The Story of Eve or Why Nubians are the way they are!
Eve was born on Christmas Eve and as you might guess that is why every one calls her Eve. Right from the start she was full of life that is so typical of the young and possessed a keen curiosity that was exceptional even for a goat. Before she was barely dry she was off exploring her new world.
She had to admit that even though it was a lot colder than her past home; there was a heck of a lot more room. Eve was all over the barn, learning all the names of her new Aunt's that were now a part of her extended family. All this wandering about made Eve's mother very nervous. Eve was constantly being called back to her mother's side for a quick drink and a gentle nudge cautioning her to stay close.
At one point she thought she was a meal for the eagles. All of a sudden she was scooped up and rubbed all over with a towel screaming all the time to be put on the ground. Only after they did something to her belly that really stung was she placed on the floor next to her mother.
Eve tried to tell her mother of these strange people that tried to take her away but her mother seemed quite unconcerned. So off again she went exploring. It was not long before she found the open doorway to the barn and got her first look into the pasture that was now to be her home.
Laid out before her was a puffy white blanket that softened the edges of everything it covered. Across the field just on the other side of the fence was another barn covered with twinkling lights that tried to rival the stars above. Even though only a few hours old, Eve knew that there was magic in the air. Something seemed to draw her out into the open. As she took her first tentative steps, the shock of the cold snow between her toes made her jump high into the air and with a twist in midair that only one as young as Eve could accomplish, she went running back to her mother and the warmth of the barn.
The shock of the cold snow did not keep Eve in the barn for long. With a belly full of warm milk she again set off for the great outdoors. Knowing what to expect this time she took her first steps into the field. This was not too bad she thought, as long as I have the warm barn to go back into.
It was not long before she came upon two giant shapes standing close as if to keep each other warm. They were covered with long woolly hair that worked so well in keeping the heat in, that each sported their own personal while wooly blanket of snow. As Eve was standing there trying to figure out why they only had one toe on each foot, she became aware that her mother and all of her aunts were standing there with her. They all seemed to be listening for something and watching the sky.
The Queen gave a snort and looked off to the North, just as Eve heard the sound of bells. It was not long before she spotted a sleigh being pulled by what appeared to be some goat cousins with the most beautiful, branching horns in the world. With the driver calling directions, the sleigh passed over the standing group dropping green cubes that all the animals standing there quickly grabbed up. Several landed in front of Eve and she smelled something sweet and good, but she did not know what to do with them.
After that, the sleigh landed in the back yard of the other barn. It appeared to never touch the ground, as there were no hoof prints in the snow under the team or sleigh. With a flash the man grabbed a full bag from the back of the sleigh and disappeared. In another flash he reappeared this time with an empty bag that he threw into the back of the sleigh as he climbed aboard.
The most amazing thing to Eve was that now the team of reindeer just seemed to jump into the air and carry the sleigh with them. It was only a heartbeat before the sleigh was too small to see and the sound of the bells disappeared soon after.
Most of us search our entire lives for the meaning of life, but here on her very first day Eve knew just what she wanted to be. Surely nothing could be more meaningful then to fly through the night, bringing joy to those who deserved it the most. Eve watched very intently as the reindeer took flight and she thought that she had the technique down. But try as she might she could only get a couple of feet off the ground. It was not long before her mother came and made her stop and took her into the barn where she was soon fast asleep.
The next morning dawned crisp and bright. All the goats in the barn were exceptionally happy this morning, it seemed that there were many extra goodies in the feed tray. Eve tried a taste here and there but none of it was as good as mother's milk. So while every one else was eating, Eve decided to go out into the pasture. Maybe if she practiced enough she would be able to fly like the reindeer, or was that just a dream she had last night. Nonetheless jumping up as high as she could was a lot of fun so jump she did.
Time passed and the seasons changed. Eve grew and her memories of that night faded. Still she loved to jump. The older matrons in the herd thought she was a little nuts, they tried to explain to her that goats did not jump like that. Eve would not listen to them and continued to practice her jumping. Before long she was the highest jumper in the herd, indeed she could jump higher than anyone could remembered. She could jump so high that the fence around her pasture was no barrier at all. She could sail over the top with the greatest of ease. She loved to go into the other field and grab a tasty morsel. Her favorite was the bark of that old apple tree. When the people who took care of her found out how high she could jump they started adding boards to the top of the fence until she was forced to stay at home.
When the air started to cool and the days grew shorter, Eve was taken to another pasture. This was the home of the Old One. Eve had heard all about him from her aunts and mother. He was forced to live apart from the others and as with any male living alone he had some very nasty habits. She knew what was expected but try as they would they could not make a baby. This saddened Eve and she stopped jumping until the day it snowed.
The snow brought back the memories of that time a year ago and she knew that tonight was the night. She was barely able to stand still as she waited for the sun to go down, If her soaring spirit was enough to lift her up, then surely she would fly tonight.
Shortly after the moon went down, the team of reindeer again appeared in the sky. As soon as the sleigh passed overhead, dropping the treats to the other goats, Eve started to leap high into the air. Surely the driver would notice how high she could jump and invite her to fly away with him. The sleigh slowly turned and landed in the field on the other side of the fence. Eve could not believe that Santa did not see her jump the highest jumps in her life. "Look at me" she called, but her soft voice did not carry very far and not even the reindeer turned to see who called. As the sleigh disappeared from sight Eve's heart seemed to break in two. She slowly turned and walked back to the barn.
Her friends tried to cheer her up, offering some of the cubes that Santa dropped to them. Eve wanted nothing to do with them, so she laid down and closed her eyes and hoped that everyone would just go away.
The next morning Eve was watching the two legged kids playing. One of them climbed on the back of something and disappeared down the road. Shortly thereafter the mother came out and started to call for her kids. When the one who disappeared did not answer she started to call louder and louder, making a frightful noise. All the members of the herd came over to see what was happening and what was making all the noise. Shortly the missing kids reappeared and everything returned back to normal.
All this commotion gave Eve an idea. If she could make enough noise then she could get Santa's attention and then she could show him how high she could jump.
Now all of her herd mates knew she had totally lost it. Eve would go off by herself and start to cry louder and louder. At first everyone thought she was in trouble and would go over and want to help. But they found nothing wrong and would return to the barn only to hear Eve cry out once more for no apparent reason. All of this noise made Eve very unpopular with everyone else so she would constantly be challenged to a duel.
Now all of her herd mates knew she had totally lost it. Eve would go off by herself and start to cry louder and louder. At first everyone thought she was in trouble and would go over and want to help. But they found nothing wrong and would return to the barn only to hear Eve cry out once more for no apparent reason. All of this noise made Eve very unpopular with everyone else so she would constantly be challenged to a duel.
Out of necessity Eve grew very fast. She also grew very beautiful. The people who took care of her were always remarking how beautiful she was and one day took her to a strange place with hundreds of other goats. Eve rather liked it there. She was able to show off in front of everyone and the queen of the herd would not come out and put her in her place. At one time she was walked around in a circle and everyone watched her and at the end she was given a huge purple ribbon. This seemed to make her caretaker very happy.
Eve also enjoyed the time when she was left alone in her pen. Here she could practice her calling and no one would try to pick a fight to make her stop. It did get strange looks from the strangers around her though.
About a month after the show, Eve was up late. She felt very strange, not like she ever felt before. She walked over near the Old one's pen to talk awhile. Eve was saddened by the news lately about him. It seems that he was near the end of his span of time. He did not move around very much now and the caretakers had stopped taking does to him, thinking he could no longer sire kids. Eve saw him there, getting a late night drink and called out to him. But the old one did not seem to notice. So she called louder with the same result. Louder she still called, with no answer. Eve took a deep breath and gave the greatest Baa that she could muster.
It was so loud that it even surprised Eve. It certainly got the buck's attention as he gave a couple of snorts in reply and started to pace up and down the fence. It also got the caretaker's attention because it was not long before Eve saw a light quickly approaching their end of the field. Eve could tell the caretaker was alarmed as she fussed about her but Eve was in shock because she was heard as far away as the house. As the caretaker started to calm down she wanted to know what Eve's problem was but the only answer Eve could come up with was another loud Baa!
The caretaker grabbed Eve's collar and walked her into the old One's pen and Eve got her second shock that night as the two of them conceived a fine set of twins.
This Christmas Eve found Eve determined to catch the attention of Santa and get her chance to fly. As Santa began his approach for his yearly visit, Eve set about her wailing that would surely wake all the ghosts of Christmas.
As before Santa did not seem to notice as he disappeared with his sack. When he returned from delivering his gifts, Santa looked toward Eve with a big smile and a wave. Eve knew this was her only chance, so with a running start towards the fence she put every last ounce of strength she had into the greatest leap ever seen by a goat. She easily cleared the fence and went running towards Santa.
On Christmas Eve many things can happen that would not otherwise happen on any other night. Eve found that she could talk to this jolly old man and quickly explained to him about her two year quest to join him in his flight.
Santa listened to her and when she finished he sadly tried to explain that the reindeer were the only ones who could fly the way they did and even then they could only do it on Christmas Eve. There was never a more sorrowful sight than Eve as she stood there, listening to Santa. She knew that what he said was true but it still broke her heart. Eve was about to turn and try to find a way back to the barn when the reindeer called Santa over and they had a long talk. When he returned he was once again smiling. Santa explained that even though there was no way she could be a Reindeer that maybe there was a way she could go with them on their rounds, if only for tonight. Santa explained that there was no room in the sleigh because of all the bags of gifts, but Dasher and Prancer have offered to carry her if she so desired.
Now you could see Eve's eyes light up like a Christmas tree as she gave a scream of joy and planted two hoof prints on Santa's belly so she could nibble his beard as a way of saying thanks.
Now you know that reindeer do not have hands to carry anything and it would be too dangerous to try to ride on their backs while flying. So with Dasher on the left and Prancer on the right they each grabbed an ear as they leaped off the ground carrying Eve with them.
Throughout the night Eve traveled this way as Santa made his deliveries. She never imagined that the world was so big as it was nor the love and joy that filled the night. Just as Eve started to feel homesick she looked down and saw all of her friends looking up into the sky as if searching for her. Santa landed his sleigh in the pasture in front of the barn and Eve quickly ran back to thank him. As Eve ran up to Santa he gave a merry chuckle as he looked at her ears and said that Eve looked little worst for wear. Not knowing exactly what he meant, and oblivious to the snickers coming from the herd, she thanked him anyway and told him how much she enjoyed it.
Now she would be quite content to spend the rest of her life with all of her friends because she now knew that all the love and excitement she would ever need was right here at home.
As this tale concludes you must remember the magic that is Christmas Eve.
Because a few months later, the herd was awakened by the most frightful noise that you could ever imagine. They went running up to find two of the most beautiful kids ever to be born screaming their heads off and each shaking a pair of long and pendulous ears just like their mother's.
I know this story to be true because it was told to me on Christmas Eve, when the animals can talk.
By: Bell-Haven Kizzys Samkizla.
Queen of Bahr-None herd.
Why would she lie?