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Jaylene was just a goat but
she and her sisters played for hours on end. They could make a game out of
just about anything. At this moment Miranda called to Jaylene. “Can't catch
me?” “Can't catch me?” The saucy little goat was all but hopping straight
up and down in one place as she challenged her sister. Maxine and Marcy the
other two sisters stopped their grazing and looked up with interest.
Miranda raced off down the path toward the house and Jaylene was in close
pursuit. Maxine and Marcy joined the chase. All four kids were in a
single line. First Jayleen dashed over the patio and up to the sliding
glass door. She stopped for a minute to gaze at her reflection there and
then she hopped to the right, up on the glider and bounced off and back
onto the path from which she had just made. This game went on with insane
repetition until all at once a new interest caught Jayleen's eye.
Bales of hay were stacked out
side the barn where they were to be stored and this was where Jayleen found
her next game. Up to the top of the bale she would bound. There the
largest goat was the queen of the mountain. One by one, each in turn the
goats jumped atop the stacked bales.
“Look at me!” “Look at me.”
The little goat bleated. “I am the biggest!” “I am the smartest!” “I am
the tallest!” “I am the boss!” Jayleen stood the tallest.
Maxine was the smallest but
when she was atop the bales in her mind she was the strongest, tallest,
smartest. “Look!” “Look!” “Look!” “I told you I was the best.” “I really
am.” “I am the best.”
All went very well with the
fun and games until Jaylene was fascinated with a new lovely row of
marigolds the lady of the house had set out. As if they felt the flowers
were put there just for them the kids went down the row snapping them off to
the ground in a methodical way which was incredible to watch. They finished
off the plants so quickly and so completely the lady was all but aghast with
the sudden disappearance of the bright flowers.
“Oh no!” “You have munched
my marigold!” “Well, this is the end of playtime.” “Up you go, into your
pen.” The lady reached into their feed sack with a metal cup, banged it on
the side of the barrel and right away she had their attention. It was an
easy matter to lead them into their pen with the feed cup in plain sight for
the goats to see.
Marcy never missed a chance
to challenge Jaylene. “I knew you would get us in trouble.” “You always
do.”
Jaylene was noncommital.
Instead she was busy with a new, old game and that was of running the full
length of the pen, bounding up on top of the cover on one end and back
down, around starting all over again. |
