One night, I was being intimate with my wife, Sophia, in bed when we heard a noise by the window.

I drew aside the curtains to find a goat's head staring at us.

It stood upright like a human, its hooves resting on the windowsill, its eyes fixed on Sophia.

I sensed something was wrong and grabbed a knife to kill it, but Sophia said, "Don't kill it!"

——

That night, Sophia was unusually excited.

As we were entwined, I felt a chill on my back, as if someone was watching us.

Beer bottles by the window clinked together.

I froze, straining to listen.

Sophia wiped the sweat from her forehead and pouted, asking, "What's wrong?"

I asked, "Did you hear the sound?"

"What sound?" she said, wrapping her arms around my waist.

"I feel like someone's watching us," I said, turning towards the window.

I hadn't closed the curtains completely, leaving a small gap. Through it, I thought I saw a figure.

My mood vanished, and I put on my clothes and walked towards the window.

Sophia also sensed something was amiss and quickly grabbed the blanket to cover herself.

I tiptoed to the window and suddenly pulled back the curtains.

The goat's head appeared again, causing me to step back in fear, nearly falling to the ground.

Its hooves were on the windowsill, and its eyes were still fixed on Sophia, filled with a longing that should have belonged to a human, yet there was clearly a goat outside the window.

"Damn it, a goat ruined my night," I muttered, heading to the kitchen to grab a kitchen knife and went outside.

"What's outside the window?" Sophia asked.

"I think it's just our old goat that got out," I replied.

She let out a sigh of relief. "It's just a goat, right? It should be fine."

"I feel something's off. There's something wrong with its eyes."

"How could there be anything wrong with a goat? It understand nothing." Sophia was getting dressed in bed.

Reaching the door, I found the goat over the window had disappeared.

I walked out of the room to check the goat pen, where we kept several goats, including the old one that had been with us for ten years.

I found a flashlight, turned it on, and checked each goat in the pen.

They were all there, including the old one and the gate was locked.

The old goat, being the oldest in the pen, wouldn't have been able to jump over the 5.5-feet-high fence.

As I was about to open the gate with Sophia, she came out of the house and said, "Leo, we can't kill the old goat; the kids would be heartbroken."

I didn't respond and continued to shine the flashlight at the old goat, which was lying down, its head almost bald.

It looked dejected under the flashlight's beam.

Upon sensing the light, it slowly opened its eyes, glanced at me, then closed them again and went back to sleep.

This old goat was clearly different from the one I had seen at the window.

Sophia came over, draped a coat over me, and said, "Let's go back inside. It's just an old goat. It's fine."

I nodded and turned to head back inside, but I felt like someone was staring at me again.

I quickly turned my head and shone the flashlight at the old goat, which remained motionless, still asleep.

Back in the room, I sat on the bed and lit a cigarette.

"I still think there's something wrong with that old goat. Maybe we should kill it. We could sell its skin and meat," I suggested to Sophia.

"Let's wait," she said. "They say the older the goat, the more valuable its skin. I heard that someone in the neighboring village killed a 14-year-old goat and sold the skin for a good price. It was bought by a luxury goods store."

My eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Yes," she said, taking off her coat and preparing for bed. "Samuel told me that the person made over ten thousand dollars."

"That's not bad at all. Then let's keep the old goat," I agreed.

The next day, Samuel came to our house uninvited.

"Leo, Leo!" he called out as soon as I got up, hearing him in the yard.

"Hold on, Samuel. I'm coming," I said, putting on my clothes and yawning as I walked outside.

"What's up, Samuel? Is there something urgent that you're here so early?"

Samuel pulled me to the door and whispered, "Leo, did something strange happen in your house last night?"

"Nothing that I know of," I replied, still groggy from sleep.

"No, last night my divination compass indicated that there was an evil presence in your home. Think carefully about it."

Samuel was a well-known diviner in the nearby villages, and many people believed his divinations were accurate.

His expression was serious, not like he was joking.

I scratched the back of my head and recounted the incident with the old goat peeking at us the previous night.

Samuel's eyes rolled as he asked, "How long have you raised that old goat?"

"It's been about ten years," I replied.

"Show me," he said, grabbing my hand and leading me to the goat pen.

The old goat was eating its fodder leisurely.

Samuel stared intently at the old goat. "You said that goat stood upright and was peeking at your window yesterday?"

I nodded.

"There's an old legend in our village that says a goat that walks upright must not be kept. And the older the goat, the more likely it is to become an evil spirit," Samuel said, stroking his beard and frowning.

"Really? But didn't you say the skin of an old goat is very valuable?" I asked.

"Even if the skin of an old goat is valuable, it's not as valuable as human life. I suggest you either kill it or sell it as soon as possible," Samuel sighed.

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.