The Big White Goose and the Little Girl
A little girl was feeding wild ducks under the shade of a tree by the pond. She held a delicious-smelling piece of bread in her hand, tearing off small bits and tossing them to the ducks, who were happily eating.
A big white goose came over and chased the ducks away, wanting the bread all to itself.
The little girl, seeing how rude the goose was, didn’t want to give it any bread. The goose raised its head and said to the little girl, “If you give me some bread, I’ll tell you something you don’t know.”
The little girl thought for a moment and said, “You tell me first, and I’ll see if I don’t already know it.”
The big white goose said, “Do you know which country’s people can be identified as male or female just by their last name? Not their first name, just the last.”
“I don’t know.”
“Quack quack, give me the bread, and I’ll tell you.”
The little girl broke off a small piece of bread and threw it to the goose. The goose stretched out its neck and skillfully caught the bread, swallowing it in one gulp.
The goose, keeping its promise, gave the answer immediately after eating: “The country is Poland. Men’s last names end with ‘ski,’ while women’s end with ‘ska.’ When Polish kids register for school, they don’t need to fill in their gender. Just by looking at their last name, you can tell if they’re a boy or a girl.”
Seeing how much the goose enjoyed eating, the little girl began to crave some bread herself. She said, “Now I’ll tell you something you don’t know.”
“Alright, but if I know it, you’ll give me another piece of bread,” said the goose.
“Do you know what Lota’s dream is?”
“Who’s Lota?”
“Lota is my best friend, haha, so you definitely don’t know.” The little girl immediately stuffed a piece of bread into her mouth, chewing as she said, “I’ll tell you. Lota’s dream is to become a horse. She loves horses the most. She even owns a horse and can mimic horse sounds really well. One day, she’ll definitely turn into a horse!”
The big white goose felt like it had somehow been tricked, but it couldn’t figure out how. Flapping its large wings twice, the little girl’s floral dress fluttered in the breeze. The little girl quickly used her hands to hold down her dress.
“Now it’s my turn,” said the goose, seizing the opportunity.
“Go ahead.”
“Do you know what loneliness feels like?”
“Loneliness…?”
“You definitely don’t know. Loneliness is a goose walking on the moon.” The goose, afraid the little girl might know the answer, quickly blurted it out. “Give me some bread now!”
So the big white goose got another piece of bread.
The little girl said, “I think the greatest loneliness is being with lots of people, but feeling like you’re trapped in a small, dark room, unable to get out.”
The big white goose tilted its head and stared at the little girl. After a while, it said, “It seems like you really do know what loneliness feels like. Do you often feel lonely?”
“Not often, only sometimes. When loneliness comes, it’s really scary.”
“In fact, whether you’re on the moon or in a dark room, you’re not really alone.”
“Why not?”
“Because you have many friends on you, with you all the time.”
“Who’s on me? I can’t see anyone.”
“Of course you can’t see them. They’re mites, and they’re very small. You need a microscope to see them,” said the goose, feeling very proud of itself.
“I don’t know the mites on me, and they can’t talk to me.”
“But they know you, and they can hear the thoughts in your heart. Now close your eyes and be very still… What do you feel?”
“I feel itchy,” the little girl said, scratching her belly and arms.
“That’s the mites saying hello to you.”
“I often talk to my fish and the flowers in my room. All the things I don’t want to tell others, I tell them. And they all understand,” said the little girl.
“How do you know?”
“Because my flowers bloom big and beautiful, and my fish swim over to me as soon as they see me.”
“Exactly! That’s a great idea! Can I have another piece of bread?”
The big white goose and the little girl each got a piece of bread. They ate one piece, then another, and one after the other, they finished the whole loaf.
The big white goose gratefully said to the little girl, “Thank you! You’re a generous person!”
The little girl said, “I’ll tell you one more thing you don’t know.”
“What?”
“Why does the teacher like to write and draw on the blackboard?”
“Quack quack, I know! It’s to prove that she’s smarter than you all!”
“Wow! You got it right! Too bad there’s no bread left for you!”
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
