Feathered Mystery at Lucens Castle

Last Monday, invited by the hen house friends of Laure Stettler, Aglaé and I took advantage of Pentecost to sneak off to Lucens Castle for a day full of surprises... Arriving at the crack of dawn and the endless clucking of the hens, we were excited to discover this magnificent medieval castle and wondered what they had cooked up for our visit. But just before entering the castle grounds, the plumpest one, Gertrude, handed us a double-brimmed hat and a pipe. Well, I'll be darned, these little hens know how to keep a mystery going... And as we entered the inner courtyard, a small door caught our eye: it read "Sherlock Holmes Museum" and everything became clear: Elementary, my dear Watson! We then gladly delved into the world of the famous private detective and explored this unusual and unexpected space: The living room of 221b Baker Street in London had been reconstructed identically, and we discovered a true cabinet of curiosities with objects, each more whimsical than the last. We learned that it was the son of the author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, a former owner of the residence, who had installed a small museum there in homage to his father's work. But as we explored the trinkets and books that inspired Conan Doyle for his plots, Aglaé exclaimed: "Cluck, cluck, cluck, Gertrude has disappeared!" Chaos ensued, everyone scrambling to find Gertrude. The last one to see her was Sucette. Feeling unwell, she had gone out for some fresh air... But what could have happened to her? Where did she go? I decided to take charge and, with Aglaé's help, we questioned the hens one by one. Apparently this morning, she had an argument with Ovidie over a stolen egg. And just yesterday, she had upset Duchesse by pecking at Casanova the rooster in front of her. Hadn't she also pecked all of Choucroute's grains the other day? Gertrude had definitely ruffled quite a few feathers lately. But in the middle of the interrogation, Aglaé discovered grey feathers and paw prints leading towards an exit door. Without a moment's hesitation, we all rushed outside. The clues left on the ground led us through the castle courtyard and straight to the adjoining farm. And there, SURPRIIIISE! Attracted by a pleasant smell, Gertrude - the most gluttonous of all the hens - had joined Ginette, my beloved cow, who was also taking advantage of this holiday to enjoy Gruyère AOP cheeses in the medieval castles of Switzerland. To recover from our emotions and celebrate our reunion, we all gathered around for an aperitif to taste some Secrets de Gruyère Bio.