The farmhand scratched his head and said, "So you haven't seen a giant chicken anywhere around here?" I looked into his eyes to see if he was putting me on. He seemed sincere. "How big is he?" I asked. The farmhand pointed at a large SUV and said, "Oh, he's about yea big." Now I looked at him with disbelief and said, "You're telling me that you have a chicken as big as a truck, he's out of control, and he's somewhere around here?" The farmhand nodded his head stupidly. And that's when I heard the loudest clucking noise that I had ever heard

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The clock ticked slowly, as it always did at the school on Saturday. The detention room was full, but no two students sat next to one another. The supervisor, Mr. England monitored the students closely. Kyle Brennan felt a cough building in the back of this throat. Mr. England had already warned him about disrupting the silence, so he did not want to cough. He attempted to stifle it, but the itch in his throat grew and the cough became more difficult to stifle. Mr. England looked at him with contempt. Mr. England could see Kyle squirming. He felt that Kyle was doing this for attention. Mr. England would give him what he wanted.

The Moon shone darkly as Chris walked through the cemetery. "I should have never agreed to meet her here," he muttered to himself. He was on edge. His mind started racing. He imagined forms in the darkness. He felt afraid. Then he heard a voice behind him. "Chris !" He turned and saw Gabriella, his best friend. She laughed and said, "You're not scared, are you?" Chris lied. "No."

Sheila rubbed her fingers through Buttercup's mane. Sheila loved Buttercup. Buttercup had been

Sheila's steed for five years now, and the two felt bonded beyond words. This was good because, as a

horse, Buttercup had no words. Buttercup neighed softly. She loved when Sheila was near her. Sheila

giggled, and then she remembered that she had a treat for Buttercup. Sheila pulled a red and yellow

apple from her backpack and gave it to Buttercup. Buttercup felt cherished.

I felt the momentum in my body slow as the helicopter stopped moving. We hovered in the air for a moment. I looked down. We were hovering over a landing pad. The pilot gradually brought the helicopter to a gentle landing. Andy and I prayed that the helicopter wouldn't suddenly explode. The pilot tried to assure us that it wouldn't, but Andy and I refused to discount the possibility until after we had safely landed.