The Trouble With Chickens

J.J. Tully remembers the hot summer day when he first met Millicent, the chicken. J.J. found Millicent very strange-looking, with tiny black eyes close together and a “funny red comb” on her head (1). J.J. admits that chickens make him feel nervous, and he was particularly uncomfortable around Millicent because she seemed “crazy.”

.J. explains that his full name is Jonathan Joseph Tully and that he used to work as a search and rescue dog before his owner, Barb, decided to retire to the countryside. J.J. reveals that he does not like living in the country where he does not have any interesting work to do. He is especially annoyed with the chicken Millicent, who he calls Moosh, and her chicks Little Boo and Peep, who he calls Dirt and Sugar. Moosh wants J.J.’s help with a problem and promises to pay him with a cheeseburger.

Moosh walks back and forth across J.J.’s yard. J.J. notices that something isn’t right with Moosh’s family when he sees the two chicks trailing behind her. Dirt and Sugar irritate him because the little chicks are always getting into mischief. Sugar reveals that her siblings, Poppy and Sweetie, are missing.