Sheep-headed Man Outside the Window

Samuel spoke earnestly, but I didn't take it too seriously.

In our village, many households raise sheep. I've heard of animals becoming monsters, but never goats.

I shook my head and returned to the house.

At noon, Sophia's mother brought Faye back.

Faye is my daughter. She had been spending her winter vacation at her grandmother's house for a few days, allowing Sophia and me to enjoy some alone time.

A few days later, while Sophia was out to buy salt and I was cooking in the kitchen, Faye approached me hesitantly and said,

"Dad, I want to tell you something."

"What is it, Faye? Do you miss your grandma again?"

Faye whispered in my ear, "Dad, Mom has been acting weird lately. Whenever you leave the house, she takes the old goat from the pen into the room and locks the door."

My hand, holding the spatula, froze in place.

"Dad, did you hear me? Mom has been acting strange. I'm a bit scared," Faye glanced at the door and repeated herself.

"Well, your mom probably just wants to check on the skin of the old goat. It's quite valuable."

I turned off the stove, squatted down, and said to Faye, "Faye, don't think too much about it. Your mom won't kill the old goat."

She said, "I don't like that old goat anymore. Since I came back, I feel like it's always staring at Mom."

Just then, Sophia came back.

"Leo, I've bought the salt back. You can cook now!"

Faye slipped away the moment Sophia came back.

I took the salt and looked at Sophia.

She looked healthier than the past few days, with a rosy complexion and delicate skin.

During the meal, I probed. "I think that goat is old enough. Let's kill it."

Sophia immediately put down her fork. "No. I said a few days ago. The older the goat, the more valuable it is. It would be a pity to kill it now. Let's wait a bit longer."

Seeing Sophia's firm attitude, I didn't say anything more.

After the meal, she carried the dishes towards the kitchen.

I didn't look at her but stared in the direction of the goat pen.

Seeing Sophia pass by, the old goat raised its head, its head slowly following her movement until she entered the kitchen, and then it slowly lay down.

I realized that the old goat was indeed not normal.

The following day, when I went out to work at the factory, I deliberately left my bag at home.

Sophia was very attentive. As soon as I got to the yard, she brought out my bag.

"Oh, Leo, you left your bag at home."

I replied, "Oh, my memory is getting worse."

I took the bag and glanced at the goat pen. The old goat stood up again, staring at Sophia with a flickering gaze.

Thinking about what Samuel had said before and considering the strange behavior of the old goat now, I felt even more uneasy.

I didn't go to work but turned around and went back home.

I crawled into the yard secretly and hid behind the thatch pile.

Around 10:00 a.m., Sophia came out of the house, looked around, and then went straight to the front door and locked it.

Usually, our front door is never locked during the day, which is customary in our village.

After securing the door, Sophia walked to the goat pen, unlocked it, and whispered, "Old fellow, have you been waiting long?"

The old goat immediately stood up and walked right up to Sophia, nuzzling her stomach area.

It followed Sophia out of the pen while the other goats stayed put, eating their fodder quietly.

Once Sophia secured the pen again, the old goat followed her into the house.

Soon after, I heard rustling noises from inside the house.

I heard a man's voice from within, "How are you feeling, Sophia?"

I wanted to rush in and see what was going on, but the thought of the old goat speaking made me shiver.