Week 1 Storytelling: The Goose

Goosey, goosey gander

Where shall I wander?

Upstairs, downstairs,

And in my lady’s chamber.

There I meet an old man

That would not say his prayers;

I took him by the left leg

And threw him downstairs

(traditional nursery rhyme)

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One cold night, I was in my chamber waiting for the horrid storm to pass. It had come so suddenly that my husband and I did not have time to prepare. We were quickly able to bring the horses, cows, and our pigs into the barn to shield them from the storm. While they laid there for the night, I decided to bring my favorite goose into the house with me.

 I had raised this gander for many years now. His mother had abandoned him and he had taken a liking to me. I decided to keep him despite all the ridiculous allegations my husband makes. He is convinced the goose is evil and does not like him. He says the goose continually pecks at him. My husband went as far to say that the gander once held a knife up to my husband.

As I was thinking of these false accusations, I hear a creak outside my chamber door. It was as if something was climbing up the stairs. I assumed it was my husband as all the rest of the staff had gone home, so gave the noise no thought. My door slowly crept open but there was no one there. Suddenly, a giant thunderclap sounded and lighting illuminated my candle lit room. I gasped as I saw my gander by the door. How silly of me for acting so foolish. The goose slowly waddled forward, eyes scanning the room. It was as if he was looking for something, or someone.

            The gander finally reached where I sat at my desk by the window. He gently laid his soft head on my lap and I reached out to pet him. He looked up at me and I wondered how anyone could think such horrid things of this sweet animal. The goose stayed with me for a while and then decided to leave. He was most likely hungry and went to look for some bread crumbs under the table.

            I realized it had gotten late, and I had no idea where my husband was. I looked across the hall, the light in his study was on. I walked over to remind him to say his prayers before bed. As I bent to kiss him good night, I thought I saw a shadow pass over in a dark corner in his room. I thought it was just my eyes playing tricks on me so I thought nothing of it and returned back to my chambers.

            As I settled in, for the night, I felt an ominous presence. I could not stop thinking about that shadow I saw in the study. I reassured myself I was being ridiculous and closed my eyes to let the rain lull me to sleep. I was quickly awoken by a scream. I looked over to find my husband’s side of the bed still empty. I scrambled out of bed and rushed out into the hallway. The study door was open but it was empty. I hurried down the stairs as another lightning bolt lit up the house. I saw a body laying at the foot of the stairs. As I looked closer, I saw the face of the man I had shared a life with for more than three decades. I rushed to his motionless body with tears streaming down my face, screaming his name. As I approached closer, I saw blood gushing from his left leg. When I went to examine it, it looked like an animal bite. I couldn’t fathom the situation and frantically looked around for help. I gaze turned upward and saw my dear goosey gander staring down from the top step.

(The goose scanning the house)

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Author's Note: This story was inspired by the rhyme "Goosey Goosey Gander". I was always curious about this rhyme because it seemed too dark to be created for children. The ending always made me question if the author intended the goose to be deadly. Most of this story stems from the illustration that came with the rhyme. I thought it told a lot about the story with the man hiding from the giant goose.

Bibliography: The story is based on the nursery rhyme "Goosey, Goosey, Gander" in The Nursery Rhyme Book, edited by Andrew Lang