Once upon a time, there was a chicken named Henny Penny who was busily picking corn in the yard when suddenly, an acorn fell and bonked her right on the head
“Goodness gracious me!” she exclaimed, “the sky is falling! I must go and tell the king.”
On her way, Henny Penny met Cocky Locky. “Where are you going, Henny Penny?” he asked.
“Oh, Cocky Locky, the sky is falling, and I’m going to tell the king!” she replied.
“I’ll come with you,” said Cocky Locky.
As they went along, they met Ducky Lucky. “Where are you going, Henny Penny and Cocky Locky?” asked Ducky Lucky.
“The sky is falling, and we’re going to tell the king,” they answered.
“I’ll come with you,” said Ducky Lucky.
And so, they all went along and along until they met Goosey Loosey and Turkey Lurkey, and each one joined the alarming expedition.
Finally, they met Foxy Loxy, who was sly and cunning. “Where are you going?” asked Foxy Loxy.
“The sky is falling, and we’re off to tell the king,” they cried.
After they naively shared their quest, Foxy Woxy offered to lead them on a ‘shortcut’ to the King’s palace.
“I know a shortcut to the king’s palace,” said Foxy Loxy. “Follow me.”
This ‘shortcut’ turned out to be the entrance to Foxy Woxy’s lair—a dark, narrow hole in the ground. One by one, they followed Foxy Woxy into the hole. Tragically, as each entered the darkness, Foxy Woxy would pounce, ending their journey with a swift and grim “Hrumph!”
But Henny Penny, the last to enter, heard a familiar crowing sound and suddenly realized the time. Thinking it was morning and time to lay her egg, she hastily turned back and scurried away to her nest, narrowly escaping Foxy Woxy’s trap. And so, Henny Penny survived but never did get to tell the King that the sky was falling.
Also Read: The Little Red Hen – The crabs in the bucket
Moral of the Story
The moral of “Henny Penny” (also known as “Chicken Little”) is to not believe everything you hear without verifying it first. It teaches the importance of critical thinking and the dangers of spreading misinformation.