Gray Goat's Big Adventure
Gray Goat's Big Adventure
1993
...He wasn't much of a goat as goats went. He had short, little, stubby legs. And short, little, stubby horns that weren't much good except to scare the kids from up the street. His fur was mottled brown and white and gray, but mostly gray. It was matted and dirty, and little red and yellow leaves stuck to him from Big Tree where he sat when he was tired or when the sun was too hot.
...Over down where the Blue Stream trickled (he avoided the little mushrooms when he went down there), dark green bushes grew in the shade of an old, big Rock. He would go there often, eating the leaves, drinking the Blue Water. It was far from his Big Tree, but he was happy.
...One day, Goat (he didn't have much of a name for himself) decided to see what was on top of the old, big Rock. Climbing old, big Rock wasn't as easy as it looked from down near Blue Stream, and he got many little cuts in his mottled fur from sharp edges.
...When finally he reached the top of old, big Rock, Goat looked around. He could see Big Tree, and Farmer's House (a thin trail of smoke curled up from the chimney), and Red Barn. He thought he could see the little house where the kids lived (tho he had never been there).
...Behind him, a little hill rose up. It almost reached the top of old, big Rock. Little yellow flowers grew all over. Goat climbed down on the little hill and started eating the little yellow flowers and the green moss that grew with the flowers.
...While eating, he wandered. He wandered down the hill and into a small flower patch. He had always seen the flower patch, but he never could get there. The flowers were delicious, and soon he was full.
...He wandered on, exploring his new field. He came across some hard, black mud. He walked out onto the mud and found that it went far to both ways. He was thirsty from the flowers and wanted to find a stream. He knew that mud grew near Blue Stream, so he started walking down Black Mud (his new name for it), occasionally searching the brambles beside it for a stream.
...This was not mud like the mud beside Blue Stream. Try as he might, Goat could not find a stream beside Black Mud. He decided to head home and come out to wander some other day. He spied Red Barn through some trees and headed to it.
...The water in the dog's dish tasted good after his walk, and Goat settled down beside Red Barn to take a nap.
...When Farmer found him, Goat said "Hello" (it actually came out more as a "naaaayyyy"). Farmer was mad, but he soon smiled and patted Goat's head between his short, little, stubby horns. Farmer lead goat through the big gate and into his old field. Goat trotted off and sat under Big Tree.
...Farmer went back into Red Barn and came back with some tools. He walked down the field to Blue Stream. Later, when Goat wandered down to Blue Stream to eat the leaves of the dark green bushes (avoiding the little mushrooms), a new strand of stinging wire draped lazily across old, big Rock.
...That night, Goat slept and dreamt of eating flowers.