Quackers Finds a New Home

The lady opened the gunnysack that Quackers was in and turned it upside down. Quackers tumbled out into a little garden full of flowers and trees. Her heart was beating so fast it seemed like it would jump out of her chest. There was a deck next to the garden. It looked like a good place to hide. Quackers scurried under the deck and hid in a far corner hoping she wouldn't be found.

Quackers hid under the deck all day and all night. Early the next morning, she got a familiar sensation: an overwhelming urge. Plop! She laid an egg right there on the gravel under the deck. The gravel really hurt her feet and she was longing for a drink.

In the dawn's early twilight, Quackers ventured out to explore the garden. She found a big claw foot bathtub full of water but the sides were very high. If she could fly it would be no problem to get up on those sides. She tried to jump but it was way too high. She backed off and took a running leap. Flapping her wings the best she could, she got over the sides and into the nice cool water. Ooooh! What a relief on her sore, aching feet.

And fish! Gold fish. She never ate one of them before but it looked like a tasty breakfast. But first she needed to perform her ritual bath. Over and over she dunked her head. She beat the water with her wings and preened her feathers until she was gleaming white. Then she looked around. Maybe this place isn't so bad after all. She wondered if there were any other ducks to play with. Feeling clean and refreshed, she leapt out of the old claw foot tub and began to explore.

She found a furry orange animal with no beak, four legs and a long, furry tail. "Are you a duck?" she quacked, but the animal didn't seem to hear her. She asked louder and louder but still no response. Maybe he didn't understand what she was saying. Milo, the cat, just sat down and began licking his shoulder pretending he didn't notice this new invader of his territory.

I wonder what I can scrounge around here to eat? she thought to herself. As she began exploring the lovely little garden, she discovered a huge cache of her favorite delectable treats. Snails! M-m-m-m! Yummy fat juicy delicious fresh snails. O-o-o-o-o did she eat! One after another. Five, ten, twenty, thirty. They were everywhere. She ate snails until she was so stuffed she could hardly move. She found a nice shady place behind a draping wall of ivy, and sat down for a nap. She was beginning to like this place.