Goofy Goose

Gus, the goose, came into the world just as the sun peeked its head over the mountains. Mother hen noticed that one of her eggs was much larger than the rest, but that didn’t bother her any. An egg was an egg, and her job was to sit on it until it hatched.

When he finally pecked his way out of the egg, Gus’s mother was even more surprised. He had a long neck and a fuzzy head. His little body was round, fat, and dirty white. He didn’t look anything like any of her other fuzzy, yellow chicks. But it was her job to care for her chicks, so she did.

As Gus grew, his body grew differently than his brothers’ and sisters’. His neck grew so much he could barely talk to his mother unless he bent over, nearly touching the ground. Gus talked funny, his brothers and sister thought, so they teased him. He made a honking noise rather than a chirping noise. He also walked funny, with a waddle. One day, he finally went and talked to his mother about all the jokes and mean things his brothers and sisters said.

She answered simply, “The day you were born, you were different from all of the other babies. But don’t you know, Gus? You are not a chicken, but a beautiful goose!” With that, she pointed her beak to the farm next door, and Gus noticed animals that looked just like him. A beautiful girl goose named Gerty was staring right at him.

“May I go over, Mother?” he asked.

“Certainly, and have a great time, you gorgeous goose, you!” she said as she waved.