A young duck rested near a tranquil river while the sun set, unsure of what her future held. Her many siblings had dispersed as soon as they were able to, but she stayed near where they all grew up. She liked it there. There was a little pond nearby that humans would sit around, and sometimes, they’d throw her some bread and other foods. It reminded her of when all her brothers and sisters would fight over each piece. Although she needed very little to live comfortably, this duck yearned for something else. She’d see families of ducks around and feel sad not to have another duck to love.

As she paddled along in the pond one day, she was greeted warmly by an old human woman. She placed right in front of her a large piece of fresh bread and sat to watch. When she went to take a bite, she saw another beak coming as well. It was strange to see, as for months, there wasn’t a single other duck around.

The young duck turned to face the duck that bit into her bread. To her, it wasn’t just any duck. This was Duckules, a demi-god among ducks, or so she thought. He looked back at her as they both floated there next to the edge of the pond where the bread sat. The human watching held her face as if she was watching a romantic movie. Duckules paddled closer after a moment and the two rubbed their necks together. The young duck found her love.

Behind the pond, the couple built a nest and started their family. Pretty soon there were eggs filling the nest and baby ducks all around. The pond became a destination for local humans who wanted to just watch the ducks play in the water. The young duck and Duckules were as happy as ducks could be. They continued growing their family as more and more people came to feed the newborns. The young duck had become Mother Duck. She looked around and was thrilled to have everything she desired right in front of her.

One day, a man came to the pond in the early morning and put up a sign. People stopped coming to the pond completely. The water began to turn green and dirty, not suitable for the babies. Not long after that, the ducks were awoken by loud machines and trembling earth. Mother Duck was especially frightened, as she was in the process of laying more eggs.

The pond was being torn from the ground by an excavator. The hand scooped up many of the baby ducks and destroyed their nest in a single grab. Mother Duck screamed in pain and cried out as she lost so many of her children. Duckules put his wings over her to protect her from the machine, but its next grab snagged his foot. She looked him in his eyes as he was carried away and dumped into a pile of rubble.

As the excavator took a break and the ground beneath the pond was settling, Mother Duck laid a trio of eggs. The concave dirt beneath her caused them to roll downward to the lowest point of the ditch, which happened to be a drain pipe. Mother Duck watched her last three babies enter the sewer and realized she had nothing left to lose. While the excavator moved to grab more of the earth, she dove into the pipe, following her fast-rolling eggs.

Nasty water was rushing through the sewage system, pushing Mother Duck and her babies for a long while. The drain let out at a small lake, where the eggs floated only moments before sinking. Mother Duck swam vigorously to grab her babies one at a time and bring them to the shore. She built a small nest under a tree and rested, grateful to have anything left from the destruction of her old life.

A month passed before the first egg hatched. Mother Duck enlisted her oldest to watch her other two children. The other two hatched within the next week. Lightning struck and a fire started at the lakeside trees they rested beneath. Mother Duck had her babies follow her and they found themselves back near the old pond at the tranquil river. The baby ducks followed their mother on the still waters until the speed of the current picked up. The oldest did what his mother asked and protected the other two. The three of them looked on blankly while the current took Mother Duck downstream. They didn’t understand why she was silent. She didn’t fight and she didn’t scream. Just silent, eyes closed in the rapids. Her fight was over.

For days they followed the water but found no sign of Mother Duck. They were on their own. On a search for some food, the babies found their way into Big City and went to cross the street. A car whizzed towards them, something they had never seen before. They stood in fear until the bottom portion of the car vanished entirely while the rest passed over them. It landed behind them and sparks flew as the top half of the car skidded on the road.

“Look what happened to my car!!” the driver angrily screamed. “Somebody get those damn Ducklings!!”