The Goose and The Crone
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The goose waited for the eyes to appear and the crone to dance along with her song that night… The last time she was sure the crone was around was when she had heard the turtle’s rough voice. Not seeing her now, the goose sang louder and louder until it brought Hal and Gwen out of their place. Looking up the hill toward the nest she saw it stood cold and dark. The goose had grown so used to having her around that she became aware that something was wrong. The eyes always burned bright. She watched and directed the choir this time with a little more quavering in her voice than normal.
Elizabeth was almost immediately in intolerable pain and she imagined what the goose had gone through those bitter cold winter nights of the big storm, stuck on the island. She felt her leg but already knew it was broken. Whether she could make it inside or not would be a pure act of will. She knew there would be little chance of rescue tonight. No one could see her lights from their homes; no one, not even Hal and Gwen! She would have to make it through the porch and the living room to get to the phone. The five steps must have looked like a mountain to Elizabeth; she would have to rely on her upper body to see her through. The steps had now become slippery slots in the nights frost filled air, adding to the treacherous state of the mission she was about to undertake.
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About the Book
Elizabeth Washburn loves her home in the northern Wisconsin lake country. She and her husband built it and she has lived there for years. Long widowed, she keeps the place up by herself, through long hours of backbreaking work. But, she is not getting any younger.
The Goose, wounded after a long night defending herself against a hostile flock on the lake, stays behind when the others leave for the south.
Elizabeth and The Goose live parallel lives through the four seasons of the subsequent year; facing danger, joy, and growth, but knowing the inevitable question must be answered the following fall.
About the Author
Denise White is a published poet and novelist from Florence, Oregon. Originally from upstate New York, she has spent extensive time enjoying and writing about nature and studying native american culture. Many of her poetic works are inspired by these passions, including her poem, "The Goose" upon which this first novel is based. "The Goose" was originally published in the Voices of the Heartland anthology. Ms. White has also been recognized as an Editors' Choice Poet Scholar by the International Library of Poetry for her poem "White Buffalo Calf Woman".