There once was a glad grey goose amongst a generic gaggle of ganders. Unlike the other geese around him, the glad grey goose was a dreaming bird – often sitting beneath his favorite shade tree reading a captivating book, or refining his craft as a writer in his private study.
On one particular day – lead by the largest gentleman of his gaggle, the other four members of his group approached the glad goose while he was immersed in a particularly immersing novel in the late afternoon.
Not noticing his deep voice initially, the glad goose is startled by the great grim goose when he says, “Hey! Are you listening to me?”
The chubby glad goose pushes up his reading spectacles and closes his book before replying, “Yes. I’m listening. This book is just so exciting.”
“That may be so” says the imposing grim goose with his arms across his chest, “But certainly you would rather join us in rousing sport than waste such a beautiful day on written words and flights of fancy.” Three other male geese – a pair of slender twins, and short goose, all nod in passive agreement.
“I am well aware of the fair weather” the glad goose replies gently. “I still would rather read here – a place I make quite a journey to retreat to.”
“You are always lost in your dreams!” the shortest of the gaggle says to the glad goose.
“What is even the point?” says one of the twins.
“It may surprise you to know” says the glad goose, “but there is more to life than what you can sense in the world. Perhaps you should consider your imagination. There are many others who value those who can express themselves.”
“I doubt that highly!” the large grim goose says with a huff. “Strength and skill are all that matters. Fancy words and pleasant images are hardly a substitute for real worth.”
With silent grumbles and rolled eyes, the grim goose and the rest of the gaggle trot off to play their sport, and leave the glad goose to the rest of his book.
As the weather becomes even more pleasant, the grim goose finds himself enamored with a particularly lovely lady goose. The other three geese seek their own courtships as well, but like the grim goose, they find themselves in the same predicament.
For you see, all of the lady geese want their gentlemen to send them letters of correspondence – not simply with the trivialities of the day, but the matters of the heart.
Even the grim goose, with all his confidence, was not able to persuade his lovely lady – not with his shows of strength, or his stylish garments.
“The gentle writer fellow you like to harass has quite a lovely gander for a partner” says the lovely lady goose. “Perhaps if you spent more time writing and less time fighting, you’d be able to express more in your letters than weather, sports and topical opinions.”
With a pouting expression, the grim goose sits alone on the bench as the lovely lady goose moves towards a dapper gander. He presents her a single rose, and they take a stroll along the path and out of sight.