My grandfather, aunt, cousins and sibling have been animal lovers, for as long as I can remember. We had a tortoise, a rabbit, some hens, dogs of course and then came the icing on the cake. My cousin, added a one eyed duck and a squirrel to this mix. Her lifelong dream was to become a veterinarian.
Summer holidays, were always spent together in our grandparents house. On one of those holidays, she was accompanied by this screechy, one eyed duck. It was constantly attacked by our pet dogs. We always knew the exact location of the duck thanks to the dogs' desperate and relentless barking. They simply, couldn't stand the duck!
Her parents finally had to intervene. They advised her to give the duck away to a nice homely farm, where she would be looked after well. She agreed reluctantly. So when the summer holidays came to an end, Ducky exited our household without much ado. A few days later however, we heard from the farm owner that Ducky had been murdered by a bunch of stray dogs. Her parents and our grandparents shuddered upon hearing this ghastly news. More than the Duck being murdered, their concern was how to keep this information hidden from the original Duck owner, aka my cousin.
I was the first person they caught and warned to keep mum, for nothing stayed in my stomach or mouth for too long. It was already overflowing with so much bakery food. I agreed reluctantly. I met my cousin a few months later and kept grinning like a Cheshire cat. Now how and when do I explode this bomb, I wondered devilishly.
The opportune moment came all too soon. All the adults were busy shopping for clothes. I caught hold of her and uttered only three words. "Ducky, your ducky", and I shook my head vigorously, feigning fake sadness. She immediately burst into a loud, blood-curdling howl and the waterworks began. The adults came running. One look at my face and they knew what had conspired.
I don't know why, but even now as I recall this incident, all I can do is smile wholeheartedly. Ducks are good on the plate. Roast duck, Japanese duck, duck fry, duck curry, so many ways to eat the creature. How can you possibly think of petting one? Would you pet your pepperoni pizza or your lamb burger? Serious answers only, please.
(Image Source : https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/duck-duck-poop-driven-by-tik-tok-trend-spca-sees-surge-in-abandoned-and-messy-ducklings-1.5521702)
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