The Luminous Goat
Long ago on a small island off the rocky coast of a faraway country, lived a lighthouse keeper named Lou Minos. He had been trained as an apprentice in his native country of Greece and this was his first assignment on his own. Lou lived alone on the island except for a small goat he had rescued from the icy waters of the sea. Lou built a cozy lean-to against the lighthouse for the goat but during the day he would let the goat wander the small island and forage for his food. Lou sang songs for the goat and told him tales of his homeland. Each night Lou would light his lantern and and he and the goat would climb the long stairway to the top of the lighthouse to light the big lamp for the passing ships. They would stand at the railing and look out at the sea and Lou would scratch behind the goat’s ears, which made the goat sleepy and relaxed. Then they would go down the long stairway and Lou would put fresh straw down in the goat’s little shed. Only then would Lou would have his own supper and then go to bed.
Lou and his goat lived for many years on the island, watching for ships in distress and making sure the big lamp was lit every night.
In the nearby village on the shore, all the villagers knew Lou and knew of Lou’s goat. Once a week Lou would row his wooden boat to the village for provisions for him and fresh hay for the goat. He would catch up on village news and have a cup of strong coffee with the men of the village before heading back to the island.
Early one blustery winter afternoon, Lou decided to head to the village before the storm hit. He rowed hard against the waves and arrived at the village café, wet and cold. He drank his cup of coffee quickly and then hurried to the general store to pick up his weekly supplies. By the time he was ready to head back to the island, the wind had picked up and the waves were too high for Lou to row his small boat. Lou could see that the wind had blown out the big lamp atop the lighthouse. He was wild with worry about the passing ships because he knew that without the light from the lamp, a ship could become lost and drift toward the rocky shoreline and crash in the high waves. Lives depended on him but the villagers would not let Lou not risk the icy waters of the raging sea.
Suddenly someone cried out, “A light, a light!” Another voice said, “It’s Lou Minos’s goat” The villagers crowded the shore and watched though spyglasses as the small goat climbed the lighthouse stairs carrying Lou’s lantern. The goat stood at the railing with the lantern held in his mouth all through the night until the storm subsided in the gray light of morning. As the seas calmed, Lou ran to his boat and rowed back to the island. The small brave goat was still standing, frozen to death, still with the glowing lantern held tightly in his mouth. Only one life was lost that stormy night, Lou Minos’s goat. As the story was told again and again, he became known to all as the Luminous Goat.
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