“Do they really think you’re their mama?”
“Yep.”
She stared at the small flock of geese. There were still goslings, in a way, but they no longer looked like anything but full grown, feathers puffed, beaks out to get ya in the soft parts geese.
“They’re quite tame,” Luke chuckled at her wariness.
“Tell that to the bruise that this one over there left on me the other day.”
Luke’s chuckle turned full throttle laughter. “Miles was just trying to establish a pecking order. He’s fairly low ranking and you could’ve showed him his place. Instead, you freaked and he showed you his. It’s normal goose behavior.”
“Normal for you, perhaps. I’m a human. Not a goose mama.”
Luke patted one of the geese in what Darla swore was just a showing off. “Also, they are a little antsy,” he conceded. “It’s going to be their first real flight.”
Darla nodded, unconvinced. She was already regretting her agreement to take care of any stragglers. Luke was going to fly the flock — or any of the flock who were capable — through the whole migration route. Darla was to help with those who lagged behind or proved too weak. Luke already had two in mind that he believed would end up among them, including, of course, Miles de Munch.
She wasn’t sure how she got roped into agreeing. There was, of course, Luke’s contagious enthusiasm. And his charm.
Darla sighed. She’d bail out if it weren’t for the fact that they were due to leave tomorrow and there was no way Luke would have time to find a substitute goose-sitter.
“Hey, I’ve got an idea,” Luke’s face lit up in a manner very much like the excitement that had led her to agree to shepherd biting geese in the first place. “We’re going on one last practice fly today. Wanna come?”
Na'ama Yehuda 
Inspired by the movie “Fly Away Home”?
Lovely story!
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A little, eh? 🙂 Glad you liked it! Even with Miles De Munch … 😉 (having had geese growing up, I know they can be aggressive BUT can also be taught their place … 😉 )
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Definitely, a little 😉
I did. And yes, they are quite aggressive!
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Though I gotta say that as a 9 or 10 year old I had to figure out a way to establish MY place in the pecking/hissing/biting order. The vet took pity on me and told me how to subdue a goose, and the rest was history. They did not mess with me no more! 😉
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Oh dear!!
Good on you!
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Yep. You grab’em by the neck – not to choke, but to show dominance. One time and done. And the rest saw and learned … 😉
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Trying to picture you…😏
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LOL! I wasn’t much taller than the goose, I think! 🙂
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I can imagine!!
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Glad to help with the visualizations … LOL! 🙂
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I thought of the movie, too. A woman down the street had a pet goose–actually a couple, I think– for many years.
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They can make decent pets. If you don’t mind the mess (they aren’t really the house-broken type … ;)) – ours were in the backyard, swimming in an old tub that we had sunk into the ground …
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I loved this, thank you.
The picture was from a video taken from the wingtip of the microlite – that’s me in the back seat. My wife and daughter bought me the ride as a 70th birthday present – a group in the middle of France train and fly a small number of geese partly to maintain and improve their skills and partly to fund their real work with geese and cranes exactly as in the film you mention. See https://www.voleraveclesoiseaux.com but keep in mind if you look at the English translation that the French word voler translates as both fly and steal!
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What a great comment, Keith! Thank you for explaining more about the photo (woohoo for it being you on this contraption!!!) and about the organization that runs it. How interesting about the French!!! 🙂 Love language!
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