Children's Story - Daddy and the Duck
by Carol D. Loewen

“When your daddy was a boy,” Grandma began, “He helped save a duck.”

Mr. Duck, she explained to her grandchildren, wasn’t the only quacker on the farm. There were a dozen each of white ducks, geese and chickens growing up near a small pond surrounded by reeds. The property was located in the rural area of McTavish in sunny Manitoba. A young family with five children lived in the house. Besides the farm birds the family had a handsome brown puppy named Micky.

One hot summer afternoon the Mother was about to start supper. Nearby her children were playing with Dinky toys and miniature animals. The gentle farmyard sounds grew louder. As the honking, quacking and squawking increased, the children fell silent.

“What’s going on out there ?” Mother asked. Geese, ducks and chickens were in a swirling turmoil of dust and feathers. Micky’s barking added to the cacophony.

Ten-year-old Steve dashed into the backyard and discovered that his duck was the centre of attention. As he caught him, the rest of the children, with Mother at their heels, ran out of the house.

“They were picking on this one,” Steve stated, carrying a perfectly healthy duck into the shady garage. He sat down on an old chair to comfort his distressed pet. Mickey and four sympathetic children stood around them.

“What could be the reason for pecking at this duck?” Mother asked.

Mr. Duck, accustomed to being handled by the children, held his head up and tried to speak for himself. No sound came. He attempted to repeat his complaint but still couldn’t make his voice heard. In his mouth they noticed a shiny, curved piece of broken glass. It was lodged inside his bill, trapping his tongue underneath it.

“I’ll use a pair of steel pliers to remove the glass while you hold his mouth open,” Mother directed. “I can’t do it,” Steve said fearing the pain his duck would suffer.

“You’ll have to!” Mother spoke firmly. “I can’t steady him and remove the glass too. By gently squeezing at the back of his bill, you will be able to hold his mouth open, painlessly.”

Steve restrained the duck, gently holding the yellow bill as he had been instructed to do. Managing a pair of thin nosed pliers, Mother closed them over the offending chunk of glass and lifted it out cleanly.

Now the duck talked. He had business to attend to. He shrugged free, hopped onto the earth and hurried into the yard. He pecked and quacked at every chicken near him. He pulled at feathers on ducks and geese. Finally he puffed up his chest and gave one of the geese a full body check. The offended goose stared at him in embarrassment and turned its head aside. Steve’s duck told the whole farmyard that he was in control of his tongue and that he was determined to keep his former place of respect. This was granted by his fellow fowl and the business meeting was adjourned.