Liezl and her Gander

Young Liezl, always the curious little one. Nothing frightened her, and everything excited her.

Lost in her thoughts, forever wandering. The only one who understood her wasn’t like us.

Running off to the pond, hours spent with her feet dangling, toes tickling the water.

All the other kids found it fun at first, but grew tired of the Geese. “They are all so mean and stinky,” the kids would shout. “You like the Geese cuz you are stinky like them!” Liezl heard nothing.

She was fascinated, not with the Geese, but with one Goose, or rather a Gander.

She thought it smelt nice by the pond, fresh and clean. And if they didn’t like it, they didn’t have to come. She preferred to be there alone. Alone with her Goose, or rather her Gander.

She would have conversations with him, hours on end. Although he would only quack back, Liezl could understand him.

As Liezl aged, the Gander remained, not a day would pass, with out seeing her Gander.

Little Liezl soon became, less little, and less young. She found love. She found pain. All the while sharing her stories with her special friend.

As time passed, little geese and ganders were born, and old geese and ganders died, but not him, he stayed the same.

Stories were told, of how the crazy old woman, would just sit by the pond talking to geese. She never married, nor had children. She knew love, but not as we did.

One day a little boy and little girl came along. Playing by the water, so young and little. They loved the Geese, and most of all Liezl’s Gander.

The children noticed that Liezl fed the Geese breadcrumbs, and asked if they could feed them too. “Of course” she’d say, with her beautiful smile.

The kids would come back day after day, feeding the crumbs. But Liezl’s Gander would not eat the crumbs. He only ate candy.

“Why does that one only eat candy?” asked the children.

“He has ever since we were little. We used to come down to the pond as children and throw candy into the pond. The Geese hated it. They would always come to the shore when they saw us, expecting bread. We would bring bread often, but always tried to get them to eat candy. They never would.” Liezl answered with a curious smile, never taking her eyes off her Gander.

For a while the children would come down to the pond and listen to stories of Liezl and her friend when they were but children. Until one day Liezl wasn’t there. The children went to Liezl’s spot only to find the Gander sitting there alone. They tried to feed him candy, but something wasn’t right. He would not eat.

They came back the next, to find the Gander in Liezl’s spot, but Liezl wasn’t there. Everyday for a week they returned to the same scene. Until one Sunday, upon their return they found a dozen or so people around a stone and some fresh dirt in Liezl’s spot. There sat her Gander. No one spoke. The only noise was the cries he made. The people left, but he didn’t.

The children aged, and their visits became less frequent. Every time they came down to Liezl’s spot, there sat the Gander. No Geese remained in the pond, just Liezl and her Gander.

-Graham Balon