The Boy and the Secret Goose

On Maple Tree Farm, Theo is a boy whose messy sandy-brown hair and bright green eyes help him notice details others overlook. What draws his attention most is Greta, a large white goose with soft grey wing tips and a faded red ribbon around her neck. Everyone else on the farm has decided Greta is simply the grumpiest goose around, since she honks at every child and farmer who comes near the old shed. Theo is not so sure, and as he watches her closely, he sees her dark round eyes flicking back toward the shed door, and reads her not as mean but as worried.

One morning Theo waits until Greta waddles off to the pond, then peeks through a crack in the shed door. Inside, among dusty lost toys, he finds a tiny brown mouse in a scrap-fabric apron with her three babies. When Greta rushes back honking, Theo promises he will not hurt them, and the truth comes out about the goose's winter of guarding. This gentle tale by Ebru Mina TOMURCUK explores first impressions and spreading kindness, and it can be read on Onlinemasal Com.Tr.