Zlateh the Goat
This winter, for Reuven, it was a bad one, and after long hesitation he decided to sell Zlateh, the goat. She was old and gave little milk. Reuven told his boy Aaron to take the goat to the butcher in town.
Aaron understood what it meant, but he had to obey his father. Leah, his mother, wiped the tears from her eyes. Aaron put on thick clothes, and took along two slices of bread with cheese to eat on the road.
While the family said good-bye to the goat, Zlateh licked Reuven’s hand and she shook her small white beard. The sun was shining when Aaron left the village. Suddenly the weather changed. In his twelve years Aaron had never experienced a snow like this. His hands were numb, and he could no longer feel his toes.
Suddenly he found a haystack (干草堆) and dragged Zlateh after him. When he reached the hay, he made out a nest for himself and the goat. The moment she smelt the hay, she began to eat. Outside, the snow continued to fall. Aaron ate his two slices of bread and cheese. Then he milked her. The milk was rich and sweet.
The outside was still completely dark. He began to talk to Zlateh. “If the snow keeps on falling like this, we may have to stay here for days,” Aaron explained.
“Maaaa,” Zlateh bleated.
Aaron said patiently. “I need you and you need me. Isn’t that right?”
“Maaaa.”
For three days Aaron and Zlateh stayed in the haystack. Aaron had always loved Zlateh, but in these three days he loved her more and more. She fed him with her milk and helped him keep warm.
On the morning of the fourth day Aaron heard the ringing of sleigh (雪橇) bells. The peasant who drove the sleigh pointed out the way to him — not to the butcher, but home to the village. Aaron had decided in the haystack that he would never part with Zlateh.
注意：
1. 续写一段文字；
2. 词数应为100左右。
Aaron’s family and their neighbors had searched for the boy and the goat but had found no trace of them during the storm. Then came the fourth day.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
