FARSIFIA
Written by Guy J Jackson on Saturday the 20th of February 2010
Zachary had rescued Farsifia Nootan, a French hen, when she was just a chick, and smuggled her into his hotel room a year ago today. In regards to Farsifia's being contraband in the hotel Zachary had paid off Anne, the big-bottomed hotel maid, with chocolate. In the year past, Anne had not said a word to hotel management, and Zachary bought her three chocolate bars a day.
Farsifia Nootan had never learned how to cluck, growing up as a lone hen. She padded in silence around the hotel room. She ate seeds Zachary threw out for her, and plenty of daddy longlegs, and the occasional cockroach.
Zachary insisted on spelling Farsifia's surname with two 0s. "I'm not spelling it the Isaac Newton way," Zachary said to himself, or sometimes Anne, when he was handing over chocolate.
Farsifia had five notions. She had a notion to eat, she had a notion to let go of poop, she had notions to strut by day and sleep by night and then her fifth notion was the big one. That there was a calico cat watching her that she could never quite see. Farsifia was certain the calico cat was there. But the calico cat lurked just beyond the corners of Farsifia's eyes. As much as Farsifia turned her head she could never, not quite, spot that cat.
The situation would have made her uneasy.
But Farsifia was a fortunate hen, because in the shallow pond of her thoughts she believed that Zachary was a dog and therefore could protect her. Farsifia knew by base instinct that dogs could overcome cats. And there was a picture of dogs playing poker in the hotel room's bathroom. And then Farsifia had seen Zachary and his friends playing poker in the hotel room's kitchenette. So that meant Zachary was her protection from the calico cat she could never quite see. And so Farsifia was a fortunate hen, in that she enjoyed peace of mind on the 77th floor of the Destiny Palms Hotel.