“It’s hard to impress me with chicken,” a grimacing judge muttered to his fellow judges on the panel. He tapped a pen on his clipboard, already bored with the performers, who hadn’t even walked onto the stage yet.

Three measly chickens waddle into the spotlight, sending ripples of confused murmurs throughout the audience. The poultry huddled around a single microphone positioned in the middle of the stage. The lead chicken gave it a sharp peck.

The disinterested judge sighed, clearly viewing the trio as a waste of his precious time. “Right… what will you three be singing for us today?” His tone dripped with apathy. The chickens did not reply.

“I didn’t even know we let chickens audition,” the female judge with a British accent exclaimed with a wide smile of disbelief. She was clearly much more entertained than the harsh judge.

The final judge clapped his hands together suddenly. “No more distractions, you two. I want to see this. The floor is yours, flock.”

The quiet rumble of the crowd fell silent as everyone directed their attention to the feathered performers. Smooth piano music filled the air and the three performers began to sway back and forth in unison. The lead chicken opened its beak and let out an angelic note. His wing stretched out towards the audience dramatically as its heavenly voice serenaded the entire concert hall. The other two birds cooed in harmony.

The harsh judge tried to mask his look of astonishment with a sip of his drink. The pleasing melody of the chicken’s song left the audience slack-jawed. The lead chicken poured its soul into each note. Colorful lights illuminated the three singers, adding a majestic mood to their performance. To add to the atmosphere, confetti began to rain from the ceiling. Each ribbon of sparkly plastic twinkled from the light of the spotlight, reminiscent of stars on a dark night. The dazzling sight of the confetti paired nicely with the enchanting voice of the lead chicken. Just when the judges thought the performance couldn’t get any more spectacular, a trap door above the stage opened. Two acrobatic chickens descended from the ceiling with their wings outstretched as if they were soaring through the air. The audience gasped at the marvelous display, only to be shocked once more when the lead chicken belted out an ethereal high note. With one final bow, the performance was over.

The audience all stood and the entire room erupted into cheers. All of the judges followed suit except for the harsh judge. He was frozen in a stunned silence with an expression of disbelief. He turned to look at the British judge, who was already pulling him out of his seat to participate in the standing ovation. The poultry on stage waved to the audience and the acrobatic chickens were hoisted back through the trap door. When the hoots and the hollers of the audience died down and everyone returned to their seats, the harsh judge leaned over his microphone.

“That was… incredible. I truly mean that,” an uncharacteristically amazed grin spread across his face.
The British judge playfully batted at his shoulder. “You should stop being so grumpy before these performances, you never know what you’re going to see,” she giggled.
“I have good reason,” he rolled his eyes at her.

The final judge shrugged at the cameras. “He’s always been scared of chicken.”

“Not scared,” the harsh judge turns to face him, “I’ve just disliked chickens ever since my Gram Gram died in a chicken related incident.” The harsh judge turned back to face the chickens on stage, who were exchanging uncomfortable glances. “That being said, I think this performance tonight has just changed my mind,” the harsh judge declared, nodding his head in approval. The birds clucked in a mixture of excitement and relief. They had done the impossible; they impressed him with chicken.