Returning to his childhood home in Connecticut, Tim Dowling finds the landscape transformed and wildlife thriving in unexpected numbers. The skyline has changed with new buildings, and animals such as deer, rabbits, and wild turkeys now roam freely in front yards. Dowling remarks that the area was once devoid of wildlife, but now the abundance feels apocalyptic to him.
At a nearby beach, a one-footed goose has become a local fixture, cared for by a resident who feeds it corn and tries to provide shade with an umbrella. The goose's presence sparks strong reactions from beachgoers, including a woman who loudly expresses her distress over the past 48 hours before praising the man's efforts as saintly.
Days later, Dowling returns to the beach with his family, including his 100-year-old father, who swims two widths of the beach despite refusing to wear his expensive hearing aids. Before leaving for London, Dowling takes a final swim and observes his father approaching the one-footed goose. The two stand five feet apart, the old man with his cane and the goose balanced on one leg, a scene that stays with Dowling on the flight home.
