March 2025 Runner Up: White Goat

White Goat by Stephen Newland

“It’s got two heads!” Lydia gasped, pointing at the old family photograph. “That’s so cruel.”

Grandad smirked, eyes twinkling with mischief. “Take another look,” he prodded.

Lydia’s gaze flicked over the faded Edwardian print.

Two boys, stiff and unsmiling, one gripping a whip, the other perched on a small cart harnessed to a white goat exhibiting a ghostly double head. She touched her nose, unsure.

Grandad grinned. “In those days, you had to stay still for photos. The goat moved! No smartphones then.”

Lydia groaned, “Oh, Grandad!” finally seeing the trickery exposed – a flaw in time captured by a simple movement.