The Goat in the Parlour

In a small countryside cottage, a young wife follows her husband’s hurried instructions exactly as they were spoken, and by evening the milk is on the floor, the goat is in the parlour, and the wheelbarrow is asleep in the marigolds. Coming home to the gentle wreckage, the husband discovers that his words were only the smallest corner of what he meant, and the two of them learn to speak the whole picture to one another before the candle goes out.