Travel by goose

Chapter 13
On this day, the mist was heavy.After the wild geese had eaten and drunk in the field, Eka walked up to the little boy. "It doesn't look like the weather will change much in the next few days. I think we'll fly across the Baltic Sea and go to foreign countries.

"Oh!" the little boy said briefly, because his throat was so choked that he couldn't speak. After all, he really wanted to go home to see his parents and become a human again.

Aika seemed to see through the little boy's mind, and she continued: "We are very close to your home now, you can go home and take a look, otherwise you will not see them for a long time."

"I don't think we need to go back," said the little boy, but Aika could still hear his excitement.

"The gander is staying with us, you go home and visit your parents, maybe you can help them a little bit," Aika said.

"You're right!" said the little boy excitedly.

In a blink of an eye, he and Aika returned to their home. "It's strange, everything here is still the same." The little boy climbed onto the fence and looked around. "I feel like it hasn't been a single day since I sat here this spring and saw you all come flying through the sky."

"You take a good look at home, I'll fly away first, see you tomorrow!" Aika said.

"No, don't go yet!" The little boy said, and suddenly came down from the fence.He seemed to have a premonition that they would never see each other again, "I am very distressed because I can't get back to my original form, but I would like to tell you that I have no regrets about traveling with you this year. I would rather never change again." Adults, too, can't help but make that trip.

Aika took a few breaths and said solemnly: "There is one thing I should talk to you about. If there is anything good you have learned from us, it is probably that you think that humans should not dominate the earth. Humans It is quite possible to leave a few bare stone islands, a few shallow lakes and a few muddy swamps, a few barren hills and some remote forests, and let us animals who have nothing, let us live in peace, free from driving and hunting. Chase. If only humans knew that a bird like me needs a place to stay."

"I wish I could help you!" said the little boy.

"Stop talking about that, it looks like we'll never see each other," Eka said. "Anyway, we'll see each other tomorrow, and now I'm leaving." She spread her wings and flew away, but then flew back.She stroked the thumb from top to bottom with her mouth several times before leaving.

Although it was daytime, there was no one in the yard, and the little boy could walk around in the yard freely.He ran into the bullpen first, and the atmosphere in the bullpen was miserable.There had been three beautiful cattle there in the spring, but now only one cow remains.The little boy jumped into the cowshed without hesitation and said to the cow:
"Hello! I'm back, how are my parents?"

As soon as Niu heard the little boy's voice, he was taken aback suddenly.She saw that although the little boy standing in front of him was still as young as when he left home and still dressed in the same clothes, his mental outlook had changed a lot.Niels, who ran away from home in spring, had heavy steps, slow movements, weak voice, and dull eyes; but Niels who came back moved lightly and quickly, spoke crisply, and had piercing eyes.Despite his small stature, the little boy had an awe-inspiring presence; and though his own face was dull, those who saw him were happy.

"Moo, you're welcome back! They say you've changed, but I still don't believe it." The cow said, "I'm just afraid you're going to be sad for what I'm going to say. Your parents have been doing badly, and they bought The horse with one leg is lame, and only eats idle food. The life at home is getting worse and worse."

The little boy asked: "Isn't mother very upset when she saw the gander fly away?"

"That's right, she has been complaining about her son running away from home and taking the gander with her," Niu said. "She doesn't know that the gander flew away by itself, and they are always sad for you."

After hearing this, the little boy walked out of the cowshed and into the stable, where he saw a horse standing there. "Hello, I think you need my help. I heard you have a problem with your feet."

"Yes, I got something stuck in my foot, well hidden and the doctor couldn't find it. If you'd manage to tell your father, I think he'd fix me up easily. I'd love to Something to do, it's better than just eating and not working!" Ma said.

"Well, let me take your hoof and draw something on it with my knife," said the little boy.

Niels had just finished his work when he heard someone talking in the yard.He opened the stable door a little and looked out. Father and mother just came back from outside, and they walked in worriedly.His father came towards the stable, and the little boy hid himself quickly.Father, as usual, lifted the horse's hooves to see if he could find the fault. "What's the matter?" said the father, for he saw the words engraved on the horse's hoof, "Pull out the iron from the foot!" There's something in there."

While my father was pulling something out of the horse's hooves, a visitor came into the yard.It was the gander who led the gray goose Meiyu and the younger geese in. He couldn't restrain his homesickness, and brought his wife and children to the ground, walking around in a leisurely manner.

Then, he led Meiyu and the little geese into the goose nest to taste the oats in the food trough.Suddenly, the door of the goose nest creaked shut, and the mistress stood outside, locked the door, and shut them in.

"Father, our luck has come!" cried the mother. "Our lost gander in the spring has returned with seven wild geese. He must have flown away with the wild geese. Martin's Day will be celebrated in a few days." Let's kill them quickly."

"Okay!" the father replied, "that's fine, in case they fly away again."

The little boy saw his father, with Mei Yu under one arm and the gander under the other, enter the house with his mother.The gander shouted, "Thumb, come and save me!" Although he didn't know that the little boy was nearby, he still shouted as he usually does when he is in danger.

The little boy heard the call of the gander, but he stood still by the stable door.He was holding back, not because it was to his own advantage to have the gander placed on the slaughter bench, but because if he went to rescue the gander he would have to appear in front of his parents, which he hated to do.

But when they took the gander inside and shut the door, the little boy couldn't stay any longer.He ran out into the yard, into the porch, went to the door, overcame all hesitation, and knocked.

"Who's here?" said the father, and he opened the door.

"Mother, you can't touch the gander!" The little boy shouted, and the gander and Meiyu who were tied to the stool immediately screamed in surprise, and the little boy heard that they were still alive.

His mother exclaimed, "Oh, you've grown up, and you've grown up to be pretty."

The little boy stood hesitantly at the door. He really didn't understand that his parents were so happy when he looked so strange.His mother came over, hugged him, and pulled him into the house, and only then did he realize what was going on.

"Father, mother, I have grown up and I am human again!" he cried.

(End of this chapter)