Good for the Goose

Every March, in the wake of the Talbot’s Peak St. Patrick’s Day celebration, the town picked up several hundred overnight guests, in the form of migrating goose shifters. In exchange for providing the air show, those geese who chose not to camp out at the pond were granted free overnight lodging, primarily at the Pleasure Club complex. Rooms at the Pleasure Club came with benefits, which the wing-weary ganders were more than happy to enjoy.

“Room’s ready,” Mark announced. “All we need is—”

“Blankets?” Robert said. “Dante says that’s taken care of.”

“That isn’t what I meant.”

Jeremy yawned. “I just want to sack out for a while.” He swept his gaze around the room they’d been given. Almost every inch of floor was covered with large, soft cushions which could be shoved together to form one huge bed or a series of smaller ones. Bowls of fresh grains and vases of rushes and cat-tails completed the decorations. Jeremy shrugged. “Beats the hell out of a swamp, I guess.”

“Anybody know where the ladies are bunking?” Chris asked. “That’s where I’m sleeping tonight.”

“I’m going out to watch the floor show,” Mark said. “Anyone want to come with?”

Someone knocked on the door. “Blankets,” Robert said. He opened the door. “I think we’re fine here—well well.”

Four lovely goose-girls stood in the hall, each toting a blanket and wearing a big, suggestive smile. Their faces sported identical eyes, cheeks and noses, proclaiming them sisters. “May we come in?” asked the girl in the lead.

Chris shouldered Robert aside and held the door open. “Please do.” He watched their pert tails parade past him with a grin widening into the leer zone. Robert shot him a dirty look before his eyes too were drawn to the girls’ hypnotically-swaying assets.

Mark shut the door. “I guess I don’t need to see the floor show.”

“I’m not as tired as I thought,” Jeremy agreed. “Evening, ladies. I don’t recall seeing you around these parts before.”

“We weren’t old enough before.” The girl speaking dimpled prettily. The action was mirrored by her sisters. “Dante wouldn’t let us in. That all changed in January.”

“Happy birthday,” Chris murmured thankfully.

Robert cleared his throat. “So. I’ll bet you’re sisters.”

“Quints,” the girl said. “I’m Gracie. This is Ginny, Georgia, and Gabrielle.”

Chris counted on his fingers. “That’s only four.”

“Our sister Gloria has a boyfriend. She elected not to come.”

“Too bad,” Chris said. “I’ll bet my brother Tom could charm her away from him. Ladies fall all over him. Where is he, anyway?”

“Last I saw,” Robert said, “he was trying to fall on the housekeeping staff. Quints,” he continued. “Let me guess. You do everything in a gaggle, right?”

“That’s right,” Georgia confirmed, returning his lewd wink. “Now that we’re old enough.”

“We like to flock, too,” Jeremy said, now totally wide awake. “Don’t we, boys?”

“Definitely skipping the floor show,” Mark put in.

# # #

Lights were dimmed, blankets spread, cushions piled together. The goose girls moved from cushion to cushion until pairs were decided upon. No ties, everyone agreed, only mutual fun. Good for the goose and the gander.

Robert found himself with Georgia, though his gaze kept drifting to Ginny. Jeremy obligingly brought her over. The four of them spoke in low tones, with tentative, exploratory caresses. Mark and Gracie had already progressed to deep kisses. While over in the farthest corner …

The first honk cracked on a cough. This was followed by an explosive set of bass gander honks, counterpointed by a goose’s alto warble, and finished in a honk duet. The tips of the reeds shook in their vases.

“For flock’s sake!” Robert exploded. “Chris!” While Georgia snapped out, “Gabby!”

“She do that a lot?” Jeremy asked.

Ginny made a face. “That’s one of the reasons we call her Gabby. Normally you can’t get a peep out of her. Normally.”

“I want a piece of that,” Gracie decided, and scuttled across the floor to join Chris and her sister.

“I get the winner,” Mark called after her.

“What if it’s Chris?” Jeremy said.

Mark shrugged. “Whatever. It’s been a long migration.”

# # #

Eventually the goose-shifters settled into pairs, once Chris finished with his threesome. Kisses, murmurs, giggles and partners were exchanged throughout the night. None of the geese realized it, but their positions on the floor formed a perfect V.

# # #

All throughout the Pleasure Club the supposedly-soundproofed hallways echoed with the sounds of the overnight guests finding rest, relaxation, a mate, or just a bit of fun before they resumed their long flight. A pair of wolves from the kitchen staff lugging a keg of cider to one of the rooms paused to listen and exchange superior snorts. “Honk if you like geese,” one snickered.

“Every year,” the other complained. “Same damn joke every year. Get some new material, why don’tcha.”