At the zoo

I worked at a factory my whole life. When I retired, I realized my wife and I wouldn't have enough money, and we still had our youngest to raise. So, I got a job as a guard at the zoo through an acquaintance. The job was easy—you had to patrol the animal enclosure; the fences were high, so it was unlikely anyone would get in. Three other people worked with me in shifts.

One autumn day (I remember there had been a pumpkin festival before that), I went on duty on a gloomy, gray day. It was pouring rain, but I had to patrol the enclosure. I threw on my waterproof raincoat and walked leisurely through the grounds. The animals had all hidden in their cages, some were already preparing for hibernation, and everything was quiet. When I approached the enclosures with the horned animals, I saw a goat standing behind bars in the middle of the area, a perfectly ordinary one. He was standing there in the rain, looking at me. I said to him earnestly, "Why are you so wet, poor thing?" I started to walk past and suddenly heard clearly behind me, "Well, what about you, grandpa, so wet? Or are you out for a walk in bad weather?" When I turned around abruptly, I felt sick: that same goat was standing on both hind legs, his front hooves poking through the bars, looking at me with eyes that were too intelligent for an animal. Then my heart gave out...

They found me at night when a patrol asked if everything was alright and didn't get an answer. And the goat wasn't there. Only roe deer lived in that enclosure. Since then, my heart has been tormented—I feel like I don't have much time left. And I quit the zoo. What kind of evil spirit could pretend to be an animal?