Quiet Grace

Nobody knows Oyíndàmọ́là's full story, because she has never told it. She arrived at Kisi thin, half-feathered, and silent, and the kindest forecast was 'weeks.' Dr. Amara's case notes from that first month record, in order: 'eating a little,' 'standing,' 'perching, low bar,' and finally 'moved her wing for the new chick.' That last line is now framed in the ministry.

The new chick was Chi-Chi, three weeks old and motherless. Grace kept her warm through her first week, and has kept a corner of her wing available ever since, for Chi-Chi, and then for every frightened new arrival after her. The chicks call the spot 'Grace's side.' There is sometimes a queue.

When The Coop Times finally secured its long-requested exclusive interview, Grace sat with the correspondent in the shade for three minutes, said nothing, and shared his grain. The piece ran in full, 'Three Minutes with Quiet Grace,' text: a description of the shade, and is the most reprinted article in the paper's history.