Free Chook Chook by Wai Chim Page A

turn.’ Cap motioned for me to set the chicken down. Guo had secured the board with more books so it would stay put with Little on it. She gazed up at the ring of human faces around her, enjoying the attention.
    With one clean flick of the wrist, Cap opened the watch and a sparkle of light flitted through the room. It caught Little’s eye and she swivelled her head around. Cap angled the light into the top left corner of the grid. The surface of the whiteboard was slippery and Little struggled to find her footing. But by using her claws and perching herself on her tippy-toes, she was able to move about, though a little clumsily. She made her way over to the light and pecked perfectly in the middle of the box.
    â€˜That’s her move, in the corner! Right there.’ Cap practically squealed in delight and pointed at the board. ‘Professor, if you wouldn’t mind, please.’
    Professor Law was smiling now as he drew a dainty O in the spot Little had pecked. He followed that with another X in the opposite corner to Little’s O.
    Cap quickly angled the light towards another corner and Little was on it in an instant, pecking furiously.
    â€˜She’s a clever girl, isn’t she?’ Professor Law said as he drew another O. He cast me a sidelong glance.
    And then he winked.
    I blinked a few times and stared at him in disbelief. But the professor had turned back to the board and was studying it closely.
    The match ended in a tie. The professor was grinning from ear to ear now, a mischievous glint in his eye. ‘Well, shall we try again?’
    He hastily scrubbed away the marks on the whiteboard and redrew the grid. This time he let Little make the first move. The chicken went straight for the middle square. After several more moves, the match ended in another draw. They had another game with the same result.
    I could see sweat gleaming from the professor’s shiny head now. His glasses had slipped down his nose and the tip of his tongue poked out of his mouth as he sketched another grid on the board. Little scrambled across and pecked the middle square. Professor Law drew her mark and then his own.
    Cap’s eyes lit up. I knew he could see a special pattern for a win. And, sure enough, as Little had her next turn, I knew the combination he was going for.
    The professor sketched in Little’s O and then drew his X. Cap’s eyes were dancing with excitement as he moved the light into the next spot. Yes, we were certain to win now.
    As expected, the professor tried to block off one of the lines, but because of the combination Cap had set up, there was still another row to finish for the win. I leaned way out of my chair. As we all watched, Little pecked the final square, completing three Os in a row.
    â€˜Wahoo!’ Cap pumped his fist up in triumph.
    BAWK! BAWK! CAW! CA-CAW!
    Lo’s cries startled all of us, especially Little. He was bashing his wings against the cage, furious at having been neglected for so long. Cap spun around in his seat in surprise, knocking over the board and sending Little crashing to the ground. She started screeching and running in circles around the stacks of books. Cap leaned over to grab her, but as he did, the watch slid out of his grasp.
    It smashed onto the floor and the glass face shattered into a hundred itty bitty pieces. Metal springs and sprockets bounced along, some of them rolling out of sight. Guo looked on in horror and I felt my heart breaking.
    Cap’s eyes widened and he sank down, scrabbling for the scraps of his precious pocket watch. His lower lip was caught between his teeth and I could tell that he was biting down on it, trying not to cry.
    I clasped my hands over my mouth and turned away, burying my face in Guo’s shoulder. My brother put an arm around me. Poor, poor Cap.
    Despite Cap’s efforts to be brave, a throaty wail escaped. He held up the tangled clump of chain in his hand and could no longer choke back his