Witch Hunters and Other Stories (2018-2019)

by Ecallaw Leachim

  Well, that didn't answer things at all. EggMan had all these stocks invested in the fact he was going to become a Chicken and what he needed was a little certainty. He pondered, and wondered, and worried about it for many days, but then he realised the solution was right there before him! The EggMan gathered up all the chicken stocks he had sold, put them into a pot, then cooked them.

  The next day he gathered all the denizens of the forest around the pot and, with a great flourish, started serving out the broth he made from the Chicken Stock. What is more, he charged them for the soup, declaring: "See! Here is my special Chicken Stock soup, as promised! Which, of course, as you must realize, we would not be able to eat if there were no chicken to start it off!"

  Now, with the adding of a little salt and pepper, and a few other spices, this new Chicken Stock soup didn't taste too bad. Not too bad at all! Soon everyone started buying it. Even the rocks in the forest, who didn't need to eat at all, were buying chicken stock soup.

  Of course, as a result the chicken stocks were getting eaten through at a shocking rate. Soon there would be none left, so the EggMan solved this by creating more of them. And as the raging demand for Chicken Stock soup increased, this made even the increased stock options even MORE valuable, and these too were sold like there was no tomorrow.

  "It can go on like this forever" said the EggMan triumphantly to the Old Forest Tree as he paid a visit with the amazingly good news.

  The Old Tree was puzzled. "But, where is the chicken you were going to become?"

  "It's in the soup" answered the EggMan, blithely.

  "Then how is it you are still here?" the Old Tree asked, not understanding the new way of doing things in the modern economy.

  "There it is," said the EggMan. "The clear, shocking proof that you are too old and too out of touch to grasp the reality of post-war economics."

  Of course, under his breath, the EggMan was muttering, "And here before me is the next logical source for something to print my new chicken stocks on."

  Ecallaw Leachim

  Ecallaw is a writer of more than forty years experience, who has worked as a journalist, copy writer and publisher in many magazines and newspapers.

  All Rights Reserved

  Copyright 2019 Ladder to the Moon Publishing

  Published according to the Berne Convention

  Dedicated to the dreamer in us all