Lucy’s family had lots of animals. They had cows, horses, and pigs. They also had a dog, a cat, and a bird. Lucy’s favorite animals were the chickens. She enjoyed collecting eggs from the henhouse. But she wasn’t allowed to gather the eggs by herself.

“The hook that keeps the henhouse door closed is too high,” Dad explained. “You’re not tall enough yet to reach the hook and then fasten it again. If you don’t shut the door tightly, the chickens could get out. They might become supper for a coyote or some other wild animal.” Lucy’s eyes widened. She promised never to open the henhouse door by herself.

The next morning Dad went to town to get a part to fix the tractor. Mom was talking on the phone to Grandma. All by herself Lucy swept the front porch. She put water in the dog’s bowl. By noon the bright sun was shining overhead. Lucy felt thirsty after doing her chores outside.

Lucy went inside the house. She heard her mother still talking to Grandma. Lucy got a cool drink of water. Then she went back outside and admired the flower garden. “I’d better water the flowers,” Lucy said to herself. “They’re probably thirsty.”

After watering the flowers, Lucy glanced toward the henhouse. “I should give the chickens some water. They’re probably thirsty, too.”

Lucy filled a big bucket with water. She could barely lift it. She tried dragging the bucket, but the water sloshed out. So she went to get her wagon. Hauling the water in the wagon was easier than carrying it by hand.

At last Lucy stood at the henhouse door. The hook was high. Even when she stretched on her tiptoes, she couldn’t reach it. She looked around and saw a stick on the ground. Using the stick, she pushed and poked at the hook. Soon the hook was free. Slowly the door swung open. Twenty chickens stared at her.

Lucy considered what her father had said. She remembered her father’s warning that a coyote might harm the chickens. However, she did not want the chickens to be thirsty, either.

“Look what I brought you,” she said. She went to get the bucket of water. Carefully she lifted the heavy bucket and set it on the ground. When she turned back around, the chickens were rushing through the open door.

“No!” Lucy cried, waving her arms. “Get back in there! Shoo!”

But it was too late. Lucy started chasing the chickens around the yard. They ran this way and that. They scurried here and there. They flew and flapped. They fluttered and hopped. The more Lucy chased them, the more they scattered. They went behind trees and haystacks. They went under the tractor and wagon. The chickens didn’t seem to understand that Lucy was trying to save them.

By the time Dad got home, Lucy had given up. She was sitting in front of the henhouse crying in despair. Dad noticed the open door. He saw the bucket full of water. It didn’t take him long to guess what was wrong.

“Let’s get those chickens back in the henhouse,” he said firmly. He went to get some chicken feed in a bucket. “Here, chick, chick, chick,” he called. He spread the feed on the ground near the henhouse. Soon all the chickens came to eat the feed. One by one, Lucy and Dad caught the chickens. When all the chickens were back in the henhouse, Dad hooked the door. Now the chickens were safe from coyotes.

Lucy and Dad walked back to the house. “Your intention was good, and I know that you meant well,” Dad said. “Giving the chickens some water was a fine thought. But it would have been better not to open the door by yourself.” He stopped and looked at Lucy. “It’s a lot easier to keep chickens in than to catch them once they get out. Do you know what I mean?”

Lucy nodded. She knew exactly what he meant. She also knew that this was a lesson she would never forget.