{"id":1775,"date":"2009-05-31T18:05:02","date_gmt":"2009-06-01T01:05:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.candlelightstories.com\/?p=1775"},"modified":"2009-05-31T18:12:26","modified_gmt":"2009-06-01T01:12:26","slug":"storybook-wheres-winston","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/candlelightstories.com\/Blog\/2009\/05\/31\/storybook-wheres-winston\/","title":{"rendered":"Storybook: Where’s Winston?"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Artie Knapp (USA)
\nthe author has an excellent story site: artieknapp.com<\/a><\/a>
\nillustration by Emily Doyle (emilydoyledesign.com<\/a>)<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\"whereswinston\"<\/p>\n

\n

The cold wind blew past the geese with the weight of a freight train and the sting of a hundred bumble bees. It was a strong reminder of why they were migrating south for the winter. As the geese did their final stretches in preparation for the long flight that lay ahead, Ralph, the flock\u2019s flight commander, proceeded to do a final roll call.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlright, Troop 408, you know the drill – it\u2019s time to get underway. When I call out your name, a simple yes, or here, will suffice.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Ralph went down the list alphabetically on his clipboard, he dreaded reaching the letter C.\u00a0 Every year Ralph\u2019s younger brother Carl pleaded to lead the flock. And after years of nagging, Carl had finally been given the chance to lead the troop a few years before. It was one of the worst decisions the flock had ever made.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome on, Ralph. You\u2019re never going to let me live that down,\u201d said Carl.<\/p>\n

\u201cCarl, you were supposed to fly to Florida. Instead, we spent the winter in Albuquerque.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAlright, so I got a little off track. Why didn\u2019t anyone say anything?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh believe me, we all wanted to,\u201d said Ralph. \u201cThe moment you made that sharp turn past Louisville, well, everyone knew then we were in big trouble. But the flock agreed to honor the code of silence.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe code of what?\u201d asked Carl.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve got to be kidding. Surely you haven\u2019t forgotten one of our most sacred pacts, Carl,\u201d said Ralph.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course I haven\u2019t. A nest must be guarded at all times.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe other one, Carl,\u201d said Ralph.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have no idea what you\u2019re talking about.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCarl, the code of silence is an agreement that a flock honors when following one goose. The moment a leader is selected everyone agrees to follow them no matter what. From rooftops, to telephone wires, to circling in the air when you feel like your wings are going to snap, it doesn\u2019t matter – you follow the leader. You don\u2019t question them or their flight plan. You seem to forget, but that\u2019s why we followed you all the way to Albuquerque.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, so one little mistake and I am forever banned from leading the flock again. That\u2019s not fair, Ralph.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ralph slowly waved his clipboard in front of Carl and asked him to name its color.<\/p>\n

\u201cNice try, Ralph. That\u2019s a trick question. There is no clipboard,\u201d said Carl.<\/p>\n

Ralph leaned in toward Carl, and gently tapped the clipboard against his beak.<\/p>\n

\u201cCarl, please get glasses like we discussed. One of these days you\u2019re going to fly right into a building.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Carl pouted about not leading the flock, Ralph continued down the line. He was about to check off the last name on his list, when he realized that a goose was missing.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere\u2019s Winston?\u201d asked Ralph.<\/p>\n

At first, no one said a word. But then Betty, who was standing on the other end of the line said, \u201cI know where Winston is.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you mind telling me where?\u201d asked Ralph.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I promised him I wouldn\u2019t say anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBetty, as I stand here before you, icicles are forming on my beak. Please tell me where Winston is so that we may get underway,\u201d pleaded Ralph.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlright, follow me,\u201d said Betty reluctantly.<\/p>\n

Betty flew off the hilltop and the other geese followed suit. After flying over a waterfall and taking a few turns here and there, the flock landed in an open field. The field was surrounded by large pine trees that lined a long and winding river.<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, Betty. Where\u2019s Winston?\u201d asked Ralph.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not much further,\u201d said Betty.<\/p>\n

Betty led the flock down the riverbank and then up a hill where an old wooded shed lay buried in brush.<\/p>\n

\u201cWinston, are you in there?\u201d asked Betty.<\/p>\n

A large noise from within the shed rattled its foundation.<\/p>\n

\u201cBetty, is that you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, it\u2019s her, Winston,\u201d said Ralph shaking his head. \u201cWhy aren\u2019t you packed and ready to go?\u201d<\/p>\n

Winston stuck his head out of the shed and was surprised to see the entire flock staring at him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s everyone doing here, Betty?\u00a0 I told you not to tell anyone where I was at.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry, Winston. But the flock doesn\u2019t want to leave without you.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Winston stepped outside he was carrying something in his arms. It was a little Cardinal who had fallen out of her nest.<\/p>\n

\u201cWinston, what are you doing?\u201d asked Ralph.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m taking care of this little bird. She injured her wing and can\u2019t fly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can see that, but you\u2019re not a doctor, Winston.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know, Ralph. But the entire staff at the Birdville Medical Clinic has already flown south for the winter. They left yesterday. Nobody else is around to help. I can\u2019t just leave her here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLook, Winston, I sympathize for the little bird. I really do,\u201d said Ralph patting the little Cardinal\u2019s head. \u201cBut we\u2019ve got to go. We can\u2019t stay here for the winter.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry, Ralph. But I won\u2019t leave her. And besides, there\u2019s plenty of food. It just won\u2019t be what I normally eat.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Ralph began to speak he briefly interrupted himself by letting out a loud sneeze.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlright everyone, as much as I disagree with Winston\u2019s decision, we have to get underway without him,\u201d said Ralph rubbing his beak.<\/p>\n

Ralph could hardly continue as another sneezing fit took hold of him. It had become apparent that due to Ralph\u2019s condition, someone else would have to lead the flock. But that presented a problem in itself. You see, the members of Troop 408 were either past their prime and didn\u2019t want to lead, or they were way too young to take on such a huge responsibility.<\/p>\n

\u201cRalph, you\u2019re in no condition to lead the flock. I\u2019ll have to do it,\u201d said Carl enthusiastically.<\/p>\n

The thought of Carl leading the flock pained him, but Ralph knew that there wasn\u2019t anyone else ready to lead. And Ralph\u2019s cold was growing worse by the hour.<\/p>\n

As Ralph reluctantly announced that Carl would be leading the flock, the members of Troop 408 consoled one another. They shouted at Winston that he should be the one to lead them.<\/p>\n

But Winston wouldn\u2019t budge. It wasn\u2019t that he looked forward to the long winter ahead; he just knew taking care of his little friend was the right thing to do.<\/p>\n

The geese then flew out of sight, leaving Winston and the little Cardinal all alone. Winston smiled at the little Cardinal and told her that everything would be fine. But deep down, Winston was feeling very lonely and hurt that nobody had offered to stay with them.<\/p>\n

The next week felt like a month to Winston, and the week after that felt even longer. But then one day while searching for food by the riverbed, Winston looked up and Troop 408 was heading in his direction. He had never felt so happy.<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew they would come back,\u201d said Winston aloud. \u201cI just knew it.\u201d<\/p>\n

One by one the geese landed by the snow-covered riverbed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you! Thank you so much for coming back,\u201d said Winston.<\/p>\n

But none of the geese said a word. They were out of breath and visibly upset. Winston soon discovered that the flock had no intention of coming back. You see, when a flock of geese honor a code of silence they follow their leader no matter what. And Carl\u2019s loop around Atlanta cost them dearly, as he led the flock right back where they started from.<\/p>\n

Two significant things happened that winter: A baby Cardinal grew up to be a healthy bird, and the members of Troop 408 vowed to never honor one of their most sacred pacts again.<\/p>\n

\n

THE END<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

“Where’s Winston?”<\/span><\/em> Copyright \u00a9 2009 by Artie Knapp
\nAll Rights Reserved <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Artie Knapp (USA) the author has an excellent story site: artieknapp.com illustration by Emily Doyle (emilydoyledesign.com) The cold wind blew past the geese with the weight of a freight train and the sting of a hundred bumble bees. It was a strong reminder of why they were migrating south for the winter. As the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[77],"tags":[65],"class_list":["post-1775","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-childrens-stories","tag-artie-knapp"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/candlelightstories.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1775","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/candlelightstories.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/candlelightstories.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/candlelightstories.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/candlelightstories.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1775"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/candlelightstories.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1775\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1782,"href":"https:\/\/candlelightstories.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1775\/revisions\/1782"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/candlelightstories.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1775"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/candlelightstories.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1775"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/candlelightstories.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1775"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}