The Skyward Marta - 3

Marta is a subsuming character of pain, angst, and despair , she churns them into units of ATP that fuel her strength, subroutines, and walks of life. Untouched by shame, resilient against humiliation, unscathed by abasement, she remains unbroken.

From fellow roosters to the ruthless Boris, Marta could have been physically harmed and harassed. Yet her mental scape abounds in firmness, entrenched gumption, and unmatched volition that no feathery cocks nor fleshy hands can ever command into obedience.

How did Marta earn such a temperament? The answers trace back to her birth. Hatched thirty-six moons ago, she was jostled into the world by her mother alongside five other eggs. Within a week, her mother met the same fate as every other chicken in the pen, butchered.

The formative years were vile for Marta. Every male rooster was cocky; every hen, mute and forbearing. Boris’s cruelty in slaughtering chickens before her eyes became a constant. Being exploited for eggs was routine; watching her kin killed for flesh, an everyday spectacle. Her fledgling eyes filled with gore and macabre, she became an inveterate witness and reluctant participant, in injustice and oppression.

Marta learned to fight the evil world with wits. She grew shrewd at reading both chickens’ and humans’ intentions, battling their shameful diplomacy. Her first betrayal came from a French rooster, Cocorico, who impregnated her with the promise of love and permanence, only to abandon her for another la poule. The second came from Petuk, a Russian rooster, who too left her for his compatriot. Countless other exploitations followed , theft of food, deception in the name of friendship but Marta endured them all.

Her supremacy lies not in vengeance but in ambition. She persuades her fellow chickens to keep faith for tomorrow’s dawn, relentlessly pursuing peace and higher standards of intelligence. While others tremble before humans, Marta studied them - learning their languages, mimicking their manners. She etched artwork in the mud with her claws: stars, moons, and celestial designs. She preened her feathers into a long tie, resembling the attire of men. She built nests with straw and twigs woven into irresistible patterns of mountains and tributaries - creations always demolished by Adrian and Nigel, whose puny senses were overwhelmed by her genius.

Every egg Marta laid carried superior genetics , destined for people’s gut, spreading her eugenic legacy into oblivious consumers. She stands as a symbol of sturdy, moxie character amidst blemished, flawed, and opportunistic vultures. She despises vultures not only for the slur hidden in their name but also for their deceit and unlawful conduct.

Marta and Lucien are bound by a deep, tenuous thread. A poor, private chicken from a remote pen is set to confront the emperor of the poultry kingdom. How such a trajectory unfolded remains the story ahead.

To be continued…

Anand ¥¥