Duck

She used to go to the pond daily. Water was something that always awed her. The fragile ripples looked very beautiful, when that duck paddled its way through the water. It had been almost two months since she'd been going to the pond every afternoon and staying there till dusk. It used to take her nearly half an hour to cut through the woods and reach there. She enjoyed the solitude accompanying her walk. She felt at peace by the pond, after a hectic day at home, chopping vegetables, drying the clothes washed by mom, and all little chores that her little hands could handle. She loved her summer vacation, when she could come to her grandma's home, talk to her, listen to the stories of her childhood, count the number of wrinkles on her hand when she held her hand and gently patted it. She just loved the little village that was close to the woods. She loved the little rabbits prancing around and the playful monkeys jumping on the trees.

She loved animals, and no wonder she developed affection for the duck she daily used to observe. She liked to imagine it being a pretty swan floating on the water gracefully. Perhaps because she liked swans better or maybe because the story of "the ugly duckling" kept repeating in her head whenever she sat by the pond. She had this feeling that maybe this was not a duck after all, maybe with time this duckling will grow to be a gorgeous swan that she so loved to look at.

Today she came to the pond a little earlier than usual. She brought her dairy as well. She loved to write. She sat down on the trunk of the huge fallen tree that just touched the waters. She let her feet dip in the pond and slowly get spongy. She thought it was funny sight, the way the veins start showing when the feet were kept in water for a long time and appear like some water animal. She felt that maybe if she stayed in water for long, she might also become a water animal, like she had studied about whales being mammals who adapted themselves to the environment and survived. She felt that she wouldn't mind being a fish. And since this was a small pond, there would be no sharks to eat her. She thought that if she became a fish, she'd want to have the memories of her being a human being, so that she could make new fish friends and tell them her stories. But then, she thought that if she became a fish, she wont be able to meet her mom, for her mom wasn't as much a water lover as her. And anyways, there were fishermen in the village, what if she would be caught one day while telling the story of her grandmother being chased by a wild dog, when she was 8? She thought that she should meet the fishermen and tell them that they ruin fish families and ask them how they would feel if the same thing happened to them? She wrote that down in her diary. She felt a bit sad and walked to the drier part. Removed her bag off her shoulders and kept the diary back in. She felt like stretching out a bit. Lest should she fall asleep, she put an alarm in her watch, of 5:15pm. She put her head on her bag and gazed at the sky. She imagined her swan flying with its white wings spanning the wide sky. And when she'd grow up, she would come and visit this pond and would find her swan being followed by little ducklings. And when she'd further age, she'll bring her kids and show them these little ducklings transform into beautiful swans...

"Wake up!" She opened her eyes and it all felt blurry. Oh, it was 4:45. She smiled at the man who came a sat beside her. He sometimes used to come with a packet of bread to feed it to the fishes of the pond and share some with her. He was a writer and she loved to listen to his stories.
"I saw a swan today", she told him.
"Really? But its not the season chimp, birds from the north come during winters, its your summer vacation remember? Where did you see it?"
"Yeah! But you told me the ugly duckling story nah, look at the duck there, it'll become a swan, I know it will"
"Sure kid, so it means that you'll also become a rabbit cuz you resemble one!"
"Oh no, I am serious, if that ugly duckling can become a swan, why cant my duck become one too?"
"Its a beautiful thing to imagine, really amazing that you can think of such wonderful things rabbit, but imagine, how would you feel if you very badly wanted to have a chocolate that you thought was kept in the fridge but when you went there, it wasn't there?"
"Oh, I would kick my brother for having eaten it"
"What if he says that he didn't and tells you that you imagine way too much?"
"I'll probably cry and tell mom that he stole my chocolate"
"What if your mom says that she'll buy a chocolate tomorrow for you for she didn't bring any for a whole week?"
"But why would I talk of my chocolate if it wasn't there?"
"You saw a swan today right?"
"hmm..."
"The ugly duckling didn't look like a duck. That's the reason he was sad. Because he was the odd one out, this "oddness" pointed out by the others made him feel awkward about himself and he ran away. Here, what do you think about the beautiful duck swimming there? Do you want it to run away"
Trrrrriiiiiiiiiiiinnnn
"No, I don't want it to run away. Hey, its 5:15, my alarm rang. Let get going."
"Sure, but remember, If a bird looks like a duck, swims like a duck and quacks like a duck, then it's probably a duck."

PS : "If a bird looks like a duck, swims like a duck and quacks like a duck, then it's probably a duck" - Borrowed this old saying from people who've been using this as their sm!