Flashback III: Family History

Once upon a time when the older Singaporeans still lived in the remaining kampongs, I was a little girl who's always bitten by mosquitoes at my my grandma's whenever I visited her at her little kampong house. In those days, I was already a kid living in HDB.

Watching chickens and Mr Rooster cluck and crow around was quite interesting. Other than the mosquitoes, I usually enjoyed looking at Mr Rooster and his chicken concubines scratch for worms or strut around in the kampong backyard. That is, till Mr. Rooster starting running after me. All I wanted to do was to give him a pat on the head, you know, the way you show affection for little animals? Yah, and he started to run after me!

I was only twice Mr Rooster's size then and he intimidated me so much that I started running for my life. Out of the little backyard I ran, screaming for mum and dad as I scrambled over a sea of brown leaves, twigs and mud. I could hear his chicken feet right behind me and his cocky little crow-cockle-doodle-doo really frightened me. When I peeked over my shoulder, I saw Mr Rooster and a scatter of his chicken concubines behind me! That scared me so mcuh that I lost my footing, tripped over a tree root and fell flat on the floor. I started to cry.

There was a flurry of events and dad came to my rescue. He picked me off the ground, brushed the dust off my knees and stood me on my feet. The chickens were gone.

Back at the little kampong house, Mum and Dad just laughed my chicken episode off. But trust me, you wouldn't want to try to pat a rooster or chicken the way you'd pet your dog.