Grantville Gazette, Volume 42 by Eric Flint

Author:Eric Flint [Flint, Eric]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi, azw3
Tags: Action & Adventure, Fiction, General, Science Fiction, Space Opera
ISBN: 9781618248640
Publisher: Baen Books
Published: 2012-09-18T12:37:13+00:00

Three geese were out and about. A fourth scampered into the pen from a hole in the side of the barn. It flared its wings and moved threateningly toward the fence. It hissed like a viper and thrust its chest forward, begging for a confrontation. Joe beamed. "That's my bull gander right there. The finest of the bunch. I had to pay a pretty penny for him, let me tell you. He's going to be my breeding stud. A pure Pomeranian. I call him Fritz."

They watched as all the geese followed the gander's lead and struck up such a fuss that it was difficult to think. Joe smiled. Let them find abuse, he thought. I dare them. How stupid did they think he was? They knew nothing about gander pulls. It served no purpose to mistreat the birds prior to the event. He learned that from his grandfather. The key was to fatten them up, keep them clean and healthy, make them even more desirable for the participants. Oh, and how the money would flow!

Joe talked over the ruckus. "Please go into the barn and take a look around. That's where they stay in the evenings mostly, plus where the geese can lay their eggs."

The veterinarian was the first to the barn door. Officer Tito followed. Joe let them go alone. He waited beside the fence. He looked up at the loft door that swung open from the inside. Up there, hiding behind a few old hay bales, was his partner Hermann Schurz. Hermann waved and brandished a pitchfork, motioning with it as if he wanted to stick it into their visitors' backs. Joe sympathized but shook his head and motioned with his hand to keep hiding. There would be no bloodshed today. Unless, of course, they foolishly wandered into the woods behind his barn.

Soon they returned, and Joe produced a grand smile. "Well, what do you say?"

Officer Tito turned to the veterinarian. "Elmar?"

The down-timer looked disappointed. He rubbed sweat from his forehead. "Your geese look good, Herr Plotz." He paused, then said, "No signs of mistreatment."

"Are there any other entry points onto this farm, Mr. Plotz?" Officer Tito asked. "Roads or paths?"

Joe's heart caught in his throat. He swallowed it down. "No, none at all. As you can see, I'm surrounded by thick woods. The only entry is my driveway, and of course across my field out there, which ain't very large I hope you noticed."

Officer Tito nodded. "Okay, I want to make it clear, Mr. Plotz, that in the eyes of the law, a gander pull would be considered animal cruelty, and if such an event were occurring, the perpetrator would be subject to steep fines, a confiscation of said geese, and potential jail time. Do you understand?"

Joe smiled and shrugged. "Officer Tito, I'm just a simple farmer trying to make a living. I can assure you that my geese are well-treated and well-fed. I do sell some of them to folk as required, which is my right. What they do with them afterwards is not my problem.

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