It was later in the day and The Meeting Place was now filled with geese, the members of the Wist.  The Wist, the five geese of Daniel’s choosing and, purely by coincidence, snow white.  He remembered that when he informed Deke of the ones he had chosen. He was asked about it and he laughed when he told Deke he did not notice.  He had chosen them because he thought they would be good advisors for the Flock.

  Miriam was the oldest of the Wist and she was responsible for the location requirements for the Flock, where they stayed, when they travelled and it was she who discovered their home base, this pond they were paddling in now in The Meeting Place.

  Sam was a large goose and had a great fondness for eating and it was his responsibility to advise, particularly to Miriam, on their food sources.  On the Great Jorney to their southern home, he has found numerous locations that had reeds, roots, and berries to feed everyone.

  Zelda and Ack are responsible for the choosing of the Sentries of which there are two groups of ten that surround the pond and infiltrate the Flock watching for skirmishes, disagreements and, of course, enemies.  Ack is the youngest and newest member to the team and it in Daniel’s eye, the one with the best potential to replace him as the leader of the Wist.

  The last member of the Wist is Petra and he is Daniel’s second in command.  While it is Daniel’s responsibility to make the final decisions for this Leadership Team and bring them to Deke for his approval, it is Petra’s responsibility to assist Daniel in making it.  The reason for that role is simple; if something should happen to Daniel, the Wist still had a leader and the members of the Wist knew that Petra was that replacement.

  Daniel swam outside the opening to the cave before going inside to address the Wist.  He was thinking of the day after he had lost his challenge to become the Leader of the Flock.  Deke met him, alone, in the midst of tall reeds and grasses at the farthest end of the pond away from the rest of the group.

“How do you feel, Daniel?”  Deke had asked him.  Daniel simply shrugged and bowed his head in shame.

“Are you afraid of me?”

  “No.  Maybe,” Daniel muttered.  “A little.”

  “Don’t be,”  Deke swam up close to him.  “I have an idea.  I want change and I want you to help me do it.  What do you say?”

  Daniel raised his head and looked at the smaller goose with the funny grin.  “What do you mean?”

  “The Leader has too much responsibility and too much stress.  I want to spread that out.”  Deke spoke in excitement.  “But to make that happen I need a strong goose to help me.  I want you.”

  “What do you mean?”  Daniel asked again as he started swimming in a slow circle around Deke.

  “I want to add an advisory team, a leadership team to help make decisions as to where to eat, sleep, swim and play.  I want them to help teach us how to protect ourselves and when to fly.  I want you to lead it and I want you to report to me and weigh in on my final decisions.  I need a leader of my Wist!”

  “Wist?  What does that even mean?” Daniel asked.

  “I just told you!”  Deke laughed at him.  “Are you in?  Will you lead the Wist?”

  Daniel thought a while before agreeing to it by saying, “I get to pick the team.”

  Daniel left that memory and paddled himself inside the opening into The Meeting Place.  The members of the Wist treaded water in a half circle facing the opening of the cave.  Daniel swam through the opening toward them.  He paused in front them and nodded at each before he began to speak.

  “Deke is losing his eyesight,” Daniel decided to come straight out and say it. 

  He got the response he was expecting, a ruffling of feathers, a gasp, a short swim around the room.  He waited while they reassembled in their half-circle before him.  It was Ack who spoke first.

  “What’s the plan?’” he asked.

  Daniel smiled before he responded with a question.  “What makes you think there is a plan?”

  Ack smiled back but it was Petra who answered, “Deke always has a plan.”

  Daniel turned his gaze from Ack to Petra, sighed and said, “Petra, you are so right. Are you guys ready to make some new and different decisions?”

  “Different decisions?” Miriam drifted closer to Daniel.

  “Yes,” Daniel started to swim side to side, from one end of the semi-circle to the other. “Before I inform you of the direction Deke is offering for The Flock to go forward, let me ask you another question and I don’t want you to answer quickly.  I want you to take a moment before you do so and want each of you to answer it.  Understand?”

  He intentionally looked at each and waited for each of them to affirm that they understood.  As one nodded, he turned to the next until all had done so.

  “Do you like how you are living today and tell me why?  Take a swim and as I call your name, come back with your answer.”

  As they have always done, the birds turned and swam away to a location in the quiet dark directly behind from which they had started.  Daniel treaded, staying where he spoke to them and waited.  He pondered the question himself. Do I like the way we are living now?  The Flock has definitely grown since Deke became Leader.  It has grown not only from within the group itself but from the mix of geese that have joined them.  The Flock has many sizes, large and small and colors of brown, white and gray.  That was not always true because in the past, the Leader required the flock to grow only from within.  Flock control is at is minimal and it seems most of the geese were happy feeling safe and well-fed.  But the question really is, can this continue without Deke in charge.  Daniel sighed.

  Sam was first and he said, “Yes, I like being safe.”

  Miriam was next, “Yes, I like being part of the decision-making process.”

  Zelda said, “Yes, I like knowing we have a safe place to sleep!”

  Petra followed by agreeing, “Yes, I enjoy knowing what I will be doing every day and not stressing out about, well, everything.”

  Ack was last and Daniel waited for his response.  “I don’t know how to answer that question.  I am the youngest one here and I have only known this way of life.  I have not known fear.  I have never been afraid of not having a place to sleep or something to eat.  Living this way is the only way I know.”

  Daniel nodded and looked at the team as they swam back into their semi-circle and spoke to all of them.  “I agree with all of you and I certainly understand Ack’s point of view.  There are many like him and many like us who know of the way it was before within our Flock.  Now that we know how we each feel about it, here is Deke’s plan and what we have to do to make it happen.”

To be continued…

I have been trying to decide how to address you, those who have chosen to follow this blog.  Another author addresses his following as Readers.  I do not want to use that so how about Friends?  Sounds good to me!  From now on, I will address you as Friends.

Dear Friends,

  I am excited that you are going to read My First Story –  The Flock.  As I told you in Facebook, it is not my first story that I ever wrote but it is the first one I am putting out there for you to read.  One of the intriguing things I like to learn about is the genesis, or origin behind stories and songs.  I read that Neil Diamond, and mind you I am paraphrasing, wrote Sweet Caroline because he was inspired by a Life Magazine picture of Caroline Kennedy.  Who knew?  Well, I am introducing you to The Flock with a little origin of sorts to it.  One of my best friends ever, Joe, passed away a year ago for cancer.  I met Joe in high school, we only had one class together, Sociology but we really became friends in college. There are a lot of stories about Joe and I that I will leave for another time.  This story is this:  I took a creative writing class in college and I started this story there.  I didn’t complete it but Joe had read it.  Joe always, always asked me if I ever finished that story and I never have – until now.  Joe, this story is for you and all the fun times we had together – we had a blast.  I miss you (and Linda) and I know I will see you again.  Dear Friends, I hope you enjoy the Flock. Gregory Jenkins – May 5, 2020

The Flock – by Gregory Jenkins

  The sky was turning softly from black to charcoal gray above a body of water that eased into a rugged hillside.  Surrounding the pond, reeds and grasses rose toward the sky waiting for the first glimmer of sunlight.  At its edges, each wave of water slides up to its bank and back again.  A small ring of sand, dirt and mud spread from the reeds and grasses toward trees that gather around its edges and get denser up the side of a hill.  The hill rises up from the trees’ center and flattens to a small plateau where more grasses and bushes hold fast to the ground.  At the base of the hill on one end of the water’s edge, a small opening faces the coming sunrise and glimmers of gray light ride the waves inside of it.  On either side of the opening, large brown geese with black heads and white cheeks, quietly tread in the water.  On the side farthest from the cave, a small white goose with black wing tips, turns in the water and slowly paddles toward the small opening in the hill.  The goose’s pink bill has black cutting edges that look like a small black grin.  As it swims, on the horizon the sky behind him displays a small strip of pink.  The day is beginning.

  As the smaller bird glides toward the opening, he raises his head and quietly speaks to the sentries.

  “Good morning boys.  Why not end your shift a little early and find Daniel and ask him to come and talk to me, please.”

  “Sir,” one of the two geese says as they both bend their long necks toward him in a bow of respect and then quietly swim away.

  The white goose continues into the cave.  The water ripples beneath him as he goes deeper into the dark.  He turns slowly and faces the opening he just came through and waits.  The rise and fall of the waves beneath him, add a slight swish to the quiet.  The sky outside is getting brighter and light glimmers off the tiny waves and ripples beginning to add a sparkle to the interior of the cave.  His favorite part of the day is about to occur.  The light outside continues to get brighter and the water shimmers more.  The walls begin to capture flashes from the water and tiny lightning bolts streak throughout the cave.  Suddenly, sunshine falls directly in and a rainbow of color rises from the liquid to the rough edges of the walls painting them in light reds, oranges and yellows.  As the sun creeps higher in the sky, the colors change to greens, blues and purples to shadows once again.  It was then a large goose entered the cave.  The bird had white feathers around the base of the bill with salt and pepper markings on the other wise white breast.

  “Ah, Daniel!  You just missed it!  The shimmering colors on the walls of the Meeting Place are just amazing!  It’s definitely my favorite part of the day.”

  “Is that why you summoned me, Deke, so early in the morning.”  Daniel grumbled out loud.  “I was having such a nice dream, too.”

  Deke smirked as he swam closer to his longtime friend and colleague.  Daniel was in charge of the Wist, the advisory team for the flock.  The Wist is comprised of five members, each representing a specific aspect of the management of the flock.

  Daniel lets Deke swim toward him wondering what his leader needed of him.  They have known each other for a long time and, in fact, had started as enemies.  Funny how things go and how one single moment can change everything.  He slips silently into a memory.

  “The Leader is flying in the bluer sky.”  The announcement was made by Maxim, one of the sentries at the time and the traditional declaration was clear, the former leader had died and it was time for a new one.  Daniel was ready.

  “I lay claim to take his place,” Daniel voiced immediately.  “To become your Leader!”

  The flock was silent.  The wind ruffled feathers of the large group of geese that had slowly gathered in the middle of the water.  They rose and fell with each wave as one, waiting.  A cloud ran across the sun casting a shadow over the ring of birds that surround Daniel.  Everyone waited.

  A small bird entered the middle of the circle and slowly swam around the larger one.  He had made eye contact while doing so.  The larger bird turned his head with the swimming of the other one.

  “Yes, I think I will challenge you,” he finally said stopping in the water.

Maxim nodded and spoke again, raising his head as he did, “Are there any other challengers?”

  The two birds in the midst of the flock waited.  No one joined them.

  “The Leader is gone to bluer skies and another will become at high sun,” Maxim declared.  The flock of geese dispersed and some flew away, some simply swam away and a few simply stayed in place.  The two birds, one larger and the other smaller, swam to opposite banks.

  Returning to the present, Deke had stopped in front of the larger bird and was studying his friend who had asked him a question.

  “I’m sorry.  What did you just say?” Daniel blinked.

  “Do you remember the beginning of all of this?

  “I do and I was just remembering it.”

  “Really? And what do you remember?” Deke asked him, settling next to him.

  “You challenged me.”

  “I did.  And?”

  Daniel returned to his memory.  High noon arrived but instead of on the water, the geese had gathered in a circle on the plateau at the top of the hill.  Inside it, the two combatants stood in front of each other.  In the surrounding trees, a group of small sparrows were quietly observing what was about to happen.

  Maxim stood at one side of the ring and his sentry partner, David, was directly across from him.

  “Daniel, are you ready?” Maxim called out.

  The larger bird stretched his neck and screamed a loud squawk.

  David’s voice rose, “Deke, are you ready?”

  The smaller bird simply responded, “I am.”

  With that, Daniel spread his wings and rose toward Deke.  Deke stood his ground, sitting down to brace himself for the impact when, at the last second, he dodged to his right.  The white bird glanced off the sitting goose and tumbled into the grass beside him.  Deke stood and walked toward the farthest end of the circle and sat down again.  Furious now, Daniel was up on his feet, wings still spread and running toward Deke.  He jumped with his webbed feet thrust forward toward the sitting bird.  Once again, Deke dodged at the last second but this time he grabbed an ankle of the larger goose in his mouth and pulled.  Daniel fell awkwardly, scuttled, and tossed from shoulder to shoulder across the ground.  Deke was upon him as he stopped, grabbing the same ankle again and clamped down.  He slowly started to spin around.  The faster he spun, the more Daniel struggled.  He twisted and turned, wings flapping, feathers flying when suddenly Deke let go.  Daniel fell on his back and tumbled backwards hitting his head on the ground.  He was dazed when he felt Deke’s mouth grip his neck.  Suddenly, he was scared and he squawked again.  Deke dragged him in his tight grasp to the center of the circle.  The surrounding birds had come alive, wings flapping, and they were yelling and squawking.  Feathers were flying and what they screamed was, “Kill him, kill him.”

  The larger bird’s eyes were wide with fright as Deke looked at the crowd, turning until his eyes came to rest on Maxim.  He dropped the neck of the larger goose from his mouth still looking at Maxim.

  Maxim bowed.  The crowd hushed and slowly they were all bowing to the ground.  Maxim rose and looked at Daniel who was still in a heap beside the new Leader.

“The Leader leads on,” David spoke. “You know what you must do, kill him or banish him.”

  Deke turned toward David but he was not only responding to him but to everyone.  “I don’t think so.  We are going to do something different.”

  Turning to Daniel, he said to him. “Get up.  Go home and rest.  I want to talk to you tomorrow.”

  “We started something different,” Daniel told Deke when he returned from that memory.

  “Exactly,” Deke pushed Daniel.  “Let’s do it again.”

To be continued…

Hi, I am Greg Jenkins. Yesterday, Saturday, April 25, 2020, via Facebook, I told my friends and family about my upcoming circumstances and my conversation with My New Friend. That conversation was in an answer to a question about what was I going to do when I am laid off Thursday. My passion is that I like to write short stories, feel good stories, and My New Friend suggested that I use Social Media to see if others, besides my close friends and family, like them, too. I asked my FB friends what they thought and they said go for it!

This is what I have been doing so far: I set up a Website to start a Blog! Not an easy thing to do as it is/was tedious. Thanks to Annalyse for getting me headed in the right direction. This is my first entry. I have a lot more playing around to do before I post my first story but it will be real soon as I have a plan!  

Greg – Originally Posted on April 26, 2020