Sometimes you can see it and sometimes you can’t.
But it’s there."
There once was a young Billy Goat that had no gruff.
He felt embarrassed by this.
His friends would tease him because he was different. They told him he was weird.
His Mother always told him that this was his one special thing.
The Billy Goat tried everything to fit in.
But nothing worked.
So he wrote his Mother a note and he left in the middle of the night.
He had no where to go and he was frightened.
He walked until the sun came up.
He came to a village that was filled with people. He had never seen so many different kinds of people.
“Surely there must be someone that looks like me.” He thought to himself.
In the distance, he saw a group of children playing, except for one little Boy.
The Boy sat alone by a rock with his head in his hands. He looked sad.
The Billy Goat walked over to the Boy and asked him what was wrong.
Not looking up, the boy replied, “If you are here to tease me, please go away.”
“Why would I want to do such a thing?” The Billy Goat said.
The Boy looked up at the Billy Goat.
The Billy Goat could not believe his eyes.
The Boy had a long black and white gruff attached to his chin.
The Boy was different, just like him.
At that moment, the boy realized the same thing.
They became the best of friends.
It felt good to know they were not alone.
They talked for hours about how nice it would be if everyone were different like them.
They imagined playing with the other children and billy goats, without being teased.
Then one day the Boy had an idea.
“I could give you my Gruff and you would look like all of the other Billy Goats.”
“That’s a terrific idea!” wailed the Billy Goat.
“And without your gruff, you would look like all of the other Boys!” the Billy Goat continued.
Excited by their revelation, the Boy and the Billy Goat ran back to the Boy’s house and got a pair of scissors and some glue from his Mother’s drawer.
The Boy and The Billy Goat hid behind the Rock where they had met and went to work.
Cut Cut. Snip Snip. Paste Paste. Pat Pat.
When they were finished, they came out from behind the rock.
“How do I look?” asked the Billy Goat
“Very distinguished.” said the Boy, with a chuckle.
“What about me?” the boy asked, sticking his chin up in the air.
“Extremely handsome, of course.” The Billy Goat replied.
They both laughed and played until the sun went down.
The Billy Goat realized how long he had been gone.
“I guess I should go home now. My Mother will be worried.”
Touching his new, silky, smooth chin.
"Yes. I should probably do the same." answered the Boy.
“And tomorrow I can play with all of the other children and no one will notice anything different about me.” Said the Boy
“And I will return to the Hill and show off my fancy new Gruff.”
They smiled at each other. Proud of what they had accomplished and they went their separate ways.
The next morning the Boy woke up bright and early. He could hardly contain his excitement.
He ran to the mirror to sneak another glimpse of his newly, perfect, bare chin.
When he saw his reflection, he couldn’t believe his eyes. His heart sunk to the bottom of his tummy.
The hair on his chin had grown back overnight. He was different again. There would be no playing with the other children today, perhaps not ever.
He put on his clothes and walked to the Rock where he had met the Billy Goat. He put his head in his hands and he began to cry.
Meanwhile, on the the hill, the Billy Goat played with his new friends. He was having the time of his life.
He pranced around with his new gruff, more confident than ever before. All of the other Billy Goats accepted him.
“Let’s go swimming in the lake at the bottom of the hill!” Shouted one of the billy goats.
They all agreed and sped off down the hill toward the lake.
The Billy Goat was very happy. No one had ever invited him to go swimming in the lake before. It always seemed like it would be so much fun.
He followed the rest of the billy goats, trying to catch up.
The billy goats jumped into the lake, one by one. There was kicking and splashing. Everyone was having a fantastic time.
The Billy Goat took a step back, held his breath and charged feet first into the water.
“How was that everybody?” He shouted after he came up for air.
The other billy goats all stood silent for a moment and stared at the Billy Goat. Then in an instant, they all erupted in laughter.
At first, the Billy Goat was confused and thought that perhaps his jump into the lake did not look as perfect, as he had intended. But the laughter only grew louder and they all began to point and tease him.
He looked down into the water and saw his reflection.
His brand new gruff was gone. It must have washed away when he plunged into the lake. They weren’t laughing at his jump. They were laughing at him.
The Billy Goat quickly made his way out from the lake and ran away as fast as his legs could take him. He didn’t think about where he was going. He only wanted to run as far away from the Hill as possible.
It wasn’t until he couldn’t hear anymore laughter, that he realized how far he had run. He had made it half way to the Village where the Boy lived. He thought of the Boy and imagined how happy he must be with his new friends. He wanted to go see him. Surely the Boy would understand how he felt. Maybe the Boy would even introduce him to his new friends.
The Billy Goat continued on toward the Village.
When he arrived at the village, he noticed the Boy sitting beside the Rock where they had met.
His head was in his hands and he was crying.
The Billy Goat walked over to him and asked, “What is wrong? Why aren’t you playing with the other children?”
The Boy lifted up his head for the Billy Goat to see.
“Your gruff? It grew back. What happened?” Gasped the Billy Goat.
“I will always be different from the others. It was a silly idea in the first place.” Sobbed the Boy.
“My gruff didn’t last very long either. I’m sorry. It’s all my fault.” Said the Billy Goat.
“We will just have to get your Mother’s scissors and her glue and try again!” The Billy said with confidence.
“NO! It will always grow back and I will always be different. Please go away.”
The Boy lowered his head back into his hands and continued to sob.
The Billy Goat felt sad for the Boy. He wished there was something he could do to help.
The Billy Goat turned and began to walk away from the Boy, and then he remembered what his Mother had always told him.
He stopped and walked back over to the Boy and sat down next to him.
“Maybe this is our one special thing?”
The Boy looked up at The Billy Goat.
“Our special thing?” asked the Boy.
“Yes. My Mother always told me that everyone in the world has one special thing that makes them different. Sometimes you can see it and sometimes you can’t but it’s there.”
The Billy Goat continued…
“Your gruff is your special thing and not having one is mine.”
He looked at the Boy and smiled.
The Billy Goat raised his bare chin in the air and began to strut.
“This is my special thing and I like being different.” Bragged the Billy Goat.
The Boy wiped the last remaining tear from his eye and managed a smile.
The boy stood up and shouted,
“One best friend is better than a hundred new ones.”
“You’re right!” The Billy Goat agreed and continued...
“And besides, they are all the same anyway.”
They both laughed uncontrollably and ran off to be different. For the first time, The Boy and The Billy Goat felt special.
THE END.
But it’s there."
There once was a young Billy Goat that had no gruff.
He felt embarrassed by this.
His friends would tease him because he was different. They told him he was weird.
His Mother always told him that this was his one special thing.
The Billy Goat tried everything to fit in.
But nothing worked.
So he wrote his Mother a note and he left in the middle of the night.
He had no where to go and he was frightened.
He walked until the sun came up.
He came to a village that was filled with people. He had never seen so many different kinds of people.
“Surely there must be someone that looks like me.” He thought to himself.
In the distance, he saw a group of children playing, except for one little Boy.
The Boy sat alone by a rock with his head in his hands. He looked sad.
The Billy Goat walked over to the Boy and asked him what was wrong.
Not looking up, the boy replied, “If you are here to tease me, please go away.”
“Why would I want to do such a thing?” The Billy Goat said.
The Boy looked up at the Billy Goat.
The Billy Goat could not believe his eyes.
The Boy had a long black and white gruff attached to his chin.
The Boy was different, just like him.
At that moment, the boy realized the same thing.
They became the best of friends.
It felt good to know they were not alone.
They talked for hours about how nice it would be if everyone were different like them.
They imagined playing with the other children and billy goats, without being teased.
Then one day the Boy had an idea.
“I could give you my Gruff and you would look like all of the other Billy Goats.”
“That’s a terrific idea!” wailed the Billy Goat.
“And without your gruff, you would look like all of the other Boys!” the Billy Goat continued.
Excited by their revelation, the Boy and the Billy Goat ran back to the Boy’s house and got a pair of scissors and some glue from his Mother’s drawer.
The Boy and The Billy Goat hid behind the Rock where they had met and went to work.
Cut Cut. Snip Snip. Paste Paste. Pat Pat.
When they were finished, they came out from behind the rock.
“How do I look?” asked the Billy Goat
“Very distinguished.” said the Boy, with a chuckle.
“What about me?” the boy asked, sticking his chin up in the air.
“Extremely handsome, of course.” The Billy Goat replied.
They both laughed and played until the sun went down.
The Billy Goat realized how long he had been gone.
“I guess I should go home now. My Mother will be worried.”
Touching his new, silky, smooth chin.
"Yes. I should probably do the same." answered the Boy.
“And tomorrow I can play with all of the other children and no one will notice anything different about me.” Said the Boy
“And I will return to the Hill and show off my fancy new Gruff.”
They smiled at each other. Proud of what they had accomplished and they went their separate ways.
The next morning the Boy woke up bright and early. He could hardly contain his excitement.
He ran to the mirror to sneak another glimpse of his newly, perfect, bare chin.
When he saw his reflection, he couldn’t believe his eyes. His heart sunk to the bottom of his tummy.
The hair on his chin had grown back overnight. He was different again. There would be no playing with the other children today, perhaps not ever.
He put on his clothes and walked to the Rock where he had met the Billy Goat. He put his head in his hands and he began to cry.
Meanwhile, on the the hill, the Billy Goat played with his new friends. He was having the time of his life.
He pranced around with his new gruff, more confident than ever before. All of the other Billy Goats accepted him.
“Let’s go swimming in the lake at the bottom of the hill!” Shouted one of the billy goats.
They all agreed and sped off down the hill toward the lake.
The Billy Goat was very happy. No one had ever invited him to go swimming in the lake before. It always seemed like it would be so much fun.
He followed the rest of the billy goats, trying to catch up.
The billy goats jumped into the lake, one by one. There was kicking and splashing. Everyone was having a fantastic time.
The Billy Goat took a step back, held his breath and charged feet first into the water.
“How was that everybody?” He shouted after he came up for air.
The other billy goats all stood silent for a moment and stared at the Billy Goat. Then in an instant, they all erupted in laughter.
At first, the Billy Goat was confused and thought that perhaps his jump into the lake did not look as perfect, as he had intended. But the laughter only grew louder and they all began to point and tease him.
He looked down into the water and saw his reflection.
His brand new gruff was gone. It must have washed away when he plunged into the lake. They weren’t laughing at his jump. They were laughing at him.
The Billy Goat quickly made his way out from the lake and ran away as fast as his legs could take him. He didn’t think about where he was going. He only wanted to run as far away from the Hill as possible.
It wasn’t until he couldn’t hear anymore laughter, that he realized how far he had run. He had made it half way to the Village where the Boy lived. He thought of the Boy and imagined how happy he must be with his new friends. He wanted to go see him. Surely the Boy would understand how he felt. Maybe the Boy would even introduce him to his new friends.
The Billy Goat continued on toward the Village.
When he arrived at the village, he noticed the Boy sitting beside the Rock where they had met.
His head was in his hands and he was crying.
The Billy Goat walked over to him and asked, “What is wrong? Why aren’t you playing with the other children?”
The Boy lifted up his head for the Billy Goat to see.
“Your gruff? It grew back. What happened?” Gasped the Billy Goat.
“I will always be different from the others. It was a silly idea in the first place.” Sobbed the Boy.
“My gruff didn’t last very long either. I’m sorry. It’s all my fault.” Said the Billy Goat.
“We will just have to get your Mother’s scissors and her glue and try again!” The Billy said with confidence.
“NO! It will always grow back and I will always be different. Please go away.”
The Boy lowered his head back into his hands and continued to sob.
The Billy Goat felt sad for the Boy. He wished there was something he could do to help.
The Billy Goat turned and began to walk away from the Boy, and then he remembered what his Mother had always told him.
He stopped and walked back over to the Boy and sat down next to him.
“Maybe this is our one special thing?”
The Boy looked up at The Billy Goat.
“Our special thing?” asked the Boy.
“Yes. My Mother always told me that everyone in the world has one special thing that makes them different. Sometimes you can see it and sometimes you can’t but it’s there.”
The Billy Goat continued…
“Your gruff is your special thing and not having one is mine.”
He looked at the Boy and smiled.
The Billy Goat raised his bare chin in the air and began to strut.
“This is my special thing and I like being different.” Bragged the Billy Goat.
The Boy wiped the last remaining tear from his eye and managed a smile.
The boy stood up and shouted,
“One best friend is better than a hundred new ones.”
“You’re right!” The Billy Goat agreed and continued...
“And besides, they are all the same anyway.”
They both laughed uncontrollably and ran off to be different. For the first time, The Boy and The Billy Goat felt special.
THE END.
Posts
very appropriate in honor of martin luther king day. we need to recognize how wonderful people are no matter their differences. hopefully our girls will understand this one day...
ReplyDeleteyou surely are different. that adds to why i love you!
YUV!
So that's a Gruff!?! I thought the Billy Goat was just uncouthe.
ReplyDeletePoor Outnumbered Gruff-Man. I won't tease you for your Gruff and I hope you won't tease me for (insert any number of my faults or differences here).
Great story (and picture)! @ronnibunny72 summed it up pretty well. Life would suck if we were all the same. Differences make it interesting.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThey had so much fun they decided to go to Jamaica on vacation.
ReplyDeleteThe boy noticed the other people there were different and immediately braided his gruff and was lauded as a true rasta, the goat became stew.
The moral, don't go to Jamaica if your a goat, it's really gruff there.
The end.
By the way, what the hell is a gruff, all I know it as is ill-humored, but it was a good story anyway...liked my ending better.
When I was a sophmore in high school, I grew a goatee. Everyone teased me and asked, "When are you shaving that thing?" And I'd rely, "When no asks me when the fuck I'm shaving it." And true to my word, I shaved it the day no one asked me to shave it. Then suddenly I started seeing a bunch of guys growing goatees. So in Dec. 1999, I grew a beard and have never shaved it except for when I shaved it off but left a fu man chu.
ReplyDeleteJust found you.....you and I have a similar state in life, only I am outnumbered by three boys, male dog, and 17 roosters.....rebekah-outnumbered@blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteGreat story! Teaches us to accept our individuality/uniqueness and to encourage the same thing in our kids. This was especially inspiring for me. My 3 year-old son has CP and will walk/talk 'a little different' from the other kids - thats his 'one special thing'.
ReplyDeleteJust read this to my son. He's like 'why didn't the boy just shave everyday like daddy?'
ReplyDeleteHopefully at least some of the message stuck. Hope springs...
Yep, it's the differences that keep us all from being boring!
ReplyDeleteIs this a Jason original? This should be a child's book. This was amazing. It's about embracing difference, deep & meaningful friendship, and turning lemons into lemonade. Bravo. You made me smile. As you always do.
ReplyDeleteHugs, Lisa
@Lisa - It's a story I wrote a few months ago but never got around to posting. I thought it was particularly appropriate to share on MLK day. Thanks for the kind words... :-)
ReplyDeleteGood story, Great Gruff. We should respect each other's differences. If we were all the same this life would suck. I just wrote my first politically charged post and now I am worried the few followers I have will bail because it's my opinion and they may not like it (I posted it anyway because that's how i roll). Maybe I should link back to this story so they read me with an open mind. Liked the post Mr. Out-Numbered.
ReplyDeleteThat was the awesomest story EVER! I love it. I'm totally reading it to my kid at bedtime tomorrow. . . rock on, Gruffy Wonder Boy!
ReplyDeleteWell written. You get it.
ReplyDeleteThis story is a great story.
ReplyDeleteIt's beautifully written, and I enjoyed reading it very much.
Is this getting published?
It should.