It was an average winter day right before Christmas. I had just found a big, juicy worm when I heard loud squawking coming from the hen house.

"Gertrude! Gertrude, come quick! Gerrrrrrrtrude!"

I came running to the scene, and pulled out my trusty spyglass. The squawking had come from Amber, a young Light Brahma,

"What's the matter, Amber?" I inquired.

"I had just laid my egg and got off the nest to get a few pecks of scratch, but when I came back ten minutes later, my egg was gone!"

I asked Jasper and Jade, the two Barred Rock sisters, because they were the only ones around, but they didn't take it.

I called the whole flock together. "Has anyone seen Amber's egg?" There wasn't a cluck to be heard.

"Well," Gertrude said, "we must find the thief. We will set up a search committee. Do I have any volunteers?"

"We'll help!" said Jasper and Jade.

"I'll lend a hand!" said Elizabeth, an older Light Brahma.

"We'll assist you!" said May and March, the twin sisters.

"I need one more volunteer."

JJoanna raised her wing, "Me!" she squawked.

I had heard of varmints stealing eggs before, but now that it was in our coop, it's a different story.

"Attention!" I cackled, "Okay, Jasper and Jade, you two keep a good eye on the gate outside. May and March, keep a first-rate eye on the chicken coop door. Elizabeth, Amber and Joanna, you girls watch the nesting boxes very closely. I will make sure everything runs smoothly, but if anyone notices something strange then let me know immediately. You are dismissed!"

As evening rolled around there was no sign of anything. I began to wonder if Amber was really telling the truth. We had put eggs in all the nesting boxes purposely in case the burglar only stole from one box. I began to dose off when I heard...

"Gertrude, come quick, I see him!"

I flapped hastily to where Elizabeth was jumping up and down fluttering her wings.

"I saw the criminal, Gertrude!"

Elizabeth was promptly bombed with questions, "What was it Elizabeth? Where did he go? What color was he? Did he steal another egg?"

"Order!" I cried, "Okay, Elizabeth, what was it?

All ears were listening to Elizabeth, "Well, um, I um don't know what it was."

"You don't?" the flock chorused.

"I saw something, but I am not sure what it was. It did have something white in its mouth." Elizabeth whispered.

"Where did it go?" I asked.

"I scared it so it ran out of the coop into the dark." Elizabeth sadly replied.

"Come on you guys, let's go find the crook." We stalked out into the dark chicken yard.

We searched for a few minutes when Amber called, "Found him!"

There was the robber. A big, fat, ugly rat stuck halfway through the fence with the evidence in his mouth. Amber's eggs were never stolen again.