Tippy continued to discover the special powers that started to develop the night he was struck in the head with the baseball-sized meteor. He found that he getting stronger, running faster, and jumping higher everyday.
One day, after school, Tippy was doing his chores at home. Tippy's family kept six chickens—Rhode Island Reds. Tippy needed to feed the chickens everyday, and one of his sisters collected their eggs. Tippy was feeding the chickens outside the shed when a big wind suddenly came up. The wind gusted suddenly and caught the shed's door, slamming it shut. Now, the shed door was very heavy, and its hinges were very stiff and rusty. Only Tippy's father could open it.
When the shed door slammed shut, it frightened the chickens who ran and scattered about. Tippy clicked his tongue to soothe the Rhode Island Reds, and threw out a handful of chicken feed to draw them back. The chickens quieted down and converged on the feed. Tippy counted the chickens.
One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Five chickens. One chicken was missing. And Tippy could hear, from inside the shed, the sounds of chicken number six clucking, all alone and in the dark. Chicken number six hadn't eaten yet. Chicken number six was a little bit scared. Tippy needed to open the shed. But how? The door was so heavy, and the hinges so stiff and rusty, he wouldn't be able to open it by himself.
But, Tippy remembered that he was getting stronger, running faster, and jumping higher everyday. He set down the pail of chicken feed and walked to the shed door. He took hold of the old, rusty handle and pulled with all his might.
To his surprise, the great, heavy shed door with the stiff and rusty hinges swung open easily! Chicken number six strutted casually out of the shed and joined her chicken companions, scratching and pecking hungrily at the feed scattered over the dirt in the yard.
Tippy looked at his thin, scrawny arm, then at the great, heavy shed door. He put his hand up to his forehead where the baseball-sized meteor hit him and thoughtfully rubbed the little lump that was still there. A little stunned, he went on about chores.
