The Eagle Who Lived Like a Chicken

Once upon a time, there was a farmer named Kareem. He lived in a small village near the mountains. Kareem had a few cows, some goats, and many chickens in his yard. Every day, he took care of his animals and collected eggs from the chickens.

One day, Kareem went for a walk near the forest. He saw something strange on the ground near a big tree. It was a large egg, much bigger than a chicken egg. It had golden spots and looked very special. Kareem looked around but did not see any nest or bird nearby.

“I will take this egg home,” Kareem said to himself. “Maybe a chicken can keep it warm.”

So he placed the big egg in the chicken coop with the other eggs. The mother hen sat on it, just like she did with her own eggs. After some days, the egg cracked open.

Out came a baby bird. But it did not look like the other baby chicks. It had a sharp beak, strong legs, and large wings. It was not a chicken. It was an eagle.

But no one knew that. Even the eagle didn’t know.

Since the eagle grew up with chickens, it thought it was a chicken too. It copied the chickens. It walked like them. It clucked like them. It scratched the ground for food and never tried to fly high.

The eagle lived this way for many years. It stayed on the ground and followed the chickens around the yard. Sometimes, it saw other eagles flying high in the sky. It looked up and felt something in its heart. A strange feeling. A dream. But then it looked around and said to itself, “I am just a chicken. I cannot fly like them.”

One day, an old man came to visit Kareem’s farm. He saw the eagle in the chicken coop and was shocked.

“What is that eagle doing here?” the old man asked.

“That’s not an eagle,” said Kareem, laughing. “It’s just a big chicken. It was raised here with the other chickens, and it acts just like them.”

“No,” said the old man. “That is an eagle. It may live like a chicken now, but inside, it is still an eagle. Let me show you.”

The old man picked up the eagle and took it to a small hill.

“You are not a chicken,” he said to the bird. “You are an eagle. You were made to fly. Spread your wings.”

The eagle looked scared. It had never been away from the ground. It looked down and saw the chickens far away. Then it looked at the sky. It was confused and afraid.

So the eagle jumped down and ran back to the coop.

But the old man did not give up.

The next day, he took the eagle to a taller mountain. The wind was strong. The view was beautiful. He lifted the eagle high in the air and said, “Look at the sky. That is where you belong. You were born to fly. Try.”

The eagle looked up at the clouds. It felt something deep inside—a memory, a calling. It opened its wings slowly. The wind lifted them.

Then, the eagle took a step and jumped.

At first, it fell a little. But then, the wind caught its wings. The eagle flapped. It flew. It rose higher and higher. It flew over trees, over rivers, and into the open sky.

For the first time, the eagle felt free.

It never returned to the chicken coop again.

The Lesson of the Story

Sometimes, we forget who we really are. We believe we are small because others tell us so. We are afraid to try new things because we think we can’t do them.

But the truth is—you are stronger than you think. You have wings too. Maybe not like an eagle, but in your own way. You have dreams, talent, and power inside you.

Don’t be afraid to try. Don’t listen to people who say you can’t fly. You were made for more.

So open your wings, believe in yourself, and fly.