The goat

http://www.writerscafe.org/contests/9354/ - Thorn's amazing short story competition!

 

The first animal I remember was a little goat we had. At the time I was 5 years of age. We were 3 children: Mélita with 4 years and Tó with 2 years of age.  

 

Someone had offer to my father a little baby goat that become our friend and played with us in the big garden we had.This goat was like a dog and went with us everywhere. As he had become bigger he was tied up to a big rope in a pole at the middle of the back gardener.

 

We used to play “cowboys” with the goat. We would run around and the goat would run with us, trying to catch one of us and tie us to his pole. When one of us was tied up, the other one would start to run to the other side and as so the other would be untied.

 

It was a very fun game and an enjoyable play and my sister and I love it.

 

One day my baby brother went with us and was caught by the goat that tied him to the pole. Tó got frightened and started to scream and cry out. That made the goat so worried that it wouldn’t follow me or my sister to untie my brother. The goat started to kind of caress my brother with his head. This made my brother even more afraid and crying louder.

 

My mother come running just to see, what she thought, the goat hurting her baby with his little horns and she panic… but as Tó saw my mother he stop crying and the goat calmed down and follow me and untied my brother.

 

My mother got hysterical and forbidden us to play with the goat, that had grown to be bigger then us and could be dangerous. I refuse to accept that the goat could be bad in any way as it was a friend.

 

The next day we all went out for the all day and when I came home and I went to look for my friend I didn’t find it.

 

I told my mother and father and they seam strange as they told me that may be the goat went for a walk or run away.

 

Then I went to the fridge, to have a drink of water, and I saw big peaces of meat and suddenly I knew it was my friend the goat. I started to cry and scream: how could they be so cruel to have killed a friend…

 

They try to explain to me that it was getting dangerous, that animals don’t know how to play with children, and the goat was given to us to be eaten at Christmas and they just let the time pass for too long…

 

For me nothing could justify that cruelty…

 

From that day on, during many years, I refused to eat meat, any meat even if it was disguised beneath the asparagus. They could swear it wasn’t goat, but I wouldn’t believe them. I could just eat chicken and fish, when I could recognize them!

 

Reviews

[Wicahpi]

this same kind of thing happened to my mother when she was a child with her duck!
she was devastated when she found out the truth about her duck one night at supper. I would be, too! Goats are so adorable and playful. I'm so sorry for the loss of your dear friend!!

[LSS]

Simply Wonderful, Angelina,
I loved this story. Short, poignant, emotional, simple yet penetrating. A lot of adjectives to describe the simple emotion that transcends the years. Childhood tragedies are some of the most difficult to overcome but easiest to remember.
Lar

[Thorn]

"I could just eat chicken and fish, when I could recognize them!"
I don't quite get that bit, because the kid said that they didn't eat any meat.

But otherwise; I love this story! A few misspells, but this was still an enjoyable read.