A Guy and his Duck

The small bird trembled in his hands. It was hotter than he expected. And softer too. The yellow down looked fuzzy and blurs the duck's outline, leaving its beak, eyes, and legs in sharp detail. It blinks up at him, tilting its head up. It's beak bumps against his thumb. He has to stifle the urge to coo over it. His female friends who surround him have no qualms about it and start up a chorus. Every once in a while a certain note catches its attention but otherwise the baby duck does not stop staring at the young man cupping it in his hands.

"I think it likes you. Maybe it thinks you are its mother," one of the girl's chimes in.

"Me? A mother? I'm surprised I haven't killed it yet."

"Don't say that!" she sounds genuinely distressed. "I think you would be a good mama duck."

"What on earth am I going to do with a duck?"

"Cuddle it. Feed it. Teach it tricks. Name it."

"Yea! Whatcha gonna name it?" someone else chimes in.

"Oh geez, why am I naming it? I don't even know if it's a boy or a girl."

"Pick out something neutral."

He sits there watching the duck as it watches him. "It's a Sam."

He took Sam home. 

It rode in a shoe box in the passenger seat. It stayed in the box, keeping an eye on the human who drove the large mechanical device responsible for getting them from point A to point B. It continued to watch him for the short journey between car and kitchen. It peered over the edge of the box to watch him move about the kitchen to fill the water bottle slash make shift waterer and to pour a bit of the duck food he was given into a small metal dish. It's soft peeps reminded him of bubbles popping and sounded like idle chatter, like it was actually talking to him. 

So he talked back.

He started with a narrative of what he was doing. Then he moved onto telling Sam about his new living conditions, how it would be sleeping in the kitchen and hanging out in the living room with him and maybe he could sleep in his bedroom if Sam could be quiet when he slept. He asked if it would like it to stay in his room. The peep that followed sounded like a definite yes. 

He smiled at his new roommate.

As soon as accommodations were settled, he scooped it up and held Sam close to his chest.

The weekend proved that he and Sam would get along well. It was extremely well behaved. He would hold it close and it would tuck its head against the crook of his neck. He let it putter around on the floor and it always stayed close, only moving farther away after a quick glance up to confirm that it was okay to do so. Sam sleep quietly through the night, only waking him up once or twice while getting some water and a midnight snack. 

Sam would sit comfortably in his lap and make those cute little bubbly peeps at him as he scritched his fingernails against the skin under the soft feathers. He was amazed at how much bigger Sam got even after a few days. 

For the next week they were inseparable. School administrators were hesitant at first to allow Sam to attend classes with him, but after a few days of no disruptions they stopped worrying. 

By the next weekend, Sam was even bigger. It took two hands to hold it now but he could still tuck Sam into the crook of one arm to free up his other. Sam still liked to stay close to him, nuzzling his jawline with its beak in sweet silly kisses. 

It was incredible to watch Sam grow up. It became larger than the shoe box soon. He let it cuddle with him during the night when Sam stayed asleep. Slowly pinion feathers came in under the downy soft baby ones. Sam would lean into his fingers as he stroked and itched the new feathers. 

Same was beautiful. The white feathers caught the light as it followed him across the floor. It was its favorite time of day, bathtime. He quickly freshened up the kiddie pool with cool water from the hose and Sam jumped in. It ducked its head under the water and let the beads of water run along the sleek feathers back into the pool. Sam fluttered its wings, splashing him with a spray of drops. He held his hands up uselessly and laughed along with Sam's near constant peeps expressed in joy at being in the water.

Sam was a great companion. 

"Hey Sam, gotta treat for you today. Actually it's more of a trip." He bundled the duck into its carrier as it chirps cheerfully at him. The trip was a little longer than usual but Sam didn't complain at all. He carefully lifts it from his car and opens the gate. He tucks Sam into the crook of his arm and carried him into the park with constant bubbly narrative from Sam. 

As soon as the sparking surface of the lake came into view, Sam first became very quiet and then began to chatter at a very loud volume. It kept staring down at the lake and then back up to him, switching the tilt of its head he was afraid it would give itself whiplash. Sam's chirps became very insistent almost as if it was saying "Mom, water. Water, Mom, water. I want the water. I want to be in the water. Water, Mom. Mom, water."

He laughed at Sam and gently set it on the ground and with one last look back to get the confirmation nod, Sam dashed for the water. It didn't even break stride as it hit the surface. It just glided on the surface with happy splashes. He felt a little pang of worry as it went further and further out into the lake but he could still hear its cheerful sounds. Then Sam started swimming in circles, creating patterns in the ripples. He smiled and settled down on a park bench to watch Sam play.

Between the heat of the sun and the repetitive lapping of the lake against the shore, he dozed off.

It took him a moment to realized where he was when he woke up again. He then looked out on the lake but didn't see Sam or any of its ripples. Panicked he got to his feet and began racing around the lake's edge trying to find his friend. He called out over and over and asked everyone he met if they had seen the white duck. Nobody had or at least cared enough to notice. When he came back around to the damning park bench that somehow was comfortable enough to convince him to close his eyes, it was getting too late to keep looking. 

With a heavy heart he left to go home without Sam. He shouted a promise to come back the next day and look for Sam again.

He was up as soon as enough light was in his room to go look for Sam with. He might have broken a couple speeding limits to get to the lake as fast as he could. He rushed down to the lakes edge but didn't see white floating anywhere. Dejectedly he turned around and then his jaw dropped. Sitting curled up on the bench was his white fuck. 

"Sam!" The sudden exclamation woke the bird with a start but then it chirped happily at him as he bundled it up in his arms. It rubbed its beak against his cheek as he cooed and told it how much it scared him. Sam let the loving go on for a few minutes before squirming out of his arms. Reluctantly he set Sam down and it immediately goes to the water's edge. It looks back at him in a questioning glance with an inquisitive chirp as if asking "Can I stay here?"

With tears in his eyes and a clenched throat, he nodded to Sam and watched as it happily splashed out in the water.

He returned later in the day to bring a small bag of vegetables and Sam greeted him at the bench.

He returned everyday for the next couple months with a small bag of vegetables and everyday Sam greeted him at the bench before returning to swim around the lake, designing small ripples for him.

Then one day when Sam was walking down the path from the car to the bench he notices two white shapes and a trail of yellow smaller ones. He smiled at the duck family and Sam let him greet each one of its children. Its mate was a little skittish around him but warmed up with the bribe of treats. Then at his usual time to leave Sam rounded up the family and herded them back to the water. He watched them swim out with a soft smile on his face. 

He was about to turn back to his car when he heard a soft bubbling peep from next to his foot. One of the ducklings hadn't gone with the others. He gently scooped it up and held it up to his face. The duckling stared back at him. He looked past the duckling to the retreating family. He saw Sam look back and give him a nod.

"Alright, little one, I guess your mine."