Ram the Goat
by Marc Oliver Pasco
He asked the goat, "Hey. What's your name?"
The other goat replied, "My name is Nick. Are you a goat?"
Ram was confused. He said, "No, I'm Ram. What's a goat?"
"Well," Nick said, "I'm a goat. And you look like me. So you must also be a goat."
"No, I'm Ram," Ram said. "And I'm white. You're brown. So I can't be a goat."
"Where do you live?" Nick asked Ram. "I haven't seen you around here before."
"I live on the other side of the road," Ram replied. "I came here because I was hungry."
"Oh, okay." Nick said. "Maybe we can look for some grass to eat."
So off they walked to find food. They found a nice patch of fresh grass, and started eating. After a while, another goat approached them. She was followed by three other smaller goats.
"Hey. What are you doing here?" she asked.
"We're eating," Ram answered, "what did you think we were doing?"
"What's your name?" the mother goat asked.
"My name is Nick. We came over here to eat grass, because Ram got hungry."
"Ram?" asked the mother goat. "Is he a goat?"
"That's what I tell him. He looks like you and me, so he's a goat." Nick said.
"But you're black," said Ram to the mother goat, "and your kids are black too. Nick is brown, and I'm white. So I'm not a goat. I'm Ram."
"But that's just our colors. We're all goats," said the mother goat.
Ram went back to eating. After a while, the mother goat and her kids went away. When Ram finished eating, he said, "Okay, I think I better go home now."
"But where is your house?" Nick asked. "I don't see it from here. Where are your parents?"
"What are parents?" Ram asked, confused again.
"Well, they're where you came from. A mother goat and a father goat. You can't exist without parents," Nick explained.
"I don't have a mother goat or a father goat," Ram said.
"Oh. That's sad." Nick answered after a while. "Hey, maybe you can come home with me. So you can meet my parents," Nick suggested.
"Okay," Ram agreed.
So off they walked, and walked, until they came to Nick's small house.
When they finally arrived it was getting dark. Nick's father and mother were outside, waiting for him.
"Who's this?" Nick's father asked him, when he saw Ram.
"I'm Ram," Ram answered Nick's father.
"Oh, hi, Ram. Are you a goat?" Nick's father asked.
"I'm Ram," Ram answered again. "I'm not a goat."
Nick's father furrowed his forehead, and said, "Oh. Well. Are you Nick's friend?" he asked, as Nick went inside the house with his mother.
Confused for the third time, Ram asked, "what's a friend?"
"A friend, you know. Someone you hang out with," Nick's father answered.
"Oh, I guess I'm his friend then. We ate grass together, over there by the field," Ram said, still unsure what "friend" meant.
"That's alright, then," Nick's father said, opening the door to their house, "come in."
"Do you have grass?" Ram asked Nick's father before entering.
"Are you still hungry?" Nick's father asked.
"No, I'm not hungry now, but I might get hungry again later. Do you have grass?" Ram repeated.
"I think I have grass left over in the field out back," Nick's father said, smiling a little. "Come in," he invited again.
"Where do you live, Ram?" asked Nick's mother when Ram entered the house, "where are your parents?"
Again Ram asked, "what are parents?"
Nick's father and mother looked at each other, and Nick's father explained, "your parents are where you come from, Ram. You can't exist without parents."
"I live over there at the other side of the road," Ram said, "but I don't have parents."
"Then you must be an orphan goat," Nick's father said gently.
Again Ram was confused. He asked, "what's an orphan goat?"
"Well, it's a goat who didn't get to meet his parents. Like you, I guess," Nick's father said. "Nick has his father, that's me, and his mother, and we love him because he's our son. That's why we have this house, so Nick has a place to live in."
"But I have a place to live in. Over at the other side of the road," Ram explained again. "It's not a house, and it doesn't have a roof, but I have my tree and it's the same thing," he continued. After a while he said, "I think I better be going home."
"But it's nearly dark, and you might get lost," Nick's mother said. "Maybe you can stay for the night, there's room and there's grass."
"No," Ram refused, "I'll be alright. I know my way about. Thanks anyway."
Nick, listening all the while, just said, "Come on, I'll walk you home. I know my way around this field and the other fields too, and we don't want anything to happen to you when you cross the road."
"Are you sure you won't sleep over?" Nick's father asked.
"No, thank you. I'll be fine," Ram said.
"Come on then," Nick said, starting to walk towards the road.
"Look after him, Nick!" Nick's mother called after them.
And so they walked, and walked again.
In the middle of the field they ran into the mother goat with her three little goats again. "What are you doing out here, when it's already dark?" she asked them.
"I'm just walking Ram home," Nick answered. "What are you doing here?"
"We're on our way home too," answered the mother goat. When Ram saw that all of them were going off in the same direction towards the road, he said to Nick, "I think you better go back. I know my way from here, and I have company. Thanks for the grass."
"Okay, then," Nick answered, "maybe I'll see you again tomorrow."
"Maybe," Ram replied, walking away.
While they were walking the little goats kept playing with Ram, scurrying about and bumping his legs. "Hey, cut that out. Stop biting my beard," he said to the smallest goat.
"But it's so long," answered the largest. "Why do you have a beard? Are you a goat?"
Ram sighed. "Okay. Just so that nobody asks me that question ever again, yes, I am a goat."
"Well, we're also goats, because we look like our mom and you, but why do you have beards, and we don't?" the largest little goat asked.
"Go ask your mother," Ram said.
"Mom, mom! Why do you and Ram have beards?" asked the largest little goat.
"Because we're adult goats. You're still little goats, so you'll have your beards when you grow up," their mother answered.
Ram realized the field was really big, because they have been walking for a long time, but they were getting nearer to his tree. "Wait, he said, "I'm hungry. I'll eat for a little while."
Ram realized the field was really big, because they have been walking for a long time, but they were getting nearer to his tree. "Wait, he said, "I'm hungry. I'll eat for a little while."
"You're hungry again?" the mother goat asked. "Go on then. Maybe you should also eat, you three," she said to her kids.
While Ram was chewing, he thought of something. "Where's your father?" he asked the little goats, "Nick has a mother goat, like you, but he has a father goat, and you don't."
The little goats looked up. "Where's our father, mom?" asked the second-largest little goat.
Sighing, the mother goat said, "you don't have a dad. He died when you were younger. He got sick, and he died, so I had to raise you by myself," she added softly.
The little goats were silent. "We miss our dad."
Nobody spoke after a while. All of them finished eating, and then continued walking. They finally reached the place where Ram's tree grew. "That is my tree," Ram said, "goodbye."
"Bye, Ram," the goats called out.
After a while Ram felt something biting his tail. He looked, and found that the littlest little goat followed him home to his tree. "What are you doing here?" Ram asked.
"I just wanted to say thank you," said the littlest little goat, "for playing with us on our way home. Even though you're very cold to us. Maybe we can play again tomorrow," he continued hopefully.
"Maybe," Ram said, yawning, tired.
"And maybe you can be our dad!" the little goat said happily. "We can play, and eat grass again, and play some more!"
"No. I don't want to be your dad. Come on, I'll take you home to your mother," Ram said, giving the littlest little goat a push. "Come on, it's very dark."
In no time they reached the mother goat's house, and Ram found her pacing outside. "Did you see my kid?"
"He's with me. He followed me home," Ram said, and gave the littlest goat a push again.
"He's going to play with us tomorrow again, mom!" the littlest little goat squeaked. Hearing this, his brothers joined in and shouted, "yey! Yey! Ram's going to play with us again! Maybe he can be our dad!"
"No! I'll play with you, but I don't know how to be a father goat! I don't even have one," Ram said. "Now goodbye, I'm going back to my tree."
"Thanks for bringing him home, Ram," said the mother goat, as she herded her kids into the house.
The next morning the little goats ran to Ram's tree, jumped on him and bit his tail and beard. "Ram, Ram, wake up! Time to play, Ram!" they shouted.
Ram didn't move. "Ram, wake up, wake up! Time to play, you said!"
Ram still didn't move. The largest little ram called out to his mother, who was a few paces away. "Mom! Ram's not moving!"
The mother goat gently pushed Ram's leg, and bent down to his neck. Ram wasn't breathing.
She ran all the way over to Nick's house, across the road, and brought Nick and his father and his mother over Ram's tree.
They stood and stared at Ram, silently remembering him and wishing that he was in a better place.
So that is the story of Ram the goat, a goat who had always been alone and unloved, a goat who did not become a goat until he died, when he finally found friendship and love.
The End
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