Spring has certainly sprung here in Southern Va. Flowers are blooming, and life is everywhere. I walked down to the lake the other day, and who did I see but Sir Griswold and Manfreedy. Sir Griswold is the goose standing there looking so suave and sophisticated. Manfreedy is, well, his man. I know; in this day and age, you’d think we’d be beyond things like having manservants. What can I say? Old customs die hard in the world of waterfowl.

You see, Sir Griswold comes from a very important family. In fact, they are the supreme lords over all the local lakes. The Griswolds dictate what lake a goose clan can swim in, who is high enough up on the social chain to eat the wild berries, and who gets the best nesting areas, among other things.
It all started with Sir Griswold’s great uncle twice removed on his father’s side, Sir Gunter Griswold. We won’t talk about what may or may not have happened to the previous ruling family. I certainly wouldn’t want to cast doubt on the, shall we say, legitimacy of the moral principles used by the Griswold clan. These things are often better left unsaid. Takeovers are rarely ever agreeable, after all.

The current Sir Griswold that you see here isn’t nearly as contentious as his great uncle Gunter. Oh, sure, he can ruffle his feathers and squawk indignantly when he needs to. But the truth is he’s much more interested in soirées and beautiful geese than in any type of fighting. However, what really interests him (and you didn’t hear this from me) are his own looks. To him, the best part of lake life is seeing his reflection in the water whenever he feels like admiring his long sleek neck or the shine of his feathers.

And what of Manfreedy? To be sure, waiting on someone like Sir Griswold requires one to have a significant amount of patience. Whatever strange thing Sir Griswold demands, Manfreedy maintains a most exceptional level of decency and propriety. For example, he never wrinkles his beak when Sir Griswold asks for his weekly face mask, even though he has to scoop the mud from the bottom of the lake. And when Sir Griswold makes him rub his feet and sing him a lullaby at bedtime, Manfreedy takes it as seriously as if he were in the middle of diplomatic negations.

However, don’t feel too sorry for Manfreedy. You see, he gets to go to all the state affairs and hobnobs with the best of Goose society. In fact, many geese believe that it’s Manfreedy who really keeps things running on the lakes. The good goose that he is, Manfreedy never tries to take credit. Recently he has caught the eye of one Duke Wallborn and, more interestingly, of his daughter, Imelda. With the Duke on his side, Manfreedy could quickly become supreme lord of the lakes. But really, why would he want to do that when he has so much fun giving Sir Griswold those weekly face masks and rubbing his feet?
Why indeed.