The original text of goat Zlate

In the previous Hanukkah, the road from the village to the town was always covered with ice and snow. But this winter, the weather is warm, Hanukkah is coming, and it hasn't snowed yet. It is sunny most of the time, and farmers are worried that the grain harvest will not be good in winter because of drought. As soon as the tender grass appeared, the farmers drove their livestock to the pasture.

It's been a bad year for tanner Levin. He hesitated for a long time and finally decided to sell the goat Zlate. This goat is too old to give much milk. Faivre, the butcher in the town, offered eight silver dollars for the goat. With this money, you can buy candles at bright nodes, potatoes for festivals, fat oil for pancakes, gifts for children and other necessities for festivals at home. Reuben asked his eldest son Aaron to drive the goat to town and give it to faivre the butcher.

Aaron knew it was bad to give the goat to the butcher Pfeiffer, but he didn't dare to disobey his father's orders. Aaron's mother was very sad. She cried when she heard that she was going to sell the goat. Aaron's sisters Anna and miriam also burst into tears. Aaron put on a cotton-padded jacket and a hat with earmuffs, put a rope around Zlate's neck, and took two pieces of bread coated with cheese to eat on the road. The family asked Aaron to spend the night at the butcher's house after delivering the sheep and take the money home the next day.

The family and the goat reluctantly said goodbye. When Aaron tied the rope around the goat's neck, the goat stood there meekly as usual. The goat licked Reuven's hand and shook his little white beard. Zlate has always trusted human beings. It knows that people always feed it and never hurt it.

When Aaron chased the sheep to the road leading to the town, the goat seemed a little surprised because it had never walked in that direction before. The goat turned around and looked at Aaron in surprise, as if to ask, "Where are you taking me?" But after a while, the goat seems to say to himself, "Goats shouldn't ask questions." However, this road is not the familiar one. They walked through strange fields, pastures and huts. From time to time, dogs barked at the back, and Aaron drove them away with a stick.

When Aaron left the village, the sun was still shining, but the weather suddenly changed. A large dark cloud appeared in the eastern sky, slightly blue. Dark clouds quickly filled the sky, followed by a cold wind. The crow flew very low and croaked. At first, it looked like rain, but in fact it began to hail like summer. Although it is morning, it is as dark as dusk. After a while, the hail turned into heavy snow again.

Aaron 12 years old, has experienced all kinds of weather, but has never seen such heavy snow. The snow covered the sky, and suddenly it was dark, and soon I couldn't tell where the road was and where the field was. The wind is biting, and the road to the town has become narrow and winding, and Aaron can't find his way. The combination of snow and wind made him unable to distinguish between east, west, north and south. It was freezing, and the cold wind went straight into the cotton-padded jacket.

At first, Zlate didn't seem to care about the weather changes. Goats are also 12 years old and know what winter means. But when his legs sank deeper and deeper in the snow, he turned his head from time to time and looked at Aaron blankly. Its gentle eyes seem to ask, "What are we doing outside in such a big snowstorm?" Aaron hoped to meet a driver, but no one ever passed by.

The snow is getting thicker and thicker, and large tracts of snowflakes fall to the ground in the rotation. Aaron felt that his boots touched the soft ground that had just been plowed under the snow. He realized that he had left the road and he was lost. He can't tell which side is east, which side is west, which side is village and which side is town. The cold wind roared, rolled up the snowdrift, and circled on the ground, just like a little white devil playing a game of catching people in the field. Thick white powder was picked up from the ground by the wind. Zlate stopped. It can't walk any further. It stood there stubbornly, its hooves fixed on the ground, bleating, as if begging Aaron to drive it home. Icicles hung on the goat's white beard, and the horns were covered with frost and shining.

Aaron didn't want to admit that he was in danger, but he knew that if he couldn't find a place to shelter from the snow, he and the goat would freeze to death. This snowstorm is different from the past, and it is a rare one. The snow did not reach his knees, his hands were stiff with cold, his feet were numb with cold, and he had difficulty breathing. The snow made him breathless. He felt his nose numb with cold, so he grabbed a handful of snow and rubbed it. Zlate's breathing sounds like crying, and the human he trusts so much has put him in a desperate situation. Aaron began to beg God to bless himself and the innocent goat.

Suddenly, he saw something, like a hill. He wants to know what it is. Who can pile snow into such a mountain bag? He dragged Zlate and wanted to go and have a look. When I got closer, I realized that the mountain-like snowdrift turned out to be a big haystack with all the snow on it.

Aaron breathed a sigh of relief: they were saved. He had a hard time digging a passage in the snow. He grew up in the country and knew what to do. When he touched the hay, he took out a hidden draft for himself and the goat. No matter how cold it is outside, it is always warm in the haystack. Hay is Zlate's favorite food. As soon as the goat smelled the hay, it immediately ate it with satisfaction. Outside the haystack, the snow continued to fall.

The heavy snow soon covered the passage dug by Aaron. Aaron and goats need to breathe. There is almost no air at home. Aaron drilled a "window" through hay and snow, carefully keeping the respiratory tract open.

Zlate sat on his hind legs after eating, as if he had regained his trust in human beings.

Aaron ate the two pieces of bread and cheese he brought, but he was still hungry after a hard journey. He looked at the goat Zlate and found its chest bulging. He lies next to the goat and tries to be as comfortable as possible, so that when he squeezes out the goat's milk, it can be sprayed into his mouth. Goat milk is thick and sweet. The goat is not used to being milked in this way, but it does not move. It seems that he is eager to repay Aaron and thank him for taking him to this place where he can avoid the wind and snow. The walls, floors and ceilings of this shelter are all his delicious meals.

Through the "window", Aaron can catch a glimpse of the disaster outside: the wind rolls up the snow; It was so dark everywhere that he couldn't tell whether it was at night or because of the snowstorm. Thankfully, it's not cold in the haystack. Hay, grass and flowers in the field exude the warmth of summer sunshine. Zlate kept chewing hay, sometimes eating the grass above, sometimes eating the grass below, sometimes eating the grass on the left, and sometimes eating the grass on the right. The goat's body radiates heat, and Aaron snuggles up to the goat. He has always liked Zlate, and now goats are like his sisters. He misses his family, feels lonely and wants to talk to relieve boredom. He started talking to the goat.

"Zlate, what do you think of this disaster we have encountered?" He asked, "baa." Zlate replied.

"If we hadn't found this haystack, we would be frozen stiff now," said Aaron.

"baa." The goat replied.

"If it keeps snowing like this, we will have to stay here for a few days." Aaron explained.

"baa." Zlate shouted.

"What do you mean' baa baa'?" Aaron asked, "You'd better make it clear."

"baa, baa." Zlate wants to be clear.

"All right, then you baa," Aaron said patiently. "You can't talk, but I know you understand. I need you, and you need me, right? "

"baa."

Aaron is sleepy. He wove a pillow with straw, put it on the pillow, and then began to knock. Zlate fell asleep, too.

Aaron woke up and opened his eyes, wondering whether it was morning or night. Snow blocked the window again. He wanted to clear the snow, but when he stretched out his whole arm, he still couldn't reach the outside. Fortunately, he took a stick and poked it out. It was the only way to poke through the snow. It is still dark outside. The snow is still falling and the wind is still whistling. First, I heard a voice, and then many voices. Sometimes the wind is like a ghost laugh. Zlate woke up, too, and Aaron greeted him, but the goat replied with a baa. Yes, Zlate's language has only one word, but it represents many meanings. The goat now seems to say, "We must accept everything God has given us-warmth, cold, hunger, satisfaction, light and darkness."

Aaron felt hungry when he woke up. He ate all the food he brought, but Zlate still had a lot of milk.

Aaron and Zlate stayed in the haystack for three days and three nights. Aaron has always liked Zlate, but in these three days, he felt that he could not live without Zlate. Zlate provides him with milk to warm his body. The patience of the goat comforted him; He told many stories to the goat, who always pricked up his ears and listened. He patted the goat lovingly, and the goat licked his hands and face. The goat bleated, and it knew that the voice meant: I like you, too.

It snowed for three days in a row, although the heavy snow weakened and the wind eased in the last two days. Sometimes, Aaron feels as if there has never been a summer, the snow seems to be endless, and it always rains, as long as he can remember. He-Aaron-never seems to have parents or sisters. He is a child of snow, grew up in the snow, and so is Zlate. It was so quiet in the haystack that his ears buzzed in the silence. Aaron and Zlate not only sleep at night, but also sleep most of the day. Aaron's dreams are all about warm weather. He dreamed of green fields, blooming trees, clear streams and twittering birds. On the third night, the snow stopped, but Aaron was afraid to find his way home in the dark. It cleared up, the moon rose, and the silver moonlight sprinkled on the snow. Aaron dug a passage in the haystack and looked around. Everywhere is white, quiet and wonderful dreams. The stars are big and dense. The moon swims in the sky, just like swimming in the sea.

On the fourth morning, Aaron heard the sleigh bell. It seems that the haystack is not far from the road The farmer driving the sleigh showed Aaron the way, but he didn't mean the way to the town to find faivre the butcher, but the way back to the village. Aaron has made up his mind in the haystack that he will never be separated from Zlate again.

Aaron's family and neighbors searched for Aaron and goats in the snowstorm, but there was no result. They are worried that Aaron and the goat are finished. Aaron's mother and sister are sad and crying; His father was silent and unhappy. Suddenly, a neighbor came running to tell them the good news: Aaron and Zlate are back and on their way home.

The family is happy. Aaron told his family how he found the haystack and how Zlate provided him with milk. Aaron's sisters kissed Zlate, hugged Zlate, and treated Zlate and Zlate to a hearty meal with chopped carrots and potato skins.

Since then, no one has talked about selling Zlate. The cold weather finally came, and the villagers needed Luwen to make fur goods for them again. When Hanukkah came, Aaron's mother cooked pancakes every night, and Zlate got a share. Although Zlate has her own sheepfold, she often comes to the kitchen and knocks on the door with a horn, indicating that she will visit. People always let him in. In the evening, Aaron, miriam and Anna play top, and goats sit by the fire, or watch children play, or get lost in the flame of Hanukkah candles.

Aaron sometimes asks the goat, "Zlate, do you remember the three days and nights we spent together?"

Zlate scratched his neck with horns and shook his long white beard, making its only sound: "Baa-"