By M. Willow
This story comes as a result of the S&H challenge on the yahoo group.
�It was awful. The screams, the terror. I don�t think I�ll ever stop hearing his voice.
�Is that when you struck her detective,� the portly sheriff asked.
Hutch looked up, his hands shaking as they glided through his hair. �What choice did I have? It was either her or my partner.�
The sheriff patted him sadly on the back. �I know, I know, it must have been hard.�
�You don�t know the half of it. I wasn�t raised that way. But�but�in that moment, I didn�t know what else to do. She was coming. She�d already attacked once. The way she came at him. The way she kept coming. I know what that�s like to be totally helpless.�
�Now, now, son. It�s okay. You did what you had to do. Your friend is okay because of it.� The sheriff sat down, his large stomach bobbing as he moved. �You think you can tell me what happened?�
Hutch sat back, massaging the deep furrow between his brows. �It had been a long week so Starsky and I decided to take a little trip. We stopped off at this small town and decided to have a picnic in the park. It was a nice day with plenty of sunshine and people playing Frisbee. Anyhow, my partner and I got there around noon and laid out a picnic basket. After lunch, he took off his shoes and shirt hoping to get a head start on his tan. That�s when we saw them.�
Hutch paused, regarding the big man sitting next to him. �Is that when you saw the nannie and her kid?�
Hutch didn�t speak for awhile. Just sat there like a man reliving a nightmare. Finally he spoke. �Yeah. And Starsky saw them too.�
�What happened?� the sheriff probed.
�Starsky couldn�t take his eyes off the nannie. She just stood there, her white hair blowing in the wind. He started walking toward her and she waited, she and the kid. I don�t know, I don�t know. I told him it wasn�t a good idea. She had a kid there, for Petes sake, but he kept going. He was mesmerized by her. I never saw him like that before. But, I should have done something. Said something. And then�and then�she came. I never saw anything like it. She hit him and he took off, but she kept coming. She didn�t even care about the kid at that point. I knew I had to do something, so I hit her. Not hard. Just enough to stop her from coming after him. But now she was angry and chased both of us. I can still hear her voice. I can still hear Starsky screaming for me to run.�
Hutch stopped talking again and the sheriff sat forward. �So what happened? You�ve got to talk about it.�
�We found a place to hide. I could still see her and the kid, but she left us alone.�
�Wow,� the sheriff said, clearly impressed with the story. �So what brought you here spending your time talking to a retired sheriff in a shoe store?�
�My friend lost one of his shoes,� Hutch put his head down. �I think she must have taken it.�
The sheriff laughed. �Yeah, something to remember him by. She and the kid are probably enjoying a hearty meal as we speak� He stood up. �Well, I best get going. I sure hope they catch those two goats. It�s the second time they escaped from that zoo.�
Fin
A female goat is called a nannie; her offspring is called a kid.