SSO Winter Prompts 2020

24. Yule Goat

Gathered in the house outside of Dundull was a group of friends: Connie, Justin, Rebecca, Scott, Tor, and Ydris, all together to create. Justin held a handful of damp straw, ready to begin.

"First, you have to decide how big you want it to be, I'm making a small one to start," Justin went through how to make a yule goat as Rebecca and Ydris watched carefully, trying to follow his instructions. The other three had some idea how to make ornaments with straw, though they were having different levels of success.

"When was the last time you did this?" Connie asked, trying to remember how to make an angel, though he kept having to undo his work.

"Had to make them when I was a kid in school," Tor recalled, deciding to make a six point star and smirking to himself, "didn't matter what we celebrated, we all had to make ornaments."

"Same. I mean, not since I was a little kid," Scott admitted, not going into detail and not remembering how to make anything complicated.

"And you make goats because?" Ydris asked as he finished his first goat.

"I have no idea," Justin admitted, catching a glance from Scott and handing him a goat-sized bundle of straw so he could start making one.

"Traditions don't always have clear origins," Rebecca added when Ydris looked dissatisfied with the answer. She took more ribbon, adding extra blue ribbons and bows to her first little goat.

"This is so much harder than I remember," Scott muttered, trying to braid the straw for the horns.

"It just takes practice," Justin reassured him, working on his second little yule goat. He paused for a moment, glancing at his side where he could have sworn he put his first goat. Must have fallen on the ground?

General conversation and good times continued. Rebecca made a second goat before trying her hand at other decorations. Tor finished his six point star, made a goat for himself, and then tried to make a menorah. Connie focused on stars and angels, decorating them with extra beads and ribbons to make them colorful. Justin helped Scott remember how to make goats before switching to ornaments. Ydris wanted to make impossible things, pouted when Rebecca insisted that he do things by hand, and settled on making larger and larger goats. There was a small sneeze.

"Bless you, Rebecca!"

"Bless you!" Connie and Rebecca said at the same time before looking at each other, puzzled.

"I didn't sneeze," Rebecca insisted, the others looking at her now.

"It was so tiny, I thought it was you!" Connie said, a bit embarrassed by his mistake and looking at the others to figure out who had done it. They glanced at each other, shaking their heads in confusion.

"Okay, I know I put one here," Justin grumbled as he looked around and noticed another goat was missing. He looked under the table to be sure he hadn't knocked it down by accident. Rebecca focused on Ydris.

"I didn't do anything, no magic!" he promised, hands up and gloves off.

"Justin," Rebecca began slowly, pinching the bridge of her nose,"where did you get the straw for us to do this?"

"Mrs. Holdsworth, why?" Justin tilted his head, not following.

"Oh dear," Rebecca sighed, getting up, "they're alive. C'mon, let's try to find... them..." She trailed off, all of them staring at the fluttering straw angel Connie made earlier as it flew up to Rebecca before flapping away with all the grace of a butterfly.

"Ah! What a wonderful tradition!" Ydris clapped in excitement, pausing as one of his goats hopped up in front of him before darting off the table. He exclaimed in delight, "I've created life!"