pull its foot but as it did, it snapped and the rest of its body fell to the ground and exploded to tiny grains of rice.

            Risa felt relieved. The chickens gathered around and ate the grains. Risa was suddenly thankful for the food on their table. Better eat them or they’ll eat me, she thought.

          Once upon a time, in a faraway farm there lived a fine and noble Rooster with a very beautiful voice. Its name was Rooky. Not only was it blessed with a gifted voice, it was a wise Rooster that comforted his troubled friends through singing advices to them. It was so that the animals in that farm lived in peace and harmony for many years.

            One fine early morning, Rooky awoke ahead of the rest of the farm animals. It was such a glorious morning that Rooky could not help but ring out its most beautiful song to the world. Unfortunately, the gentle morning breeze brought this beautiful song through the nearby forest and into my den. Naturally, I was awakened, not only by the song but by the rumblings of my empty stomach.

            Slowly, I followed the song through the forest and to the farm. There I saw the most delicious Rooster, singing to its heart’s content.

            A fine meal that I would make, I thought, as I smacked my lips in eagerness.

            Slyly, I approached Rooky. “Good morning, my friend! I was awakened by such beautiful song that I had to come out of the forest to see where this wonderful music come from! Perhaps you can come down from your perch so that I might thank you properly?” I gently cajoled.

            Rooky smiled. “Oh, Mr. Fox, roosters and foxes have never been friends. I don’t think it would be wise for me to come down from my perch so you can thank me,” replied Rooky politely.

            After a bit of silence, I tried another ploy to get Rooky down. “Oh, by the way, did you hear the good news among the forest animals?”

            “What news is that, Mr. Fox?” asked Rooky.

            “I’ll tell you all about if you come down from your perch,” I grinned.

            Not wanting to seem impolite, Rooky simply smiled at me and continued singing… when abruptly, Rooky stopped singing. It squinted its eyes as if it was trying to see something at a far distance.

“What is it?”I asked.

“There, not too far away, are…are wolves, I think… coming towards the barn,” Rooky replied.

I knew that there were really no approaching wolves.

“Oh,” I said hurriedly.”I think I should go. We’ll talk next time.”

“But why must you hurry?” inquired Rooky. “I was just about to come down from my perch to hear your good news!”

But before I could even finish my sentence, I disappeared not knowing that I was just behind an old mango tree, ten meters away from Rooky.  So Rooky descended from its perch and began singing again. As confident as it was, Rooky made his way toward the other flock of birds .

Rooky thought that I was frightened because of the wolves. He never knew that my hunger was the main reason why I stayed. I heard Rooky flapped its wings and so I peeked from where i was hidden and there I saw Rooky walking his way towards the other birds.

I ran as fast as I could and because Rooky was joyfully singing that time it didn’t hear me ran. I jumped over Rooky and just like any hungry mammal I attacked Rooky at its body. There was no any help coming from the other roosters since they fled because of our encounter. Rooky was terribly wounded but I didn’t feel pity for him. I slowly gnawed its meat. I felt that time that I had the tastiest meal I ever had in my entire life.