Once upon a time, in a quaint village surrounded by rolling hills and sprawling fields, lived a farmer named Tim. Tim lived in a cozy farmhouse with his wife, who was a fantastic cook, and their three children, Tom, Jenny and Lucy.

One day, Tim realized that one of his hens had gone missing from the hen house. So, he decided to go search for it. As he was walking around the farm, he noticed a ladder leaning against the stable. He had never seen the ladder there before, so he went to investigate.

When he reached the top of the ladder, he found a strange fisherman sitting on the roof of the stable. The fisherman introduced himself as Max and told Tim that he had gotten lost while fishing in the nearby lake.

Max was a friendly fellow and offered to help Tim search for the missing hen. They looked high and low, but they couldn't find the bird anywhere. Just as they were about to give up, they heard a faint clucking sound coming from the granary.

When they entered the granary, they found the hen sitting on a nest filled with eggs. The hen looked up at Tim and Max and said, "Hello there! I've been busy laying eggs, but I'm ready to go back to the hen house now."

Tim and Max were astounded that the hen could talk, but they quickly gathered her and the eggs and took her back to the hen house.

Meanwhile, the herdsman who worked on the farm, Jack, was busy tending to the cows in the stable. When he heard about the talking hen, he was so amazed that he decided to go and see for himself. When he reached the hen house, he found Tim, Max and the hen having a conversation about their adventures.

Jack was so stunned by the whole situation that he accidentally knocked over the ladder, sending everyone tumbling to the ground. They all burst out laughing, and the hen clucked happily, glad to be back in the hen house with her friends.

From that day on, Tim, Max and Jack were the best of friends, and the talking hen became a beloved member of the farm family. They all lived happily ever after, telling the tale of their adventure to anyone who would listen.

Reflections

1. Who is Tim in the story and what is his job?
2. Who is Max and how did he end up on the roof of the stable?
3. What did Tim and Max find in the granary?
4. Who is Jack and what was he doing when he heard about the talking hen?
5. How did the hen end up back in the hen house?
6. What happened when Jack reached the hen house?
7. Why did everyone burst out laughing at the end of the story?
8. How did the story end for Tim, Max, Jack and the talking hen?
9. Can you think of a different adventure that the talking hen might go on?
10. How do you think the farmer, the fisherman and the herdsman felt about their adventure with the talking hen?