GRIFON BOOKS
GRIFON BOOKS publishing house EST. 2014
a timeless existential tale for children with no heavy restrictions on age, race or religion by wolf erlbruch illustrations by dahlia atabani
GOOSE, DEATH AND THE TULIP
MOSCOW 2014 STATE UNIVERSITY OF PRINTING ARTS ILLUSTRATION&BOOK DESIGN FACULTY STUDENT PROJECT / SEMESTER 5
THIS BOOK HAS BEEN MADE AT A TIME OF TROUBLE, BUT IT BROUGHT FINAL
PEACE
DEDICATED TO THOSE WITH SORE SOUL AND
BRO
KEN HEART—THIS TOO SHALL PASS
THIS IS HIM, WHO SCARES EVERY LIVING SOUL ON EARTH. BUT AS A MATTER OF FACT HE IS NOT AS FIERCE AS MANY PICTURE HIM TO BE ...
DEATH
FOR A WHILE NOW, GOOSE HAD HAD A FEELING.
THIS IS HER, TENDER AND KIND, SHE HAS THE MOST SOFT FEATHERS A GOOSE CAN DREAM OF HAVING. IN HER SPARE TIME GOOSE ENJOYS SWIMMING AND CLIMBING TREES.
GOOSE
WHO
ARE
YOU
WHAT
ARE
CREEPING DOING YOU
ME ALONG
BEHIND
?
!
F
O
X
,
F
O
R
E
OF E R CA S E AK T FE ‘LI
AN
D
AL
L
A
NA
ST
X
A
M
IN
GS
TH
AN AC
AT
CI DE
HA PP
NT
EN
—
TO
K
.’
TH
;
SE
MA
E
ER
LD
CA
OIN
L
OT H
CO
EY
P
E
DS L CO D N SA H G OU C HE TA : T TH
TH
Y
‘I N
‘AR G OU O GT
YO U
SO
O ES ME YO U GE
VE
ET
NE
M
NG THI H ES
P AP
R
H
E.
EN ?’
KN
G
OW
IN
.’
H AP
BE
OS
TO
E
S
’V
N
H, I
PE
‘O
GO AR ED
YO
EO
U.
CAS
FW
?’ A
SKE
DD
O
UC
L
WH
AL
ND
BY
F, A
HAT
E
ST IF
CL OS
SC
‘I N
EN
EW AS
UL DB
K.
YO U
CO
R
L
E
R?
—
HE
OM E
FE
M
LI
A
EC
‘ YO U’ V
JU
SE
E? ’
CA
HM
IN
ETC
ST
TO F
.’
IT
E V GA
H
ER
GO
GO
E S O
OS
ET
BU
RIE
M
DN
OT
TO
. S P
TH
INK
AB
OU TT HA T.
Actually
he
was
nice,
if
you
forgot
a for
quite
nice.
really
he was — moment, who
Shall
we go down to the pond ? ’ she asked. DEATH had been d r e a d i n g that. B efore l o n g , D E A T H decided he had his l i m i t s . ‘ FORGI V E ME ,’ ‘I r e a l l y must get away from this DAM P . ’
he said
Are y ou co
se asked.
‘Shall I
war m
you
a
lit t
le
e
cold
se ?’ Goo
ke
d.
‘S
h
al
lI war m
y ou
a little ?’
’ ?
Ar
you
as
ld ?’ Go o
Are
old you c
ea ?’ Goos sked. ‘Shall I warm y ou a lit t le
?’
as
d.
ke
‘S
Iw hall
arm
y
li ou a
t tle?
’
o
se
Go
A re y
ou
co
ld
’
?
Are
yo u
co l d ?’ G oo ‘S se a s k e d.
ha ll
re
d t o
do
t
m
o t f r
De
I w ar
e
ody had ever offe
you
Goos
h.
e asked. ‘Shall
at
e Ar
y
co ou
’ ld?
a
lit
tle?
’
u
a
tl lit
Nob ?’
rm
ha
yo
I
wa
‘
Goose woke first, very early in the morning.
She thought to herself.
‘I’m not dead!’
‘And if I’ d died?.. ’
She poked Death in the ribs. She quacked utterly delighted.
Death said stretching.
‘I’m pleased for you,’
Death yawned.
‘Then I wouldn’t have been able to sleep in,’
‘I’m not dead.’
a
you
bec
clou
ome
d, an a
look
ngle
ing eart h
.’
That wasn’t a nice thing to say, thought Goose.
ove
r th
e
and
sit o
n
‘Some geese say
Death rose to his feet.
‘Some geese say, that deep in the earth there’s a place where you’ll be roasted, if you haven’t been good.’ Goose snapped.
Death looked at her.
‘You geese come up with some
‘Quite possible,’ ‘ Yo u h a v e t h e w i n g s a l r e a d y .’
amaaaaaaaaaaaazing stories, but who knows.’
For a while she refused to speak, but soon she was chattering again.
‘SO YOU DON’T KNOW EITHER,’
‘W hat
‘Shall
asked.
.
?’ he asked.
relieved
something r e a l l y exciting.’ death was
n o t go back to the po nd.
? ’ DEATH
we c l i m b a t r ee
Let’s do
‘Well lets’
shall we do today
W. AR BELO E POND F H NELY T O L E E O S ULD — AND S L L I THEY CO T S L A Y, S O THERE IT
‘Th de at’s tho ad th what yo ugh e p it dea u sur t. ‘Th ond w will b tho d,’ D e?’ G e po ill b e lik ugh ea oos nd e g e w ts i th fi e w alon one hen n tr nis as e, too I’m ees hed asto with — d .’ the nish out at l ead, sen ed. me. eas ’ — ten ‘As ’ De t fo Goo ce. su ath r yo se He re a co u.’ tho was s su uld ‘Are ugh n’t re c som you t. ‘T coy an eti su he abo be,’ mes re?’ pon ut t Dea rea Go d a he th d m ose lone sub sai ind wa , w jec d. ‘T s. ‘ s a itho t. ‘L ha Wh sto ut ets t’s a en y nish me clim com ou’ ed. .’ De b d for re de ‘Tha ath own t. I ad t’s cou ,’ G won the wha ld s oos ’t h po t it om e p ave nd w wi etim lea to ill ll b es ded mo be e li re aft urn gon ke w ad m er a ove e t he in bit. r it, oo — n I’m ds. ‘ ‘Yo whe at l de Whe u c n… eas ad, n y an ’ t fo ’ — ou sta ‘… r y Go ’re r t h wh ou. ose avi en ’ ‘Ar ng you e stra ’re nge
‘Th dea at’s th d t wha you ought he po t it w de su . ‘T nd ill tho ad,’ D re?’ G he po will b be lik ugh ea oos nd e g e w ts i th fi e w alon one hen n tr nis as e, too I’m ees hed asto with — d .’ the nish out at l ead, sen ed. me. eas ’ — ten ‘As ’ De t fo Goo ce. su ath r yo se He re a co u.’ tho was s su uld ‘Are ugh n’t re c som you t. ‘T coy an eti su he abo be,’ mes re?’ pon ut t Dea rea Go d a he th d m ose lone sub sai ind wa , w jec d. ‘T s. ‘ s a itho t. ‘L ha Wh sto ut ets t’s a en y nish me clim com ou’ ed. .’ De b d for re de ‘Tha ath own t. I ad t’s cou ,’ G won the wha ld s oos ’t h po t it om e p ave nd w wi etim lea to ill ll b es ded mo be e li re aft urn gon ke w ad m er a ove e t he in bit. r it, oo — n I’m ds. ‘ ‘Yo whe at l de Whe u c n… eas ad, n y an ’ t fo ’ — ou sta ‘… r y Go ’re r t h wh ou. ose avi en ’ ‘Ar ng you e stra ’re nge
wh e n
a
wi n d ru f f l e d he r
fe a t h
e
r
f e l t
ti m e . ‘i ’ m
s a i d
co l d , ’ on e
ev e n i
‘
wa r m
co o l
s
,
go o s e
fo r
n
it s
ch i l l
th e
g
fi r s t
sh e
. wi l l
y o u
me
a
li t t l
e
?
’
*
SNOWFLAKES DRIFTED DOWN. SOMETHIN DEATH LOOKED AT THE GOOSE . SHE’D STO
NG HAD HAPPENED. OPPED BREATHING. SHE L AY QUITE STILL .
He
er h laid
he t n o y l eg nt
ra e t wa
dg u n nd
e h n o r ed he
e he m i t g n o l a or F . y a rw
r. e h d e watch
s n e Wh
s o t st o l as w he
h , t igh
e
os m l a s a w
d. e v o em l t t i l ta
hou
‘But
,’ t e f i l s that’
h.
at e D t gh
∞ m o s c o w, 2 0 14 studen project
goose, death and the tulip
author: W O L F E R L B R U C H curator and editor: E U G E N P O D K O L Z I N
illustrations / book design: D A H L I A A T A B A N I
LBC: 0 0 . 0 / UDC: 0 0 / 0 0 / ISBN: 0 0 0 - 0 - 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 0 0 - 0 typface: N E W S G O T H I C / format: 18 5 X 2 9 5 / edition: F I R S T publishing hpuse: G R I F O N B O O K S ( E A R L I E R — W H I T E W H A L E B O O K S ) signed to be printed: 18 . 1 2 . 2 0 14