Kids Can Fly: Goose

There didn't seem to be any other name to suit him. He was a bit on the chubby side, and he tilted his head slightly when he listened to you, and his feet pointed outwards when he walked. So we called him Goose.

He was a likable enough kid. Bright. Funny, sometimes. Good at rugby. But he lost all his friends because of his constant tale telling. It didn't matter what anyone did, if they were breaking rules, or even thinking about breaking rules. Goose would go waddling away to the nearest teacher and there'd be trouble.

"So-and-so dropped their rubbish on the garden. So-and-so didn't bring her gym gear. So-and-so hit so-and-so." It was like a waterfall of words; never ending and always causing trouble.

Which is why everyone avoided him. They couldn't stand it. The teachers kept patting him on the head and thanking him for the information, but while they were busy patting his head they would tell him to stop telling tales because, they said, it's not a good thing to do. They were wasting their breath, and they knew it. Goose lived to report. It was his reason for being at school.

Until we decided to fight back.

One afternoon, when Goose was somewhere else, we called a meeting. Twelve of us squashed into the back corner of the library. Kasia took over as chairperson and Nicholas sat beside her. He had the loudest voice in the class, next to Kasia.

"I vote we put a gag on him and tie him up!" said Nathan.

"That would be really dumb"" said Kasia, "He'd get us all into trouble, once he was untied again.'"

"Stick him in the rubbish truck?" suggested Nikanda.

"Drown him?" said Benjamin.

"Its got to be non-violent," said Kasia.

"Yeah!" agreed Nicholas, "My Dad says a soft answer turns away wrath."

"What's that got to do with it?" asked Kieran.

"Nothing really," said Nicholas, "I just thought it might be useful."

Tamara shrugged her shoulders.

"How about if we report him to the teachers every time