Schiller: The Monk's Goat

By Nathanael Smith

Told from the perspective of an 11-year-old boy, Schiller is the story of two families that leave the city and settle in the countryside near a monastery, in search of a more wholesome life, full of prayer and surrounded by the beauty of nature. Jimmy loves the new life, and volunteers as a helper for Father Alexis, the monastery's goat keeper. But his friend Vinny rebels and hankers to return to the city, and to being a cool kid in school.Schiller the goat, imported from Switzerland to improve the genetics of the monastery's herd, proves difficult for Father Alexis and Jimmy to handle. His escapades disrupt the monastery's affairs and get first Father Alexis, then Jimmy and Vinny, in trouble. Yet he serendipitously leads the boys on a beautiful adventure that fulfills the dearest longings of Jimmy's heart, and opens Vinny's eyes to the ways of God.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Nathanael Smith
• Release date: Apr 27, 2023
• ISBN: 9781791774769

Nathanael Smith

Nathan Smith is an Orthodox Christian, who loves to write, and who lives with his wife and three children (at the time of writing) in beautiful central Maine. He is the author of songs, poems and stories. He hopes his writings will glorify God, edify Christians, and open the eyes of unbelievers to God’s redeeming truth.

Book preview

1. The Goat from Switzerland

Schiller was a big goat. Jimmy looked down over the fence at the other goats. But Schiller looked over the fence at Jimmy.

Wow, said Jimmy.

Yeah, agreed Father Alexis. He's a special goat. Farmer Orloff imported him all the way from Switzerland.

Just to donate him to the monastery? asked Jimmy.

No, said Father Alexis. It was one of his projects. But Schiller turned out to be a little too much for him to handle. But we can handle him, can't we, Jimmy?

Yeah! shouted Jimmy.

Gimme ten! said Father Alexis. He spread out his hands, and Jimmy slapped them.

Just then Schiller jumped on a table. Jimmy laughed. He likes climbing! said Jimmy.

Well, Switzerland is full of mountains, said Father Alexis. But I think we'd better find another home for that table.

Jimmy helped Father Alexis move the table to another part of the barn, then went home and dreamed of goats leaping on Swiss mountains.

2. The Goat Keeper’s Helper

When Jimmy’s family first came to live near the monastery, he was afraid of the monks, with their strange black cassocks and long solemn prayers.

But then he met the animals, and especially the goats, and Father Alexis, the goat keeper. Then Father Alexis invited Jimmy to help him take care of the goats. Now Jimmy wasn't afraid of the monks at all.

Every day, he would come help Father Alexis with the milking. At first, he was slow, and the milking does would finish their grain and then look at him impatiently, and sometimes stamp and kick to be released from the milking stand. Father Alexis had to start, when the teats were tight with milk, and to finish, when the teats were almost dry. But after a few weeks, Jimmy could milk goats all by himself, and was almost as fast as Father Alexis.

After milking, they would put hay in the feeders, then walk around the pasture, petting the goats and feeding them treats and making sure they were all healthy and happy. And Schiller was the healthiest and happiest of them all, full of fun and the spirit of adventure.

3. Making Cheese

Sometimes, Father Methodius, who ran the bookstore, would stop by after closing up, and say:

We're almost out of cheese in the refrigerators. Can you boys make a new batch?

And it would be cheese day again. So they would haul big, heavy milk cans into the kitchen, pour them into giant pots on the stove, and begin heating. Jimmy would stir, while Father Alexis would look at the wall, studying the little postcard-sized pictures painted by Father Luke to label the wrappers, which were taped to the wall, and the printed recipes, taped to the wall next to them. Some of the recipes had notes in pencil. Sometimes he would jot things down in a notebook and then go to the shelves or the refrigerators to check for certain ingredients.

It was more than an hour before the next step, which was to pour in the rennet. Now, the instructions came more quickly and Father Alexis stayed right next to the stove to help. The most fascinating part was watching the curds, gooey and stringy and white, coagulate out of the liquid. Father Alexis cut them with a knife and a ladle, then Jimmy stirred them some more.

After a couple of hours, they were ready to go into hot salt water, then more stirring, then into the cheese press. Father Alexis didn't need Jimmy's help after that, but sometimes he would lead Jimmy to the cheese press to show how he increased the pressure, and how the whey dripped out. Some batches of cheese were put into a closet to age, while others were sold fresh.

Father Alexis printed off the labels