Initially, Goat didn’t quite understand why the animals on the farm were showing him honor, when only hours ago he was regarded as having little import in their eyes. Of course, as one not accustomed to such behaviors of deference, initially, Goat felt uncomfortable, but soon a feeling of pride, grown by the sudden shows of respect, began to well up in Goat.
The reason for the worship and adulation was clear soon enough. Goat realized that earlier in the afternoon, when the accident with the fire-breather had turned the tiger loose, he had attempted to hide in a jar. What he hadn’t known then was that the jar had golden paint inside it, and all the time Goat spent turning and twisting in the jar was serving to coat him in the paint.
Now, from head to hoof, Goat was golden in color. And unfortunately, none of the animals who lived on the farm was intelligent enough to know that coat color was at best skin deep, and that the one who stood before them was none other than Goat. So Goat became an overnight sensation. All the animals, even the other goats, on the farm began seeing him as something beyond normal, as some kind of superhuman or divine creature.
All, that is, except Smoke.
For starters, Smoke was rather jealous of the fact that some goat, whom he suspected to be a goat he knew, just appeared out of nowhere and stole the spotlight. Being a goat who strove every day to make himself admired in the sight of the other goats, Smoke could not help but feel resentment at this “divine” newcomer, who had stolen his shine.
Matters only got much worse, when the other animals, at the promptings of Goat, began to pressure Smoke to show Goat honor. Of course, Smoke refused, leading him to be socially ostracized by the other animals. There was not a place that Smoke went on the farm that he wasn’t ignored coldly. And yet, as the days passed, he was getting more and more convinced that this golden goat was none other than Goat, the same one whom nobody paid much attention to initially.
Smoke resolved to figure out how to pull Goat from his high horse. If not, he was sure he would be forced to flee the farm soon. Nobody had a kind word for Smoke, whereas they worshipped everything Goat said and did. Down to commenting with awe that even Goat’s urine was golden.
This madness had to stop!
To be continued...
Thanks for coming!
That little boy,