Of Course a Goat

Of Course a Goat Electronic book published by ipicturebooks.com 24 W. 25th St. New York, NY 10011 For more ebooks, visit us at: http://www.ipicturebooks.com All rights reserved. Copyright © 1980 by Ruth Lercher Bornstein No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. e-ISBN 1-58824-244-7 Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Bornstein, Ruth. Of Course a goat. SUMMARY: A mother’s love provides the reassurance that encourages a young boy to pursue his dream of having a goat. [1. Mothers and sons—Fiction. 2. Goats—Fiction] I. Title. PZ7.B648480f 1980 [E] 79-2015 ISBN 0-06-020608-X ISBN 0-06-020609-8 lib. bdg.

á Hagit, Noam, For Ethan, Salim, Naram, Byron, Ronia, Galia, Tony and Jacob.

Of Course a Goat

RUTH LERCHER BORNSTEIN

Mother, may I have a goat? Of course you may have a goat, my son.

Where will I find a goat? Maybe there is a goat in the field. No, no goat in the field. Did you look in the valley? No goat in the valley. Maybe there is a goat on top of the mountain. Must I climb the mountain? Yes, if you want to find a goat, my son.

Will a wolf be there?

No, but a rabbit might twitch his nose at you. A fox might peek out at you.

An eagle might even fly over your head. I might be frightened.

What will you do?

I’ll call “Hello Eagle,” and keep on up the mountain. And then?

Then I’ll reach the top! And what will you see from the top of the mountain?

I’ll see all around, all the country around. And I’ll see two oceans. One ocean on my right side. Another ocean on my left side. Won’t you be hungry?

I’ll eat the lunch you made for me under a big tree. Won’t you be sleepy?

No, I’ll watch the eagle. He will be looking down over the mountain, silent and still. What does the eagle see?

He sees a goat. A goat? Of course, a goat.

At first I won’t hear anything. Then faintly I’ll hear a sound. Something soft. A bleating. I’ll run fast over grass and stones. And there behind a rock, a huge rock . . .

a little goat will be crying. I’ll sit quietly until she comes to me and touches her nose to my cheek.

Will she follow you home?

No, she’ll be too little to walk so far.

Very gently I’ll pick her up. The eagle will fly down to the tree. I’ll see two little eagles in the nest. Then you’ll start down the mountain?

Yes, and my goat will be sleeping in my arms.

And I’ll come down the mountain, down the mountain down the dark mountain . . .

and you’ll be waiting.