A mostly true story about the amazing friendship between, Lucy, a wild goose and and Max, a ‘ferocious’ guard dog in Taghkanic, New York. Could this be the modern-day version of “Jonathan Livingston Seagull? The true, and incredible part of the story is the relationship that author Dan Udell observed over a two year period between Lucy and Max. To explain why Lucy stayed with Max over sizzling summers and frigid winters -- bucking the ancient and deep seated attachment to the flock and the urge to fly south in the fall, Udell creates a narrative from Lucy's point of view.
Lucy has injured her left wing, and can no longer soar in the skies with the flock. She watches them on their daily trips between Bell's Pond and Skoda's corn field. Upset and confused, she begins walking -- something that geese don't usually do for any stretch of time. Walking down the hill on Cross Street, she finds a little pond, and with it a resident, ferocious guard dog. At first, she was terrified by the dog's barking and attempts to free himself from his heavy iron chain. But eventually, a detente was reached. The relationship deepened when, one night, Lucy was threatened by an approaching fox. Fortunately, the fox was Max's enemy because he had stolen Max's food on a number of occasions. His barking and lunging scared the fox away.
Eventually, Max's owner notices Lucy's presence and puts out a separate dish for her. At this point Luch and Max are siting side by side. Their relationship deepens. Max had been a very lonely dog, who was chained to his doghouse and never let inside his owners trailer. And of course, Lucy no longer had the protection of her flock. She was alone and very vulnerable. Max became, not only a friend, but a protector and guardian.
Lucy's injured wing had begun to heal itself, and Lucy began small flying trials from their little pond. The flights became longer and longer, until she found herself, once again, at Skoda's cornfield. And she saw the flock. It stirred very powerful feelings within her. She had an overwhelming desire to fly with them again, and she did participate in the daily flights from Bell's Pond to Scoda's cornfield.
Autumn was approaching, once again. The final flight was in preparation, and Lucy found herself flying high in the skies, way above Ma'x doghouse. But the big question was Would she leave Max and fly tot he Virginia's? That answer can't be revealed in this summary.
I just published the book in EPUB form on Kindle. Here's the link:
