Robert had been to Iowa once before, during his college days when he had volunteered for a senator's presidential campaign. The senator, a proud socialist from Rhode Island named Doug Dwyer, had had to drop out of the race after receiving only 2% of the vote in the Iowa caucus, but he believed, as did Robert, that his campaign had forced the conversation in the Democratic party in an important direction. Although he had seen pictures of it on television Robert was shocked to discover when they entered the forest that the growth of it was so thick that it blocked out most of the sunlight, forcing Robert to turn on his headlights.

"This is incredible," Robert said to the goose.

"This is nothing, give it a couple more years and the entire continent will be a giant forest. You see, the more the forest grows the faster it grows."

They drove through the forest for roughly thirty minutes before they arrived at the first checkpoint established by the human inhabitants of the forest. It took them that long because Robert had to drive slowly on account of the roots of the trees that had pushed up and broken up the road. The guard that walked out of the security hut to meet them at the boom gates was dressed in green camouflage fatigues and was carrying an AR-15 assault rifle. The camouflage allowed them to blend in perfectly with the forest and the rifle was a warning that they meant business. These people were true believers, and Robert felt apprehensive about continuing.

"Can I help you sir?" The guard asked Robert.

"I came to visit the forest."

"What's with the goose?"

"It's my companion animal."

"Keeping the ecosystem here in the forest in balance is our main responsibility, we can't have strange animals coming in here and upsetting it."

"The goose won't leave my side, I promise."

The guard leaned forward and took a considered look at the goose on the passenger seat while he decided whether to allow Robert to advance beyond the checkpoint.

"Okay sir, you're going to leave your car in the clearing up ahead and another guard will serve as your guide into the forest. DO NOT try anything."

The guard lifted the gate for Robert to drive through and pointed him in the direction of the grassy clearing where he was to park his car.

"Are we going to be able to do what we need to do with these people keeping such a close watch on us?" Robert asked the goose while parking the car.

"Everything will work out just fine, trust me, just grab the bag and let's go."

Deep in the forest, alerted to the close proximity of the egg, the goat awakened from its afternoon slumber and began making its way toward the egg. The goat was behaving in a way it had never behaved before, and the guards assigned to watch over it didn't know how to respond. The goat the majority of the day sleeping and only ventured from its favorite resting spot to have a short walk and do its business, after which it would go back to sleep. Now the goat looked disturbed and wanted to go somewhere. Not knowing what to do, the guards followed closely behind the goat. When the goat reached the wooden fence it started ramming into it and crying in panic. To stop the goat from hurting itself, the guards opened the gate to let the goat out. The goat walked to the gate, looked up at the guards as if to acknowledge what they were doing for it, and galloped off in the direction of Robert and the goose, who, at that moment, were being given the standard tour by one of the forest rangers, a young woman named Jessie.