[WorldUrbanLegend] The Ghost Chicken of Highgate
The Ghost Chicken of Highgate
In 1626, the English philosopher Francis Bacon, driven by scientific curiosity, met his untimely death. He had come up with the idea of freezing a chicken using his own breath and attempted the experiment, but tragically died of pneumonia. This incident has remained a legendary tale for many years. However, the story did not simply end as a historical anecdote. After Bacon's death, strange reports began to emerge in Pond Square, Highgate, London.
Chapter 1: The Disappearing Chicken
The chicken Bacon used in his final experiment disappeared without a trace after his death. This event sparked peculiar rumors among locals. An elderly man claimed to hear faint chicken cries every dawn in Pond Square. Initially, no one paid much attention, but over time, more people began to witness strange occurrences related to the chicken.
In the early 1800s, a Polish immigrant named Clara Kowalski was walking through Pond Square when she saw a half-featherless chicken circling the square. She initially thought it was simply a sickly animal, but as she tried to approach, the chicken vanished like a shadow. This tale quickly spread through the village, and the chicken was soon referred to as the "ghost chicken."
Chapter 2: The Shadow of Fear
By the early 20th century, the legend of the ghost chicken had become even more mysterious. During World War II, Edward Price, a British RAF soldier, visited Highgate on leave. One dark night, while walking through Pond Square, he attempted to catch the chicken, as if it were a childhood game. However, the chicken skillfully avoided his hands and led him all the way to the edge of the square. To his horror, the chicken then disappeared into a wall. His account was reported to his superiors, but most dismissed it as a hallucination caused by the stresses of war.
However, Price continued to track the chicken’s strange traces even after his military service ended. He frequently returned to Highgate, attempting to uncover the mystery behind the chicken. His records stated that the chicken appeared sporadically, often near places tied to Bacon’s historical experiments.
Chapter 3: The Final Sighting
In the winter of 1969, university student Emma Lawrence was walking with friends through Pond Square when she witnessed the ghost chicken once again. The chicken appeared to fly upward, landing on a branch of a tree. Emma, intrigued, approached the chicken, but at that moment, it vanished into thin air.
This incident led Emma to research Bacon’s life, and she began to explore the connection between his scientific experiments and the chicken’s legend. She speculated that Bacon’s scientific ambition had somehow left a lingering trace in the world, even after his death. Emma’s research was published in a local newspaper, and soon many people began visiting Pond Square in search of the ghost chicken.
Epilogue: The End of the Legend
The last official sighting of the ghost chicken was recorded in 1970. Afterward, the legend gradually faded from people's memories. However, some people walking through Pond Square still claim to hear strange chicken cries.
Today, Pond Square is no longer just a historical landmark, but a stage for a legend created by scientific curiosity and human imagination. The faint sound of a chicken’s cry may just be a reminder that Francis Bacon’s experimental spirit has not truly left the world.
