The Goose is respected by the barnyard. (Photo courtesy Katherine Dunn)
“But where do the stars go during the day?” asked little Hannah.
“They’re still there, child,” said Poetry the old goat.
“I can’t see them,” said Hannah.
“Can you see the ocean as we sit here and speak?” asked the old goat.
“No,” said little Hannah.
“But the ocean is still there,” said Poetry.
“I guess,” said Hannah.
I’d been listening to the conversation as I swept up debris in the nearby feed room.
“Hannah, why are you worried about the stars?” I asked.
I sat down on a bench to rest for a few minutes. I was immediately surrounded by small statured goats, a pig and a bunch of chickens, and The Goose.
“I worry they’re lost, and scared,” said Hannah.
The Goose, one of the wisest members of the barnyard, spoke up, “Nothing’s ever lost, because it’s somewhere. We all have an internal compass, and it takes us where we are meant to be at that particular time in our existence.”
“Do I have one?” asked the young goat.
“Oh, most certainly,” said The Goose. “When you awake, it’s time to get up. That’s your internal compass.”
“I always know when it’s time to poop!” said Hannah.
“That’s your internal compass too!” said The Goose.
Earnest the pig sauntered into the conversation. “Hannah, the sun comes up and the stars are on the other side, waiting for the moon, and they aren’t afraid because they’re where they are meant to be.”
I remembered I had a pack of graham crackers with me, and began breaking off bits to give to Hannah. Just then Pickles and Puddles – the barnyard mischief makers – swept in, knocking Hannah to the side.
“Pickles and Puddles, that’s rude, and you’re much bigger than Hannah,” I warned.
“But Mrs. Dunn, it’s my internal compass! It needs a cracker!” Pickles said.
“What she said,” said Puddles.
“I think your internal compass has a higher calling than stealing graham crackers from a child,” said The Goose.
Pickles and Puddles looked perplexed and a bit embarrassed. When The Goose speaks, everyone respects his thoughts, much like Earnest the pig.
Earnest the pig chimed in, “Your internal compass keeps you out of trouble, if you listen to it.”
“Keep me out of trouble. I don’t think I have an internal compass after all,” said Pickles.
“Me either,” said Puddles glumly.
“Karl must have listened to his internal compass and gone away,” the little goat said sadly.
Karl the goat had died a few days earlier – he was a leader to the goats, and was protective of little Hannah.
“He’s like a star now, Hannah. You can’t always see him, but he’s there.” said the pig.
“But I miss his body being here, instead of somewhere,” said the little goat.
We all sat in silence.
“Remember Hannah, he’s Here There Everywhere,” I said. “But I miss his body too.”
“I’m not so sure I want to keep my internal compass,” said Hannah.
“Oh child,” said Poetry the old goat. “Your internal compass never abandons you.”
(Katherine Dunn, of Apifera Farm in Bremen, is an artist and writer. Apifera, a nonprofit, takes in elderly and special-needs animals and shares them with elder people. Learn more at katherinedunn.us.)
