17/08/2025
Many of the stories in VILLAGE GREENS would remind or teach the young readers of how time was spent before internet and social media, but it would remind adult readers of the time when raising children was a collective responsibility of family and community. A time when adults consciously provided a safe and healthy environment for children to grow, develop, flourish, to realize their hopes and dreams, but also to have responsibility, mutual respect and love for others.
These stories are amusing and fascinating as they are enlightening and educational.
I share with you, the story: “THE SMILING GOAT”
You can get your copies on Amazon.com or contact the author on WhatsApp at 868-284-2173.
THE SMILING GOAT:
Soogie was not like other goats. He was born with a
special gift. He could hear and understand when humans talked.
He tried to talk to humans, but no one responded to him.
The noises that he made sounded almost humanlike but not
quite. He thought he was talking when he was really bleating.
His bleats were his own distinctive voice, which rose from low,
soft, calm to loud, and sometimes irritating to the human ear,
but he didn’t know that either.
One evening, Soogie saw his mother being taken away
by two young, bearded men in a white van. There were other
goats in the van. The men sounded happy because it was their
last duty for the day collecting and delivering animals.
Soogie was distraught, trying to ascertain his mother’s
impending fate, but she remained calm as she looked at him. He
mourned for hours before falling asleep, sad and hopeless. He
awoke agitated without his mother. He started screaming and
stomping his feet in frustration to the annoyance of Mr. Bihari,
his owner.
Bihari, the big-belly, mean-looking farmer, couldn’t
care less about his animals. He treated them badly but loved the
money he received from selling them off.
Dressed in black knee-high boots, a blue short-sleeved
shirt with a torn-up old khaki pants and a ‘cowboy’ shaped hat,
Mr. Bihari was as evil and mean as he looked. He took up a long stick and walked slowly towards Soogie. He could no longer
stand the goat’s angry outbursts.
“If you don’t shut your mouth, I will send you to the
butcher like your mother.” His business was rearing animals,
not being friends with them.
Soogie’s jaw dropped in horror. He became more
emotional and shrieked so loudly that he stunned Mr. Bihari.
He stared at Soogie and saw the anger in his eyes. It was as if
Soogie understood what he had said about his mother going to
the butchers, Mr. Bihari thought.
Soogie jumped up and down as if he wanted to crush
his owner. Mr. Bihari swore in his mind to get rid of Soogie.
Suddenly, the goat stood still and stared right through
Mr. Bihari as if he could read his thoughts.
“Mr. Bihari is planning to get rid of me. I must do
something to save myself. But what? Oh Mother, I wish you
were here,” Soogie moaned quietly.
Then suddenly, Soogie, remembered his mother telling
him: “Soogie, your voice is your gift. While it is okay to scream
out your frustrations, remember that pretty things don’t come
out of an angry voice. Beware, do not let your anger destroy
your life.”
He remembered the look on his mother’s face as she
was being taken away. He closed his eyes and felt her love wash
over his body. She knew he would take care of himself. Soogie
smiled broadly, realizing what his mother was thinking when
she looked at him. He became calm and started planning his
actions.
Mr. Bihari saw when Soogie’s expression changed
when he stopped being angry and he began smiling. He
turned to his helper Chulhan, “Look how the goat smiling,
like he understanding what ah saying.”
Chulhan flinched in shock. “Is true! He really smiling.
That goat had to be a human in he last life. He probably did
something real bad to come back as a goat in this life. Or
maybe, he come to deal with you!”
“Doh say that nah! I would have to get rid of him before
he attack me”, Mr. Bihari said in a muffled voice. But Soogie’s
hearing was so sharp, he heard every word of the conversation
and thought, “I have to do something before he sends me to the
butcher.”
One evening, Mr. Bihari sat on a chair, leaned his head
on the nearby post and fell asleep while he was waiting on
Chulhan. He began snoring loudly. Every snore had a different
sound, some louder than others and all irritating. No better time
than this to escape, thought Soogie.
He wiggled himself, shifted his legs, twisted his head to
get out of the enclosed area. He bumped into the bucket in the
corner. It made such noise that Mr. Bihari jumped up and let out
a string of words that sounded obscene to Soogie’s ears.
“Now, I am in trouble. Oh no! He’s coming to me. I
cannot get out.” Soogie closed his eyes as Mr. Bihari grabbed
him and secured a rope around his neck. Soogie was a prisoner,
all his freedom taken away by the rope.
For the next few days, Soogie became quiet, almost
meditative. He moved around with a calm assurance that
Mr. Bihari and Chulhan had never seen. It was almost scary.
They were fearful of even going near him, especially when he
smiled.
Soogie waited patiently until the weekend when Mr.
Bihari was celebrating his birthday and partying with his family
and friends. He bit and chewed all night long at the rope that
tied him to the post. Finally, he succeeded in freeing himself.
He jumped over the short wooden fence and silently crept away,
trying not to alert the two big strong Rottweiler dogs that were
the night guards.
He hurdled over drains and holes and ran through fields
and over fences non-stop until he could no longer see Mr.
Bihari’s house. As the sun rose over the distant skyline he
collapsed with tiredness and thirst.
Soogie was awakened suddenly by the touch of gentle
hands over his head. He opened his eyes and closed it again,
thinking that his mother was caressing him at home.
Then the soft and calm voice spoke. “Hey pretty goatee.
Are you lost? Who are your owners? How can we take you
back to them?”
Soogie woke up to the cheerful face of a most serene
looking young man. He smiled right back at the youth and
shook his head vigorously, indicating he didn’t want to go back.
Krish hugged Soogie and patted him on the head. “My
name is Krish. I live on this farm. We have cows, dogs, and
chickens but no goats. You can stay with me if you want?”
Krish was surprised when Soogie shook his head up and down
to indicate yes!
“You understand when I talk? You are not only the
prettiest goat I have ever seen, but you are also the smartest.”
Soogie’s smile grew wider, and his bleats gentler and more
melodic as he responded to Krish’s words and hugs.
It was settled. He was staying with Krish. He
accompanied Krish everywhere and enjoyed the peaceful
environment. He hopped and jumped and skipped around the
large yard and made friends with Krish’s friends and family
and the other animals. He trailed them to the fields and tried
to smell the flowers as they did. He nibbled at the tender grass
and enjoyed playing head-butting with Krish’s two dogs.
One day as he was joyfully playing in the fields, he saw
the white van with the same two men who had taken away his
mother. He was frightened and hid in the bushes from where
he could observe what the men were doing. He swore they had
come for him and yet he convinced himself that Krish would
never betray him. He remained in the bushes until the men left
in the van and disappeared out of sight.
Eventually he emerged. “At Last! Where have you
been? I’ve been looking all over for you. Oh my, look how you
are covered with beggars’ weed”, Krish cried out. “Come on
let’s clean you up, I have a surprise for you!”
After Krish cleaned Soogie, he scooped him up and ran
towards a shed at the side of the house.
“Look what I got for you”, he said as he put Soogie
down. “Go on, go meet her. She looks just like you,” Krish
encouraged.
He looked in shock at his near mirror image. An older
version of himself, with the same magnificent white coat of
hair, no horn, but long floppy ears hanging down her face. She
stood silently and smiled with Soogie.
“Daddy thought you would love her”, Krish said, as
he gave Soogie a gentle push. Recognizing the other animal,
Soogie suddenly jumped with delight. He ran towards the figure
and bounced up and down, running here and there and bleating
happily.
Krish and his dad looked in amazement as the two goats
bonded joyfully. Soogie could not stop singing: “Maa, maa,
maa……”
THE END
