The morning began with a scream.
Not a frightened scream—more like a mix of outrage and heartbreak echoing through the entire village.
"She's gone!" cried Old Man Gopul, clutching an empty basket and waving it over his head as he ran across the square. "My precious Princess Laya! She's been kidnapped!"
Everyone froze.Even the goats stopped chewing.
Princess Laya wasn't just any chicken.She was the most spoiled, pampered, and worshiped creature in the entire village.Gopul talked to her as if she were royalty, fed her boiled rice from a golden bowl, and once even tried to get Rick to build her a miniature palace.
Rick had refused, of course—until Gopul offered him free mangoes for a month. Then he built the "palace" out of old crates.
Now that royal bird was missing.
The Investigation Begins
Rick adjusted his imaginary detective hat."Citizens!" he announced, puffing his chest. "This is a matter of great importance. I, Detective Rick, shall find the culprit!"
Rama sighed. "You? Last week you accused a broom of stealing your socks."
Rick pointed dramatically at her. "Exactly! I have experience!"
Yuna tried not to laugh as James whispered, "Should we tell him the broom incident was his own fault?"
"Let's see where this goes," Yuna whispered back.
Rick quickly gathered his "team":
Nancy, self-appointed Chief Interrogator, carrying a notebook upside down.
James, the reluctant assistant detective.
Yuna, the voice of reason.
And Rama, unwillingly drafted as "evidence supervisor."
They even made badges—cut out from old tin cans and tied with twine. Rick's badge read "CHIEF OF TRUTH." Nancy's read "BEAUTY & JUSTICE."
The Clues
The team started at Gopul's hut.Rick examined the empty chicken coop like a true professional.
"Hmmm," he said, rubbing his chin. "No feathers, no footprints… only this!"
He held up something white and fluffy.
Nancy gasped. "A feather! Evidence!"
Rama squinted. "That's from your pillow, Rick."
Rick cleared his throat. "Still. Suspicious."
They moved through the village, questioning everyone.
Nancy banged on doors, yelling, "Confess your chicken crimes!"She even interrogated a confused goat for ten minutes before realizing it couldn't talk.
Children followed the "detectives" around, giggling. Someone started betting on who the thief was. The most popular suspect? Rick himself.
By noon, they had a trail of random "clues":
White feathers near the schoolhouse.
Flour footprints outside the bakery.
And a half-eaten cob of corn near the river.
Rick stood in the middle of the square, hands on hips. "Clearly," he declared, "we're dealing with a highly intelligent chicken—or an international smuggling ring!"
Rama facepalmed so hard it echoed.
Yuna and James Investigate
While the others chased shadows, Yuna and James took a quieter approach.
"Maybe she's just hiding," Yuna said, scanning near the kitchen gardens.
James nodded. "Or maybe she's nesting somewhere warm."
They followed a faint trail of feathers that led—ironically—to Rama's house.
As they approached, they heard soft clucking.They looked at each other.
"No," James whispered, trying not to laugh."Yes," Yuna said, grinning.
Inside, under the table, was Princess Laya—fluffed up and proud—nesting comfortably in one of Rama's cooking pots, surrounded by a pile of onions.
When Rama walked in, she froze. "Why is there a chicken in my stew pot!?"
The bird clucked happily, refusing to move.
The Dramatic Reveal
An hour later, the whole village gathered as Yuna and James presented the "missing" Princess Laya to Gopul.
"She wasn't stolen," Yuna explained, still smiling. "She was… self-relocated."
Rick puffed out his chest again. "Exactly as I suspected!"
Nancy blinked. "But you said it was an international smuggling ring."
Rick didn't flinch. "Which is exactly what she wanted us to think!"
The crowd burst out laughing. Even Gopul couldn't stay mad.He scooped up his beloved chicken and declared, "She knew what she was doing! She was blessing Rama's house with her royal presence!"
Rama muttered, "Next time, she can bless someone else's stew pot."
Feast and Feathers
To celebrate, the villagers held a small feast that evening.Everyone brought food, music filled the air, and someone tied a tiny crown of flowers on Princess Laya's head.The chicken strutted proudly, as if she'd solved the mystery herself.
Rick danced around, reenacting the "investigation" for anyone who'd listen.Nancy insisted on autographing children's notebooks "in case they need future detectives."Yuna and James shared roasted corn by the river, laughing about the whole adventure.
"You have to admit," James said, smiling, "life here is never boring."
Yuna nodded, watching the lanterns flicker on the water. "Not with Rick and Nancy around."
From the distance, they heard Rick shout, "To my next case: The Mystery of the Missing Mangoes!"
Rama's voice followed immediately: "That's because you ate them, you fool!"
Laughter rippled through the village like music, rising with the smoke of the cooking fires into the starry night.
And somewhere among them, Princess Laya fluffed her feathers, perfectly content—queen of a village that could never stay serious for long