“You do realize we are going back toward home and, perhaps, beyond home,” Jake complained to Liza as they flew high in the sky. Liza had taken the lead and had set a fast pace for the two of them. They were passing through a thin cloud and a thin mist of water.
“Aw, come on, Liza! Can you miss the clouds, please?” Jake called out. “And slow down so we can talk. Please!’
Liza sighed. She looked over her shoulder at the brown goose just to her right and nodded. She spread her wings, angled her tail, and rose higher in the sky allowing the warm air to move her forward. Jake did the same but flapped once to move beside her.
“That’s better,” Jake said.
“Sorry,” Liza replied as she turned her head toward him. “Yes, I know we have to travel farther than the rest, back over our home and, yes, perhaps, beyond it.”
“You did hear me,” Jake nodded at her.
They flew in silence watching the scenery below them change slightly from bright greens to browns to green again. Occasionally, white, or gray shapes interrupt the greens and browns, and large white lines cut across them. They sometimes saw large thick lines of glimmering water cut down and across the landscape below. The geese have always stayed away from shades of white and those large, thick lines of water because that meant danger.
“Where do you think he is?” Jake asked Liza.
“I really don’t know,” Liza shrugged. “He is a pretty smart goose. You know, the time he and I had together before he disappeared was special. He is very personal and matter of fact. He never talked down to me like he was better than me.”
“I haven’t had the opportunity to learn from him, but I did think Deke was funny,” Jake told her.
“Funny? What do you mean by that?” she quizzed him farther.
“I don’t know. He likes the rainbow colors in the cave, for goodness sake.”
“Don’t you?” Liza asked him.
“Well, yeah, but from your Leader? I just didn’t expect that,” Jake explained. “Seriously, though, the Bright Light is getting low behind us and we have to find a safe place for the night.”
“Yes, I agree. Let’s go lower to see what we can see,” Liza said as she flapped her wings and began to lower herself.
Jake did the same and they continued in a slow descent toward the ground. They avoided white shapes and flew over the thick lines of water. A small body of water appeared ahead of them. It was near one of the white lines but is was free of trees. Tall grass rose high on one end of the water.
“What do you think?” Liza asked.
“For one night, I think it will be all right,” Jake answered. “Let’s circle around once to be sure.”
“Okay,” Liza agreed, flapped once to rise a little and she lowered her left shoulder to begin to circle around the water. They passed over a red object made of wood, close to the water, but still far enough away not to bother them. A path of dirt passed by the water toward the red object. As they flew over it, she noticed the red object was larger than she had first thought. It was a boxy shape, almost as tall and it was long.
“What do you think?” she called out to Jake.
“I think it is far enough away from the water,” he called back to her.
“Me, too,” she said as she turned back toward the water slowly lowering to it. She drew her wings back, her webbed feet forward, and her head up, landed on the water. Next to her, Jake did the same.
They continued toward the tall grass at one end of the small pond. Arriving there, they slowly turned to face the open water. Behind them, the Bright Light was lowering itself to its nightly resting place. Slightly above them to their right, a constant rumbling of sound would rise and fade away, rise, and fade away. As it grew dark, flashes of light match the coming and going of sound. The two geese pulled at the grass that hid them and silently chewed on the light green stalks.
“Tell me about Ki,” Liza broke the silence first as she lowered her head to her chest.
“Ki? What do you want to know?” Jake softly asked her, enjoying the silence and that he is simply floating on the water.
“I really don’t know him. I mainly disagreed with him during our initial time together,” she answered Jake’s question.
He laughed and said, “I remember.”
“Do not take that to mean I resent him being chosen as our Leader. I was a hot head then,” Liza tried to explain to Ki’s best friend.
“And you are not now?” Jake teased.
“Come on,” she laughed. “Give me a break. Tell me about Ki. He is your best friend, right?”
“He is my best friend,” Jake stared into the dark water surrounding them. “He is a good goose, Liza. When we started out, we were like brothers. We did everything together. He was picked on a lot, being so small, and I kind of protected him.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. I saw something in him. He was nice. He was nice to everyone even to those that were mean to him. I liked that,” Jake nodded to himself.
“What makes him a leader?” Liza asked him.
“Hmmm,” Jake paused and looked up at the sky dotted with tiny specks of light. “I like how he makes decisions. He kind of observes everything, takes in all suggestions and considerations, and then makes the decision.”
“Sounds like Deke,” Liza softly said.
“What do you mean?” Jake asked her.
“He was constantly on me for being so determined to go with my first thought. He told me to take everything in, every angle of the situation, every suggestion you can take in, and then, make the decision. That is what he said – ‘The’ decision,” Liza replied.
“Ki never said that, but he does that. It sounds like you listened to Deke during your time together. You do seem different to me,” Jake admitted to her. “You really do.”
“I learned to listen,” Liza replied.
They grew quiet and the gentle rocking of the water lulled Liza to sleep. Jake remained vigilant, resisting the urge to sleep, and stayed awake. He wondered what Ki was up to just now. Probably asleep as he should be. He shifted his thoughts to Deke and wondered what he was doing. He wondered if they will ever find him. He shrugged to himself. He wondered a lot.
“Liza,” Jake whispered toward the goose floating nearby. “Liza!”
“What?’ her voice quietly came to him.
“Do you think we will find him?” Jake asked her. “find Deke?”
She remained quiet as she thought over her answer.
“Liza?”
“I want to find him,” she finally answered him. “Now, go to sleep. We have a big day tomorrow.”
To be continued…
My First Stories 