Journey From The Chicken Coop
A ray of the morning sun found its way through the half open door of the old chicken coop, reached Hester's dulled and dusty chrome and woke her up. She blinked a few times and yawned. Another new day began, and without a doubt, it would be the same as the day before, and the day before that. Another day all on her own in the chicken coop. She didn't complain, though, although she had to admit that it started to become a bit boring sometimes.
She was a 1984 Kirby Heritage vacuum cleaner, with her model's typical orange-red bag. Way back in the 1980s, the couple who owned the farm had purchased her from a door-to-door salesman, and for almost a decade, she was used to keep the farm house clean. She was still going strong after ten years, being built to last and nearly indestructible – she could handle sucking up small metal pieces without problems, a fact that she took some pride in, as she knew that many vacuums of other brands wouldn't handle things like that well. But one day, her master stated that it would be helpful to have a vacuum in the chicken coop to keep it clean, and so, she was brought out there.
She was left in the chicken coop permanently, used by the master to clean it up – now that he and mistress got a new vacuum for the farm house. At first, Hester was bitter about that, but soon, she began to like being out here on her own, with just the chickens to keep her company – with no humans around most of the time, she was free to do what she wanted. She got along well with the chickens once she made it clear to them that she didn't appreciate them taking a dump on her while they sat on their posts.
But one day, even the chickens were gone, and Hester was left all alone. For a while, she didn't ask questions, she just accepted that, obviously, it was just her now. No one had come to see her for a while, and she began to wonder why the master didn't come to clean up the chicken coop anymore. Sure, the chickens were gone, so there was probably no need to, but… Hester was starting to get a feeling that something wasn't right, while she also started to get a little tired of the loneliness. So she decided that, today, she would approach the farm house to see what was wrong. Looking carefully left and right to make sure no human was nearby, she pushed the door open a little more to fit through, and stepped outside into the morning sun.
The chicken coop stood a short distance away from the farm house, with a path leading to it through tall grass. From the space in front of the coop, part of the house could be seen, half obscured by some trees and bushes.
Everything was quiet when Hester reached the farmhouse. Not a soul was in sight, neither human nor animal. She also noticed the paint chipping off the doors and window frames, and the walls could use a new paint job, as well. How could master and mistress allow the house to become this run-down? She wanted to risk a glance through a window… but how to get up there? She looked around in search of something that might be helpful. When she looked up, she noticed the roof's support beams that protruded from the wall under the eaves. Yes, that should do it. She threw her cord over the beam that was situated directly above the window, and anchored it by pulling it tight. Then, she used it to lift herself up until she could glance through the dusty glass.
The house was empty. Completely empty. No furniture was left, none of the carpets she remembered from her time here. Pale rectangles on the walls were all that reminded of the pictures that once hang there. There were no other appliances either, as far as she could see. The realization dawned on her, and it came as a shock. The house was abandoned. The farmer couple had moved elsewhere and had taken everything with them, except for her. They had forgotten her, out there in her empty chicken coop. Feeling shocked and lost, Hester continued staring into the empty room, when she heard something creak above her. A moment later, the brittle wooden support beam gave in under her weight, and she ungently fell to the ground. Pieces of rotten wood rained down around her. Damn, had the house really been abandoned for so long?
What was she supposed to do now? She had no idea, or even where to go. Should she just stay in her chicken coop all alone, forever, until age and rust finally took her? No. She certainly didn't want that! But what did she want? Hester returned to the familiar safety of the chicken coop, to think about her options. For hours, she sat there, pondering about the possibilities, about what her next move should be. Soon it became clear to her that, if she didn't want to spend the rest of her days in boredom and loneliness, she couldn't stay here. Hester had to go… but where? Her master and mistress, wherever they'd gone, surely had forgotten her... Or - even worse - left her here on purpose. So it seemed unlikely that they would even want her back. With another tinge of bitterness, she thought of their new house vacuum. She never really met her successor, just saw them once when they were being demonstrated; it was a newer Kirby model. Of course. She knew that her humans took faith in the tried and tested and the reliable, and her brand very much was, she thought of that with a bit of pride. Still, the more she remembered the idea of being replaced, the more hurt she felt from her lonely situation. She could have been a good, reliable house vacuum for many more years, but was banished to the chicken coop instead.
She sighed. No, she couldn't go back to her old folks, even if she was able to find them. Her only hope was to find a new owner. But was there anyone who would want an old model like her? Even though she was still perfectly functional? Her only choice was to go and try to find someone new, if she didn't want to spend the rest of her days alone and rusting in this abandoned, dusty place.
She decided to wait until nightfall, to minimize the risk of being seen travelling. She still didn't really know where. She only knew that she should try to find a more populous area, where someone might take her in if she was lucky. The wilderness or the empty farmlands was no place for a vacuum to survive.
Patiently, Hester waited for sunset, and then some more, until night enveloped the wide, empty farmlands. When it was dark enough, she left the chicken coop and roved down the drive that led from the farmhouse to the road. She knew she only had to follow the road, and, sooner or later, she would reach a town or a city. Which direction? It didn't matter, as in both directions, she eventually had to arrive somewhere. She took a last long look back at the place she had called home for all her life, but she couldn't even see it anymore, as it was swallowed by the darkness of the night. Eventually, she turned her back on it and followed the road, beginning her journey into the unknown.