by, Morna Sullivan

GOBBLE, GOBBLE, GOBBLE.

Gloria munched on juicy, green grass.

MUNCH, MUNCH, GULP, GULP.

“It’s going to take forever to fill my tummy,” she groaned.

GUZZLE, GUZZLE, GUZZLE.

Gloria chewed big juicy leaves on the chestnut tree.

CHEW, CHEW, GOBBLE, GOBBLE.

“I’m still starving” she said. At the farmhouse door she gulped water from a red bowl.

SLURP, SLURP, SLURP.

She crunched something in a blue bowl that had ‘DOG’ written in black letters on it.

CRUNCH, CRUNCH, GUZZLE, GUZZLE.

“Mmmm. I like these,” she said.

Two big eyes stared at her from the kitchen window. “WOOF, WOOF, WOOF.”

Gloria ran into the garden, her legs shaking.

“I’m still hungry,” she said.

GOBBLE, GOBBLE, GOBBLE.

She pulled a green striped sock off the clothes line and chewed it.CHEW, CHEW, GULP, GULP. “Not bad,” she said.

Then she chewed a blue shirt, a red flowery dress and a yellow with black spotty skirt.

GUZZLE, GUZZLE, GUZZLE.

“Gloria!” What have you done to my washing?” shouted Mrs McTavish. Gloria jumped up in the air. Her leg caught the clothes pole and pulled it down.

CRASH! BANG! FLUMP!

The clothes line broke. The clothes landed on top of Gloria. When she got up she was wearing an orange T shirt, a pink skirt, a yellow vest, and a flowered hat.

She tried to run away but her leg caught around the rope from the clothes line.

“You’re coming with me!” shouted Mrs McTavish. She led Gloria away and tied her to a tree with a rope.

“Stay there, you silly goat. You’ll scare away the birds in my garden looking like that. And don’t even think about eating anything!”

Crows soon flew down to eat the strawberries.

“CAW, CAW, CAW.

Don’t you look a silly goat, greedy Gloria?” they laughed.

Gloria ran towards them.

GOBBLE, GOBBLE, GOBBLE!  

The crows flapped and flew away.

Blackbirds flew down to eat the raspberries.

“TWITTER, TWITTER, TWITTER!

Ha Ha Gloria! Where did you get that glamorous hat, you silly goat?” they laughed.

Gloria ran towards them. GOBBLE, GOBBLE, GOBBLE! The blackbirds flapped and flew away.

Magpies flew down to eat the blackcurrants.

“SQUAWK, SQUAWK, SQUAWK!

Who’s a silly goat Gloria?” they laughed.

Gloria ran towards them.

GOBBLE, GOBBLE, GOBBLE!

The magpies flapped and flew away.

Gloria yawned a big yawn. ‘I’ve had such a busy day,’ she said. Her tummy was full. Under the layers of clothes, she was warm. Her eyes felt heavy.

SNORE, SNORE, SNORE.

She soon dreamt of eating all her favourite things – grass, chocolate cake, bananas, cabbages, pillowcases and an old chewy shoe.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!

Something tickled Gloria’s nose. She woke up with a jump. She stretched and looked round.  A robin was sitting on her nose.

“Wakey, wakey gorgeous Gloria,” laughed the robin.

GOBBLE, GOBBLE, GOBBLE!

She bellowed. The robin flew away.

Gloria looked over at Mrs McTavish’s garden.

“Oh no! Mrs McTavish will be furious with me,” she groaned. All the strawberries had disappeared. There were no raspberries left on the bushes. The blackcurrants had been stripped bare.

Gloria saw Mrs McTavish marching towards her. Gloria’s knees started to shake. They felt like jelly.

TREMBLE, WOBBLE, WIGGLE.

Mrs McTavish marched closer and closer. A man wearing green pants ran behind her.

FLASH! SNAP!

“That’s the best entry to the scarecrow competition we’ve ever had. Congratulations!” said the man.

“Well done Gloria”, said Mrs McTavish. “You’ve worked really hard today scaring the birds from my strawberries, raspberries and blackcurrants. But you are a silly goat. Here’s a strawberry as a reward.”

Gloria gobbled the big shiny red strawberry in one gulp.

YUM, YUM, YUM!

“Look at this pie I’ve made with all the fruit. It’s bound to win first prize in the village show baking competition. Then we’ll have lots more visitors coming to Yew Tree Farm Bed and Breakfast,” said Mrs McTavish.

FLASH! SNAP! “Fantastic Gloria! You’ll be on the front page of the ‘County News’ tonight,” said the man in the green pants.

“Don’t you have enough photographs of Gloria now? I’m sure you could take some for the newspaper of my beautiful roses. Come this way,” said Mrs McTavish.

GOBBLE, GOBBLE, GOBBLE.  

“That tastes really good. It’s the best thing I’ve eaten all day,” said Gloria.

SLURP, SLURP, GOBBLE, GUZZLE.  

“These strawberries are so sweet. The raspberries are delicious. The blackcurrants are extra juicy.”

YUM, YUM, YUM.

Gloria licked the creamy, sticky, gooey mess from her lips.

“Now who’s a silly goat?”

The End

About the Author

Morna Sullivan is a writer from Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland. She’s always had a love of stories and has been reading and writing stories and poems since she could read and write.

She has won a number of writing competitions and has had several stories and poems published. She’s a member of Coney Island Writers Group and SCBWI, Belfast. She’s currently writing a children’s book about St David, due out later this year.
You can find out more about her writing via social media (Facebook, Blog, and Twitter).