I find Amy on the back porch, staring fixedly at the dark copse of trees that borders our backyard.
"What is it?" I ask, peering in the same direction. I see nothing.
"I think he....he's in there," she whispers. "Hiding in the trees."
"Are you sure?" I say, still scanning the darkness for any sign of movement.
"I heard him," she says. "I heard a howl or something."
"A howl?" I ask. "Maybe it was just an..."
"It wasn't an animal!" She says, cutting me off. "It was like...like language or something!"
I sigh, and stand beside her in silence for a few moments. I am about to go back inside when the clouds finally shift and a ray of moonlight falls on the trees.
"There!" she hisses, and I see it. The black head of a horned goat twitching between the branches at about the height of a man. At Amy's exhalation, the head turns suddenly toward us and I see its eyes glint in the moonlight. Human eyes.
Amy gasps, and I take a step forward.
"Enough!" I shout. "Come inside already, Dad! We get it! Goats are creepy!"
There is a pause, and then I hear his tree-muffled shout from the end of the yard. "Goat heads!" he yells. "Goat heads are creepy!"
"Right!" I call out, turning back into the house. "Whatever."
Seconds later I hear Dad's heavy footsteps on the porch and Amy says "You look great, Daddy."
I groan and shake my head. Little brown-noser.
She's an enabler, is what she is.
"What is it?" I ask, peering in the same direction. I see nothing.
"I think he....he's in there," she whispers. "Hiding in the trees."
"Are you sure?" I say, still scanning the darkness for any sign of movement.
"I heard him," she says. "I heard a howl or something."
"A howl?" I ask. "Maybe it was just an..."
"It wasn't an animal!" She says, cutting me off. "It was like...like language or something!"
I sigh, and stand beside her in silence for a few moments. I am about to go back inside when the clouds finally shift and a ray of moonlight falls on the trees.
"There!" she hisses, and I see it. The black head of a horned goat twitching between the branches at about the height of a man. At Amy's exhalation, the head turns suddenly toward us and I see its eyes glint in the moonlight. Human eyes.
Amy gasps, and I take a step forward.
"Enough!" I shout. "Come inside already, Dad! We get it! Goats are creepy!"
There is a pause, and then I hear his tree-muffled shout from the end of the yard. "Goat heads!" he yells. "Goat heads are creepy!"
"Right!" I call out, turning back into the house. "Whatever."
Seconds later I hear Dad's heavy footsteps on the porch and Amy says "You look great, Daddy."
I groan and shake my head. Little brown-noser.
She's an enabler, is what she is.
How are we feeling about goat faces? I don't think they are especially frightening.
Posted by: Diana | June 25, 2007 at 03:29 PM
I'm fond of goats, too.
Though I would be willing to say they were creepy if it stopped my dad from lurking around the woods with a mask on.
Posted by: jim | June 25, 2007 at 04:06 PM
Is this a true story? Because I thought my dad was the only one who did that. Though for him it's generally big-horned sheep.
Posted by: Enna Isilee | June 25, 2007 at 04:27 PM
"Well, you better tell him to watch his back 'cause the old Goat-face Killa is on the loose...Now, that's me...now I'm the Goat-face Killa."
-Homestarrunner
Posted by: Alauna | June 26, 2007 at 06:07 PM
One time my grandpa pulled (an actual) goat head out of his freezer and used it to threaten a bratty little kid who was at his house for a dinner party and was being really annoying. That shut him right up.
Posted by: Calliope1of9 | June 27, 2007 at 03:42 PM