The Geese Lie Between

He wanted that stick.

Henry had always had an insatiable drive for sticks. He loved every little thing about them. To start, they were always outside, and he loved to be outside. He ached to get a stick in his mouth, to discover, hunt, retrieve, and be master of the small, wooden object.

This stick, though, this stick would be a challenge. He was in a new place, not the well-groomed park where he usually walked. Not the manicured neighborhoods nestled within the small lake town in which he lived with his family. No, this place was different.

This place was terrible. It was hot. Henry didn't like the heat. He had black hair and naturally high body temperature, so high temperatures caused him to overheat very quickly. He could feel his heartbeat quicken.

He could see the stick. It was so close. But what lay between him and his treasure was nothing short of a nightmare. Henry didn't like water, and geese didn't like Henry. To get to his stick, his prize, he would have to conquer both.

The stick sat lightly on top of a rock about 20 feet from the edge of the water. The water was rough and steaming beneath the blazing sun. And the geese were everywhere. They sat on the rocks along the rocky shore; they roamed the grass for bugs, keeping an eye on unwelcomed company as they arrogantly waddled the shoreline, their rocking gait parading their unsettling presence.

Henry wasn't afraid of the geese, but he didn't like the water. Water was foreign to him. He didn't understand it. It moved around him unlike any other substance he had encountered in his short life. It seemed to envelop him, and he didn't trust it.

But he wanted that stick.

He stood about 25 feet from the shoreline, panting in the heat. He scanned the scene before him, assessing his first move. If he was confident, and he was, he could get rid of the geese with little problem. They were bullies, but they startled easily. But the water.

He had never had to swim, and frankly, had avoided it at all costs. Today, he would have to run towards it, literally. The stick was so close.

He was ready. He took a fast turn, sat back on his heels and launched forward into a full sprint towards the shoreline. The geese noticed the movement immediately and shot back warning honks, but he ignored them and charged forward. Their honking became louder and more insistent as he sped ever closer, but his eye was on the stick. He rushed forward. The geese honked, rising to their feet, their beady little eyes laser-focused on Henry. They flapped their wings, unfurling the span of their dominance, demonstrating their self-appointed reign of the water's edge. Henry didn't care. He continued his advance, racing forward as fast as his little legs could move. 

And they surrendered. The geese exploded upwards, escaping to the sky. In a rush of wings and feathers, they scattered as he rushed to the water. And he kept going. He hit the water at full speed. His momentum carried him a few feet into the water but from there, he was on his own to propel himself through the moving, grabbing liquid that separated him from his prize. He kicked his legs with all his strength. He wrenched his head upwards, desparate to keep his face out of the water. He was moving forward! It seemed like hours but it was really just a couple minutes. He was slowing kicking his way closer to the rock. Now only 10 feet away. Now just 5 feet. He was so close. The rock was only a few inches from him, he could almost touch it with his nose. The rough water lapped over his back, splashing into his eyes. He spat and sneezed and shook it off. And then his foot hit something. The rock! He'd reached the rock. He scrambled to find his footing on solid ground, pawing his way up out of the water. He did it. He made it.

And there was his stick. He bounded to it, picked it up, shook it hard in triumph. He turned a few circles, sat down, and looked back across the water, across all that he'd just overcome. He wasn't afraid of the water now. He knew how to navigate it. He sat on the rock with his stick, admiring it, holding it proudly. The sun was still beating down, but he hardly noticed. The water had cooled him off for a bit, and for now, all he wanted to do was enjoy his treasure. So he did.