An old farm couple in a land without color lived alone. They wanted to have children. All they had was a crop and a few farm animals. One night, the moon shone green, and during the midnight hour something emerged amidst the livestock. The couple heard the noise and the sound of the panicking cattle and followed it. There they found a baby who could only “moo”. They took it upon themselves to raise the otherwise mute, green child. However, over time the couple grew to resent his oddities and imperfections and did not treat him well. In spite of this, the boy grew to be pleasant and well behaved by nature. The only exception were nights of the new moon, when no moonlight shined in the sky. During the midnight hour he would become the “Raging Bull”, a monstrous red-fleshed creature who was full of rage and would destroy anything and everything in his path without justification. This condition worsened as he got older. The couple would have to lock him away in the cellar until the spell was over. Eventually, the Raging Bull’s reckless behavior had destroyed most of the couple’s home and their livestock. The two decided to send the Green Calf on a journey to find out who he was, where he came from, and mainly, how to stop his transformation into the Raging Bull.

And so, The Green Calf sets off on his quest along with his back pack, some food, some money, a picture of his parents, and his handy dandy notebook (used for communication), off to go about finding clues and meeting new people.

1^st the Green Calf meets the Hero. He’s dedicated to saving lives, unfortunately not every life can be saved. During the time they spend together, the boy witnesses this fact and learns more about life and death. The Hero gives him a parting gift that he thinks will help the Calf, some advice and his log that he’s kept on his numerous adventures. It was full of good life lessons, as well as morals and such.

2^nd the Green Calf meets the Scholar, who’s located in a huge library that the boy takes shelter in to escape a harsh storm. The scholar is researching astronomy and astrology. This is where the boy learns that the answer lies within the moon itself. The scholar gives him a special spyglass so he can get a closer look at the stars, or a closer look at things in general.

3^rd the Green Calf meets the Wanderer. This man has no home and no family, but he knows how to get around and knows a lot about the world. Learning from his actions helps the Calf become less defenseless while out on his own. The Wanderer leaves the Calf with a special map, which would lead him to the place he needed to be if he chose the right path initially.

4^th the Green Calf meets the Sailor, for his map had lead him to the ocean. In order to get aboard the ship, he has to stow away. He is caught by a bunch of cruel seamen, but is pardoned by the captain. The captain takes pity on him, for he is just a small boy, and so he is treated well. The Calf spends a lot of time on deck looking out at the sea, which he’d never seen before. Also, the captain has some nautical books and photos of sea life that he shares with the boy. When the ship reaches the shore, the captain gives him a piece of treasure from something he and his crew had collected over the years. Its value was supposedly so enormous it would allow the boy to buy anything he needed. The Calf makes sure not to spend it on anything unless it’s really important.

5^th the Green Calf enters the land of colors where he has more of a sense of belonging, though this place is more frightening and dangerous for a small boy. The map leads him towards the center of the land where the highest mountain in the world is. He learned that from the very top he would be high enough to speak with the Moon. He seeks out a Pilot who can fly him to the top. It isn’t easy, but he finds someone who agrees to take him, and he offers to pay her with the item he‘d gotten from the Sailor. She takes him up in her hot-air balloon where he sees the world from a whole new perspective. The Pilot says that when he wants to leave the mountain, he can contact her, so she gives him her trusty flare.

The last important individual the Green Calf meets is the Moon. The boy waits on top of the mountain until he falls asleep, and he wakes up at midnight. The Moon seemed close enough to reach from where he was. Since his only way of communicating was via mooing noises, that’s what he did, as loud as he could, and he gets the Moon’s attention. He didn’t know how to communicate his thoughts without using his tiny pad and paper, but he didn’t have to. The Moon explains what he needs to know. He was a “gift child”, not born by normal means, but as a gift for the farmer and his wife, and that he therefore would never be quite normal. If the parents accepted the gift as it was, then they would live contently. If the parents were ungrateful, there would be consequences. The Green Calf represented the good side of the child while the less frequently occurring Raging Bull was the bad side manifested into its own form. The boy had not realized that his parents did not treat him well nor that they secretly resented him because of his origin, and the fact that he was green in their black and white world. The key was acceptance. If the couple could truly appreciate the Green Calf for what he was, then the Raging Bull would subside.

The boy uses the flare, and sure enough, the Pilot returns for him and returns him to his farm home, allowing him to keep his treasure. The Green Calf communicates to his parents what he was told by the Moon. The couple feels somewhat guilty, somewhat exposed, and somewhat worried. For some strange reason there is a new moon that night instead of the full moon which is expected. The couple is not prepared and cannot get the boy to the cellar in time. Their lives are now in danger as the Green Calf becomes the Raging Bull once more. With not much other choice, or so they believe, the farmer pulls out his shot gun and shoots the Raging Bull seven times directly in the heart. With each shot, the boy remembers someone or something important: his parents, the Hero, the Scholar, the Wanderer, the Sailor, the Pilot, and the Moon. The boy reverts back to his normal self. As he lays on the floor dying he speaks his first words, “mother” and “father” as he reaches towards them both. And there ends the life of the Green Calf.