Lost Voice of the Grand Final by Hazel Edwards

Chapter 2
The Job
    My name is Astrid. I’m a mind-reading chook. I have a few hi-tech toys too. Z-Tek games are my latest.
    Chickens are ordinary. But I’m special. Ever since that accident in the Lab, I’ve been able to read minds. This helps when I’m sleuthing.. I’m EXCELLENT at finding things.
    RING. RING. RING.
    â€˜Hullo, Astrid here.’ I pull my Z-com from under my wing. I like being a hi-tech hen. I can peck very fast on my screen.
    â€˜Astrid, it’s Ben. I’ve got a job for you.’ Ben is a good agent, most of the time. He gets extra work for me. Sleuthing. Or as an actor. I can act really well as a chicken. But no more Hot Chicken Shop commercials!
    I don’t even like going near that Hot Chicken shop. It’s no mystery what happened to my Aunty Rhoda in there. She became a Special Sandwich with lettuce, mustard and pickles. And my uncle is now a duster at the Feather Bed Shop. So I won’t act in bed-shop commercials either.
    Ben says quickly, ‘This is NOT a Chicken Shop acting job. Okay?’
    â€˜Where is it?’
    â€˜The Sports Centre. You know it’s the Grand Final on Saturday?’
    â€˜Yes. Hens in the farmyard have been talking about it. So has Rooster.’
    â€˜The Coach has got Grand Final Fever.’
    â€˜So has most of the farmyard. What’s the job?’
    I don’t play football. My wings are clumsy on the muddy field. I’m not a fast bird like some players. The Birds were finalists, but they weren’t that desperate. I only play computer games, not football. My job is to solve mysteries.
    â€˜Something is lost, again,’ says Ben.
    Last time, I found Merlin the Magician’s lost sense of humour. Merlin needed to be able to laugh in time for his 3pm magic show at the Mall. He did.
    I like solving mysteries. I look for clues. And I keep my eyes to the ground. I notice things. And most people don’t notice a chook who’s just pecking around.
    â€˜Who’s the client this time?’ I ask.
    â€˜It’s Carrot the Parrot himself,’ says Ben. ‘He’s lost his voice.’
    â€˜That’s no mystery. He’s probably worn it out.’
    Carrot is one of those parrots who is always talking. Parts of him are the same colour as his name. Like the vegetable. But he says he’s ‘exotic’. No garden vegetable colours for him. I think he’s just orange-carrot coloured. Very noticeable, especially when he yells at you.
    â€˜The Birds team are in the Final and Carrot is the coach. HE says, they need him at the ground to tell them what to do.’ I wondered how Coach Carrot told that to Ben if he lost his voice. Maybe an e-mail? I use Chook mail myself on my Z-com.
    Anyone who watches TV Sports knows about Coach Carrot. He is always being interviewed on an ‘expert’ panel.
    In fact, he talks ALL the time. If it’s not about football, Carrot’s talking about himself or the special events at which he is Master of Ceremonies. He’s that kind of a bird. Ruffles a few feathers.
    If Rooster and Carrot were in the same farmyard, no-one else would get a chance to speak. Wall- to- wall words. Bird war. Feathers ruffled on both sides. Luckily Carrot lives near the Sports Ground, not in the farmyard. He likes to live on the job.
    â€˜He can’t talk or tell players what to do anymore,’ says Ben. ‘That’s why he sent an urgent e-mail.’
    â€˜When did he lose his voice?’ I ask.
    â€˜Before he got up this morning,’ says Ben.
    â€˜Does he know where he lost it?’ I say. ‘Or why?’
    â€˜No. That’s why you’ve got the job of finding it. The Voice of the Coach must be at the Grand Final.’
    â€˜What about my fee?’
    â€˜D’you want the usual?’ asks Ben.
    â€˜Yes please.’ Since I’m a hi-tech chook , Ben pays me in new e-games like Leghorn, Eggs Galore or Find the