TheDay the

Goose Squabble Stopped Mary Ellen Lucas

Illustrations By Mikaela San Pietro

Copyright © 2019 All rights reserved. The Day the Goose Squabble Stopped Author: Mary Ellen Lucas Illustrator: Mikaela San Pietro Paperback ISBN: 978-1-945026-60-7 E-Book ISBN: 978-1-945026-50-8 Audio Book ISBN: 978-1-945026-51-5 Library of Congress Control Number: 2019934814 Published by Sacred Stories Publishing Printed in the United States of America

For Sean

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Chapter One

It has always been this way. It has never been otherwise. Willie and Nellie are not friends even though they live together on Little Puddle Pond. Truth be told, they don’t really live together. Actually, they live as far apart from each other as possible.

You may wonder, why was it always this way? According to Grandpa Geezer Goose, who remembers a long ago time, a goosy gander had flown in from unknown parts. Before this gooney bird flew away, he spread seeds of fear that rippled far and wide throughout Little Puddle Pond.

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Word on the pond was Nellie and Willie believed the looney-gooney’s gossip: they were different from each other. Grandpa Geezer Goose recollects Nellie and Willie’s tales of separation began the day they high- tailed it over to opposite ends of Little Puddle Pond.

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From there, Nellie and Willie kept to themselves, remaining on guard to protect their own territory on Little Puddle Pond. Fear and mistrust became the norm. They could not remember a time when it was otherwise.

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Chapter Two

Nellie extended her neck up and out as far as she could. She looked all around Little Puddle Pond. “Where was Willie?” It was her first thought of this day. It was her first thought of yesterday. Most likely it would be her first thought tomorrow. She was looking for Willie to make sure he wasn’t on her side of Little Puddle Pond.

Willie knew better than to swim too close to Nellie. Or get caught on her side of Little Puddle Pond. Whenever he ventured over there by mistake, Nellie suddenly loomed in front of him.

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She rose up out of the water wildly flap- ping her wings. Her long neck arched high into the air. Nellie was gigantic! Kerplunk! Nellie splashed back down, lowered her long neck and hissed right at Willie. And a hiss is a long way from a kiss as everyone knows. Nellie sure had a loud hiss! Boy, did it scare Willie. She hissed, he scrammed. Swish and skedaddle, he moved as fast as he could away from Nellie.

Flippety-floppity, floppity-flippety his web feet helped him fly through the water. Willie didn’t stop until he reached the safety of his side of Little Puddle Pond.

From there, he glared back angrily at Nellie. It had always been this way. It had never been otherwise. Willie thought Nellie was so mean. He did not like her at all.

Willie could be just as scary. Have you ever heard of the famous two-web-foot goose kick?

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Willie became a black-foot master thanks to Professor Foray’s instruction. It just so happens that Professor Foray’s forte was the two-web-foot goose kick. His fame was due to the sheer razzle-dazzle of his flashy feet as he demonstrated the two-web-foot goose kick. Professor Foray got a kick out of helping others learn what he knew how to do best.

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He guided Willie to move his feet back in the water, spread his black webbed toes as wide as possible, and kick with all his might. With practice, Willie learned how to forcefully swoosh a surge of water in any direction he wanted.

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If Nellie happened to swim too close to Willie or unknowingly paddle over to his side of Little Puddle Pond, Willie’s black- foot training kicked in. He aimed a swift two-web-foot-goose kick right at Nellie. A cascade of water splashed high up into the air. The waterfall crashed down upon Nellie. Nellie, stunned by an unwanted shower, couldn’t see for a few seconds due to all the water in her eyes.

Oh my, Willie could frighten the feathers off of Nellie with his mean feet. Or incred- ible feat, depending on how you look at it. If Nellie saw Willie’s web feet begin to kick back, vamoose, she scrambled away as fast as she could. Nellie careened her long neck back around to make sure Willie wasn’t following her. When she got back to her side of Little Puddle Pond, her black eyes flared and stared at Willie. It had always been this way. It had never been otherwise. She thought Willie was so mean.

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She did not like him at all. Do you think Willie and Nellie could

ever become friends?

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