Remarkable Story of Chicken Little
“Remarkable Story of Chicken Little” (1840) is a folk tale about a chicken who believes the world is coming to an end. The phrase “The sky is falling!” features prominently in the story, and has passed into the English language as a common idiom indicating a hysterical or mistaken belief that disaster is imminent.
Did you ever hear of Chicken Little, how she disturbed a whole neighborhood by her foolish alarm?
Well, Chicken Little was running about in a gentleman’s garden, where she had no business to be; she ran under a rose-bush, and a leaf fell on her tail; so she was dreadfully frightened, and ran away to Hen Pen.
“O Hen Pen,” said she, “ the sky is falling!”
“Why, Chicken Little, how do you know it?”
“O, I heard it with my ears, I saw it with my eyes, and part of it fell on my tail.”
“Come, then,” says Hen Pen, “ let us run as fast as we can.”
So they ran till they came to Duck Luck.
“O Duck Luck,” says Hen Pen, “the sky is falling!”
“Why, how do you know it?”, says Duck Luck.
“Chicken Little told me.”
“Chicken Little, how do you know it?”
“I heard it with my ears, I saw it with my eyes, and part of it fell on my tail.”
“O, let us run !”, says Duck Luck.
And they went on till they came to Goose Loose.
“O Goose Loose!,” says Duck Luck, “ the sky is falling.”
“ Why, Duck Luck,” says Goose Loose, “ how do you know it ?”
Says Duck Luck, “ Hen Pen told me.”
“ Hen Pen, how do you know it ?”
“Chicken Little told me.”
“Chicken Little, how do you know it ?”
“O, I heard it with my ears, I saw it with my eyes, and part of it fell on my tail!”
“Run, run ! as fast as you can,” says Goose Loose.
And away they went till they came to Turkey Lurkey.
“O Turkey Lurkey!”, says Goose Loose, “the sky is falling!”
“ Why,” says Turkey Lurkey, “Goose Loose, how do you know it?”
Says Goose Loose, “Duck Luck told me.”
“Duck Luck, how do you know it?”
Says Duck Luck, “ Hen Pen told me.”
“Hen Pen, how do you know it ?
Says Hen Pen, “ Chicken Little told me.”
“ Chicken Little, how do you know it ?”
“How can I help knowing it ?”, says Chicken Little;
“I heard it with my ears, I saw it with my eyes, and part of it fell on my tail !”
“O, come, let us run !”, says Turkey Lurkey.
And away they all went till they met with Fox Lox.
“O Fox Lox ! “says Turkey Lurkey, “the sky is falling!”
“Who told you?” says Fox Lox.
Says Turkey” Lurkey, “Goose Loose told me.”
“Goose Loose, who told you?”
“Duck Luck told me.”
“ Duck Luck, who told you?”
“Hen Pen told me.”
“Hen Pen, who told you ?”
“ Chicken Little told me.”
“ Chicken Little, how do you know it ?”
“O, I heard it with my ears, I saw it with my eyes, and part of it fell on my tail!” “Make haste !”, says Fox Lox, “and all come into my den.”
Fox Lox opened the door, and in went Turkey Lurkey.
As she went in, Fox Lox bit off her head, threw it one way, and the body another.
Then went in Goose Loose. Fox Lox cut off her head, and threw her in.
Then came Duck Luck. Fox Lox did the same by her.
Then came Hen Pen. Fox Lox bit off her head, and threw it one way, and the body the other.
Then came Chicken Little. Fox Lox caught hold of her, and eat her all up, and then finished his supper with the rest, and all this from the foolish fright of Chicken Little.
