Day 2 of National Novel Writing Month! Let’s see what happens with Scraps and the dreaded Goose King.

Day 2, Story 1: The Boy Who Conquered Goose Island

Scraps’ little fists shook as he glared at me. “No. It’s not the same. I’m gonna get that stupid Gaggle!” And off he stomped, right through a ball game and into the school. He spoke not a word the rest of the day as he tore apart his number crunchers and dust bunny hunters and pea soup freezers. In fact, the only creation he did not destroy was one decoy duck walker, the only one that quacked. He kept staring at its insides, comparing pieces, tossing pieces, adding new things. He grabbed string, rulers, scissors, pencils, and lots of metal bits from all over the classroom, dumped them on his table, and proceeded to push the entire table out the classroom door. “Where are the holiday flags?” He hollered at the lot of us all staring through the windows.

What can I say? We wanted to know what he was doing, so I sent some students to the storage cupboard for all the flags while I sent another group to sing the Ballad of Pip Whistletooth to the Headmaster in preparation for the Founder’s Festival next month. By the time we came out with our arms full of flags, Scraps was tying roads and hammering pegs and who knows what else in bizarre angles all over the school yard.

“Will these do?” I asked as his classmates held up the rolls.

Scraps grinned. “They’re perfect!” His inner magic was practically glowing out of his fingers and curls as he flew about his contraption, tying and measuring and hammering. Then he ran out behind the kitchens and returned with a cart of crates and broken engine parts. Only when he asked for the school’s old Volumizer did I fully comprehend the boy’s goal.

You see it yourself, down there on Goose Island.

By midday the Headmaster had heard enough of Pip Whistletooth and the Hags of Shadowkeep, and out he waddled to see what we’d been up to. The man was so shocked, he dropped his peach juice.

There, towering at least ten feet into the air, was a Scrap Goose. Rods and sticks and broken breams, string and nails and old tin plates created a rough skeletal frame covered with every holiday flag for the school and Pips Row Square. Upon the feet and along the beak of old boxes were lines of metal chips sharp enough for…well, they looked sharp enough for anything. Behind the half-shaped head of Veg crates was a little seat, and on that little seat sat Scraps. He waved, then disappeared behind the head. A hum and a whir, and the lower jaw of the beak dropped. There was the Volumizer.

“HOOOOOONK!”

More whirs and conks and little clouds of steam, and the legs, tall as me but as reedy as Scraps, shuddered and and shifted.

“I WILL GET YOU, GOOSE KING!”

How Scraps drove that monstrosity, I’ll never know. His inner magic is all I can reason—all the Headmaster could reason, too. No artisan had ever constructed such a machine in such a time in such a way, never in all of Pips Row history (and trust me when I saw I know a bit of history, having met old Pip myself). All we could do was follow that concoction of garbage, knots and holiday cheer along with all the other kids who whooped and shouted with glee. When we reached this spot—yes, this very spot!—a Gaggle flew out in formation, ready to rob us for all we’re worth.

“HOOOOOONK!” Scraps gave the highest, shriekiest honk to ever honk, sending the Gaggle into balled mess of feathers into that tree. That is how it got knocked up. Nothing to do with the goblins on ash boroughs, at least this time.

On Scraps marched to the bottom of the hill, right up to the river bank.

We dared to follow. We dared to see the Goose King.

Here, I must show you. See here, the marks of their battle on the shoreline! Oh, that Goose King was a nasty creature. He was four foot tall with wings that could even encompass the headmaster, and there’s no doubt in my mind that beak of us could pull off a child’s face. His eyes were red through and through, and his feathers bore streaks green and black. He darted his head which way and that and launched from the island, hissing like an angry troll. But Scraps aimed the Volumizer at him and honked his shrill honk, sending the Goose King hurtling to the shore. The school children cowered behind the Headmaster and myself as we gathered acorns for the duel.

But Scraps was ready. “You took my sugar bread!” he cried. “You’re mean!” And he extended the mock-goose’s wings. Holidays blocked out the sun and cast such a frightening shadow over the Goose King I thought a dragon was sizing us up.

The Goose King hissed to his guards, but the lot of them remained huddled on the island shore with all those poor captured goslings.

“You’re so mean the other geese don’t like you!” Scraps stomped the monstrosity closer to the Goose King. “Go away or else!”

But the Goose King was crafty—oh, he was crafty! He stopped hissing and started slowly backing towards the shore. The children cheered, and Scraps lifted his hands in victory.

“Wait, Scraps!” I yelled. But too late—the Goose King feinted and dove right for Scraps’ giant goose legs! The broken garbage broke again, and the legs buckled.

But the outstretched wings of holiday banners caught the wind, and Scraps’ goose was lifted up. He was flying offshore—and towards Goose Island!

The Goose King laughed as only a goose can laugh, and launched himself yet again towards Scraps to collapse the monstrosity’s body.

But the wind was on Scraps’ side that day, and tickled the flags of the giant belly to make Scraps on that goose neck tip down and forward—and the giant beak of metal teeth caught the Goose King in the process, sending both crashing into Goose Island’s shore. Leaves, pebbles, feathers, bones—all was everywhere and anywhere. But no little boy.

“Scraps!” the children called out while the Headmaster and I used the acorns in a Working to build a bridge between the shores. The guards kept their distance as I ran across the bridge, its roots wavering over the river with little promise for holding me as I called Scraps’ name. He was not answering, and I just…oh, those moments were the worst in my life. “Scraps!”

At last, I got on shore, where a few goslings peeped at me to follow them. Past a few shrubs stood a giant, hollow tree, and there Scraps stood, back to me, shoulders drooped. All the sugar-bread in there was molding and splattered with dung. No surprise to an adult, but to a child…

“They wrecked Papa’s good shopping sack and pooped on my sugar-bread.” Little tears splashed onto the leaves about his feet.

One of the goslings at my feet ran into the hovel, plucked a clean bread off, and brought it to Scraps’ feet.

Scraps shook his head. “Thanks anyway. You can have it.” And he turned to me. “I know, I know. I’ll clean up.”

But the gosling shook its head. Many more goslings were beneath Scraps’ giant goose by now, staring up in admiration. The guards even preened the leaves off its banner feathers.

That is why you see it still, wings outstretched to protect the innocent of Goose Island. I can still see a bit of the Founder’s Day orange under all the mud from the last storm, but those banners, that scrap…it has a whole new life over there. The mottled mess that was the metal beak and Goose King have long since been dismantled by the Gaggle, who would rather steal sugar-bread for themselves, if they can get away with it. But is the Goose King really dead, or did he escape down Chresto’s Tears? Well, that we may never know.

As a reward for Services to Pips Row, Scraps was given a Medal of Creativity and a lifetime supply of sugar-bread. At long last, Pips Row saw what I could see, what the children could see: that every Scrap, no matter how small or inconsequential, had potential beyond imagination.

Tomorrow we’ll see who else resides on the streets of Pips Row. A starkeeper, perhaps? A witch? A troll? Or perhaps something else entirely…

Read on, share on, and write on, my friends!