

He tells that they must have flew away as their cage was open symbolizing freedom. He tells he is worried of the goat as it also symbolizes himself, the sacrificial animal who suffers for the benefit of the other. They are talking on a bridge which symbolizes the connection of old with the new life. Like every old man, this man is also more interested about his old life, his animals, the memories he made, the place he owned rather then venturing into his new life which will be short and fruitless. It is hard to go and settle and after sometime to move from that place too. It is hard to try and create everything from the beginning and let go of it again and move. Its real hard to keep being optimistic every time something like this happens there are people who give up. Just like the old man he is giving up not wanting to move forward in-spite of the enemies coming towards him. He doesn't want to connect his old life with the new that is why he is sitting on the bridge not wanting to move forward.
This story therefore can be said a war story because it highlights the happenings of the war on the common mass. How they suffer for things they didn't do. When the man says he was only taking care of his animals showing be had no roles in the political affairs. He was a simple minded man but he suffered the greatest lost of losing his place, his identity,his hope, his people even his animals.