The Goose

Fool Me Twice spinoff and a small teaser of what's to come. July 29, 2016.

Ignoring the rest of the communal table, the pair sat on the attention of one another.

“You know, Kayla, when it comes to trust, we’ve had a story or two.” Irene shook the drink can.

“A story?” 

“Yes. More of an account, but no one knew if it actually happened or not. A long time ago, there was a couple that were quite rich, just like you, who liked to farm on their downtime.”

Kayla cracked a small smile, then shook her head as her spoon pushed against the ice cream.

“They could live anywhere in the world, so they chose the waterfront. They had a house, and there was a small pen built at the front of it. In it, lived a small goose.”

“This goose had other goose friends that he would live together with, and everyday he would be served with the best corn the farmers could find. As much as he wants, and the feeding box always had the tendency to overflow. So are the showers, he gets washed everyday, unlike the poorer geese that looked up to a life like his.”

Kayla looked up at her as she continued.

“As the days go by, his other friends grew with him. But they grew faster, stronger, and more beefy. The farmer would open a small hatch at the far corner, and take one or two away. More and more of his friends would go, and a few new ones joined him. Eventually, all of his playmates would be taken inside the house, never to be seen again. The farmer, after all this time, kept feeding him the same corn, kept bathing him as regularly.”

“Then—“

“Then one day, he noticed the winds picked up. The water bubbled up, and began to flow away from the shore. The other animals in the pen squirmed and ran to the end of the pen, yet the goose stood still in wonder. Fearing the worst, the wife made his husband pack up and leave. They took the family photo, some commemorative items, and a few books, and the couple ran out of the door. Once they were out, they stopped to look at the house before the waves hit. The goose was confident that he would finally be picked since now the farmers reappeared, and he was the only qualified one left.”

“The couple stood still. The goose overheard the conversation and instead heard that the farmer wanted to bring more items with him. The wife rejected. Then they began to run away from the shore and their house, believing that their life is far more important than their possessions. The goose began to watch intently as they ran. He maintained the thought that the farmer would want to save him. He believed that they were only busy and would return. But as the couple shrank and shrank into the distance, the goose made calls to get their attention. They are too far away from him to be heard.”

The rich girl looked in slight concern.

“And finally, he realized that his fate is sealed. The water rushed into shore, soaking the pen and eventually drowning him. The waves were so high, it meant that he would be brought above the pen into the open sea. And he was.”

“Sometimes, when you realize that it happens, it’s often too late.”