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A short story by Shawna Forde

“Run, Harold, Run” by Shawna Forde

In Neederville Nebraska, a small town were only football and farming are the priority, even folks living in town have a farm animal: a goat, lamb, chicken etc.  Well, Mary is one of the people who live in town and she has a rooster named Harold.  Now Harold is no ordinary rooster; he comes and goes through a dog door, sleeps inside, and has full run of the house.  He is a handsome blond, with a red neck and big brown eyes.

Mary was retired from teaching second grade for 30 years (since she was 24) and was very pleasant and good natured.  Never married, and having no kids, you can see why she was so devoted to Harold.  Now Bessie was the cranky 85 year old neighbor who always disapproved of their relationship, mainly because of her henhouse outback.  Bessie’s favorite hen, Henrietta, was always fussing over Harold and Harold was always sneaking over to Bessie’s property and getting her hens riled up.
It was a Wednesday morning when Mary heard Bessie outback, hollering and waving a broomstick.  Mary went out to see what all the fuss was and Bessie was chasing Harold and threatening to make him the main ingredient in her next stew.  She hit Harold on the rear as he tore off running.  Bessie’s face was as red as a radish as she waved her fist in the air and cussed Mary on her treating a damn chicken like her husband.

At 11am like clockwork, Bessie came out to hang her laundry on the clothesline.  That day it was some beautiful pristine white sheets.  Behind the yard was a large field that separates them from the high school football field which fills up during homecoming games.  The upcoming Friday would be the biggest game ever between the hometown Cougars and Parker Colts, a longtime rivalry for decades.
Mary was at her back kitchen window washing the morning breakfast dishes when she saw Harold doing something she has never ever seen before.  Harold is extremely vain and stays super clean.  Mary often joked that he was allergic to dirt but now before her eyes she stood shocked at the horror of what she just knew deep in her gut to be true.  Harold was running back and 

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