“Listen,” he said. “There's something I wanted to tell you about.”
“What?”
“Well, it's kind of weird. I had this idea. About us. I had this idea that just you and me could live together in the woods. Sort of like Indians. We could get what we needed from, I don't know, fields and cottages, and no one would ever see us or bother us again. They wouldn't be able to, because we wouldn't ever be there when they looked for us.” He knew he wasn't being very clear, that she wouldn't be able to
feel the magic of the idea, but that wasn't important, really. He didn't have to persuade her. He could let it go now.
“I used to think about it a lot, and sometimes I wanted to tell you, but I was afraid you would think it was just crazy.” He tried to laugh, but kept his head down in case she should want to look at his face. “It is crazy, isn't it?”
“Yeah. Kind of. It's nice to think about, though. We could build a raft and go down the river. Just floating along.” She sniffed and laughed at the same time. “I'd have to learn how to swim. Finally.” Her head knocked against his as she thought. “The trouble is, we couldn't go to Greece. I really want to do that when we're older, don't you?”
“Yes. We will, too.”
“And what if one of us got sick?”
“I don't know.” He was genuinely surprised. “I never thought about that.”
“Well. We would think of something. We always do.”
Suddenly he was very sure that everything was going to be all right. He wasn't a fool. He knew that there would be arguments and long-distance phone calls, and parents and camp counselors and policemen talking over their heads about things he didn't understand. He would want to crawl in a hole, and she would cry. It didn't matter. They would think of something.
They could look at each other now and smile.
“We better get going,” he said. “Your mom's going to be worried.”
“That's okay.” Some of her toughness had come back. “She'll get over it.”
They climbed down to the path together and started back along the fire trail toward the bridge. The sun was shining. They could feel its warmth in their hair and on their faces. Small birds darted ahead of them, ducking and weaving, leading the way through the pines and the dry summer grass.
“There's Mom,” said the girl.
Howie looked up. The woman was just a blur, coming fast. When she was close enough, he would see her face. He wondered what he would find there.
A stump loomed in front of them, splitting the path. They drifted apart, their clasped hands rising as it came between them.
“Hold on,” Laura said. “Hold on.”
1.
Readers are quickly thrust into the act of a cruel and insensitive prank on the first page of
The Goats
. Brock Cole's story vividly conveys Howie and Laura's physical discomfort and embarrassment once they are alone. During the first few chapters, was it easy to empathize with Howie and Laura's situation?
2.
Have you ever witnessed a brutal act of bullying or hazing? How did that experience compare to what Howie and Laura went through?
3.
The author crafts a story of a tender and innocent relationship that evolves between Howie and Laura, without becoming sexual. The bond they form is a positive and meaningful relationship as a result of their frightening experience. How do their feelings change for each other from the beginning of the story to the end?
4.
Humor can ease an uncomfortable and sometimes horrible situation. Discuss some examples in
The Goats
where the author used humor to diffuse a situation while keeping the events true-to-life for these young teens.
5.
Bullying and hazing are perpetuated as a tradition at the camp in this story. Howie and Laura were specifically chosen as the victims by their peers. Why is there such a tendency to single out those who are labeled as different? What are some of the emotional and physical effects of bullying?
6.
Why have Howie and Laura been labeled as social outcasts? Laura seems to embrace it when she says, “I'm socially retarded for my age.” Do Howie and Laura really embrace their status as outcasts or reject it?
7.
Howie and Laura commit petty crimes to survive as they run away from their tormentors. They consciously mention that they will replace what they used or stole. Howie says, “We'll pay them back. We'll pay them back for everything.” Is Howie just talking about repaying the thefts? How do you feel about their decisions and actions while on the run?
8.
Howie wants to “walk away forever from camps, roads, motels, the sound of human voices.” He is tempted to try and live in the woods and never be found. Why do you think he dreams about this throughout the story? Why does he include Laura in his dream of escape?
9.
The adults in this story seem imperfect despite the fact that they should know better as figures of authority. Those in charge of the campers turn a blind eye to the annual Goat Island prank. In some ways Laura and Howie are more mature in their words and actions than the adults portrayed in
The Goats
. Discuss some of the other times the adults in the story show more vulnerability and poor judgment than the two teens.
10.
Why do you think the author chose not to give the names of Howie and Laura in the beginning of the story?
11.
Laura has two names in the story, Laura Golden and Shadow Golden. She goes by Laura so she can better fit in with her peers socially. Do you think changing her name helped her or scarred her? What are some changes kids make to fit in better?
12.
The word goat has more than one meaning in the English language. What are some of the other ways the word goat is used? Why is Goat Island an appropriate name for the place where the story begins?
THE GOATS. Copyright © 1987 by Brock Cole. All rights reserved. For information, address Square Fish, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
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eISBN 9781466803442
First eBook Edition : October 2011
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An Imprint of Macmillan
Square Fish and the Square Fish logo are trademarks of Macmillan and are used by Farrar, Straus and Giroux under license from Macmillan.
Library of Congress Catalog card number: 87-45362
Originally published in the United States by Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Square Fish logo designed by Filomena Tuosto
First Square Fish Edition: 2010