At first, I thought it was a phase—finding Clove, the neighbor’s plump old hen, in our coop. My daughter Junie would be nearby, cradling her like a secret-keeping friend.

I kept returning Clove to Miss Dottie next door, apologizing each time. Dottie just chuckled, “That girl of yours loves deep.”

But one day, I caught Junie sneaking Clove out with a blanket and juice box. “Why, baby?” I asked.

She looked up and whispered, “Miss Dottie said she’s putting her down… like we did with Grandpa. And Clove didn’t even do anything wrong.”

My heart broke.

When we brought Clove back, Dottie sighed. “She belonged to my husband, Clyde. Last piece of him I got. But she’s sick. I can’t afford another surgery.”

That night, Junie asked, “Can’t we help Clove?” I told her it wasn’t so simple. She nodded, determined. “Then I’ll make it simple.”

A few days later, she set up a lemonade stand—not for pocket money, but to save Clove’s life. Her sign had a drawing of Clove inside a heart. Donations poured in. A week later, she’d raised over $400.

We handed the envelope to Miss Dottie. She cried. “Clyde would’ve loved that girl.”

The vet removed Clove’s tumor—it was benign. She had years left.

But then, Miss Dottie fell and broke her hip. No one knew—until Junie, on her way to feed Clove, found her. The ambulance arrived just in time.

Dottie never returned home, but asked us to keep Clove. We moved her coop into our yard. Junie called it Clove’s Castle.

That summer, a forgotten egg hatched in Dottie’s shed. Junie named the chick Clover.

Watching her care for Clove and Clover, I realized—this was never just about a chicken. It was about love, compassion, and a little girl who saw value where others didn’t.

Dottie visited once more, sitting by the coop. Watching Junie in the grass, she whispered, “She saved me too. Reminded me what love looks like.”

Sometimes, children don’t accept “no” when it comes to kindness. And thank goodness for that.

Because Junie didn’t just save a chicken—she reminded us all that every life, no matter how small, deserves a chance.