A friend of Heather received a very strange text message from her:
Lu huh but GTG is at tug here4/5uu.
Had Heather finally lost it? Had the pressures of the job become too much for her? Well, maybe, but in this case there is another possible interpretation.
A strange shiny, metallic object fell from the sky into the chicken yard. Curiosity got the best of them and they ran over to check it out.
Was it a message from space aliens? Chickens have their own wisdom, you know, and perhaps the aliens felt it would be better decoded by them than by humans.
Three of our leading hens had a consult and decided to investigate. Using the tools available to them (beaks—though in theory, they also could have used their fine chicken feet) they got to work unfolding the mystery.
Peck Peck Peck.
It turns on!
And there’s this keyboard… Maybe we can send a message back?
Peck peck peck peck peck peck peck peck peck peck peck.
What next?
Consultation.
SEND!
Success!
Heather provided the human end of the story, as evidence she hadn’t lost it:
“I had texted my friend to see how her new job was going before I went in to feed the flock. Unbeknownst to me, my phone fell out of my pocket. Once I realized it was missing, I started looking around and saw Boo, Trouble, and Red pecking at something on the ground. Not only was it my phone, but they somehow unlocked it, pecked out a bunch of gibberish, and managed to also peck the send button. I immediately sent another text to my friend, apologizing and explaining she could ignore the previous unauthorized text sent from three chickens. She laughed hysterically and asked how they managed to send a fraction as part of the text. ”
Sure, Heather… The chickens unlocked your phone, found the keyboard, pecked out a message, managed appropriate spacing as well as a fraction, and sent it…? Do you mind if we see what you sent out to donors recently?
BUT WAIT! What if Heather was telling the truth?
What were the chickens trying to say?
Heather said, “It was a bunch of gibberish,” but that’s from our human point of view.
Maybe not?
Do any of you have suggestions (or perhaps actual translations) of what the hens were trying to say? We’ll run your suggestions by them and let you know…
From Heather:
I know I’ve been stressed lately, but really, it really really happened. I didn’t make it up, honestly. The only thing is, I don’t know what the message means…
