Once upon a time there was a little hen with brown wings and a brown and cream flecked body. She lived, with her five chicks, in the country and they ate what they could find and also food that the little flecked hen grew herself.

One day the little flecked hen found some grains of wheat. She knew she could plant them and grow more wheat to eat, so she asked people to help her.

"Who will help me plant my grains of wheat?" asked the little flecked hen.

"Not I," said the goose, "but I'll sell you some coffee bushes. You'll make lots of money if you grow coffee instead of wheat."

"Not I," said the dog, "but I'll buy the coffee from you when you've grown it."

"Not I," said the rat, "but I'll buy lend you the money you need to start with."

So the little flecked hen planted her land with coffee instead of wheat.

"Who will help me grow this coffee?" asked the little flecked hen.

"Not I," said the goose, "but I'll sell you some fertilizer to help it grow.

"Not I said the dog. "But I'll sell you some pesticides to keep it free from disease."

Not I said the rat, "but I'll lend you the money to buy the fertilizer and the pesticides you need"

So the little flecked hen worked long and hard. She spread her fertilizer and sprayed the insecticide on her coffee bushes. Even thought it was costing her much more than it would have done to grow wheat for herself, she kept thinking of the money she would get for the coffee and of what she could buy with the money.

Then came harvest time.

"Who will help me sell my coffee?" asked the little flecked hen.

"Not I," said the goose, "but you will need my factory to roast and pack it. You can pay me to use it."

Not I," said the dog. "Everyone is growing coffee now and the price has fallen. In fact it has hit rock bottom!

Not I," said the rat, "but you will have to pay back the money you have borrowed form me now and the interest as well.

Then the little red hen realised that she had made a mistake in growing coffee instead of wheat because she was deep in debt and had nothing for herself and her chicks to eat.

" Who will find me something to eat?" asked the little flecked hen.

"Not I, " said the goose, "you haven't any money to pay for it."

"Not I," said the dog. " There's not enough food to go round since everyone started to grow coffee."

Not I " said the rat, "but I'll take over your land to make up for the money you owe and perhaps I'll let you stay and work for me."