Darlene: "Ardella came over and told me the cops brought you and Clifton to school this morning. What happened? Did he beat on you?"
Darren: "Not any more than I beat on him!"
Darlene: "Ooh, I'll get him now!"
Darren: "No you won't. It is all settled; Clifton and I are good."
And so they were. The two lads even started hanging out together during lunch time and afternoon recesses. Darlene was not amused, but she is the loyal sister. She spent more of her time stirring up difficulties amongst the girls.
One afternoon about two weeks after the fight, Clif (the boys were now "Clif" and "Dare") said, "Come on over to my house. You can see our chickens and stuff. And we have a watch goose."
"A what? A watch goose?"
"Yeah. We have this goose-- Ma says it's a blue goose-- that came in and started living with the chickens. He guards them and watches over the place. No one, but I mean no one, steps foot on our property without a big ruckus from Blue. He's better than a watch dog. He'll scare the bejabbers out of you, too, and run you off if you don't stand your ground." Goose won't let the chickens out of the yard, either. Haven't had one cross the road since he got here."
"Cool! But how do I get on your place if the goose attacks me?"
"Oh, he won't attack you if you stand still and make yourself as big as you can-- raise your arms up and spread your feet apart. He will run toward you honking, but he will stop when he sees how fierce you are. Then you take two steps toward him. He will back up two steps. Then stomp your foot and step toward him again. He'll turn and run."
And that all happened just so..
While Clif and Dare were checking out the hen house, Louie came out. "Hey," he said. "You're the kid that looks just like his sister. She tried to beat me up. I oughta clobber you just for being related to her."
"Did beat you up," Darren sassed.
"Why you-- I'll beat you up just because you are a little smart aleck."
"No," interjected Clifton, "you won't. Dare is my buddy now and you'll have to beat us both up."
"I could do that."
"No, you won't. Remember, blood is thicker than water, or something like that."
"Yeah, yeah. Well, have fun." Louie headed back to the house.
Darren knew a world more about poultry and how he got his eggs for breakfast by the time he left for home.
©2017 David W. Lacy
4 comments:
This series just keeps getting better. I have heard of the feared watch goose, but have zero experience with the same.
Chuck, this tale was inspired in part by a personal experience with a watch goose. I was four years of age. We lived in Nebraska and we went out into the Nowhere to visit a cousin of my father. They lived in a dugout-- I am that old. There was a long lane approaching the house. We were greeted by the goose and probably because I was the smallest member of the group he chose me as his target. Sufficient to say I was terrified of geese well into an age where I should have outgrown the fear.
Interesting. I was not aware there was a Nebraska watch goose.
Vee, you were smaller than I, but you would have been in Daddy's arms.
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