Once Sebastian made it through the night, we knew he had a good chance of recovery - though it would be a slow process.  Once he had a little more energy back, we brought his best friend Sebastian in to visit him.  We could tell how much it cheered him to hear his friend (though he still couldn't see him due to his eyes being swollen shut) and to do "normal" chicken things again.  They hung out for a bit and ate dinner near each other.  Hearing Jareth eat made Sebastian hungry and helped him to find his food on his own, though he still required hand feeding and watering for a few more days.  

Finally, one of Sebastian's eyes opened and his head started to heal.  He was becoming restless inside, so we let him have some time in the sun with Jareth.  

Hi, Jenna here…

I don’t really understand why everyone doesn’t automatically get me as their secret Valentine this year. I mean, what’s better than secretly knowing you’re getting a Valentine while also secretly knowing it will be me?!? 

Exactly.

I would be an excellent Valentine. I am warm, loyal, emotionally available when not distracted by carrots, and I show up every single day needing hugs. The surprise alone would be worth it. You’d spend everyday wondering who your Valentine is and then BOOM it’s me. Best day ever.

I have been told, however, that Valentine’s Day is about sharing love, and that I cannot keep all of it for myself. So fine. I will reluctantly agree. And mom and dad tell me this is very wonderful for me to do. They seemed surprised… likely because they know how right I am about my original thinking.  

Still, let’s be honest with ourselves. In spirit, I am still everyone’s Valentine.

Sebastian had a bad day yesterday.  Probably the worst day of his life.  It was a very bad day for us too.  When we found him, he was unconscious.  We genuinely thought he was dead.  Tia the turkey had snuck into his area with her kids Rachel and Betty - something she had never done before.  Tia and Sebastian have had a long-standing feud for reasons we still don’t fully understand. While these tensions have existed for some time, we have taken steps to mitigate their ability to see each other through fences, which has helped tremendously.   However his outcome was far more serious than anything we had ever expected.

Dear Diary,
​
Today, I saw Huckleberry standing there. 
Soft, round, unsuspecting.

​I told myself, “Edna, you are new here. You must resist.”