Miracle is three weeks old and double in size. He likes to sit on the hot rock in his cage. The human put a cotton rag over the rock to make it more comfortable. Yes, Miracle's life has grown extraordinarily comfortable for a duck.
After sleeping in the cage all night on the hot rock, enclosed with cardboard to discourage drafts, Miracle wakes up every morning very cold. He starts to call for help, but no one comes. He calls louder and louder until the human comes out in bathrobe and slippers, and opens the cage door. Miracle is ambivalent about the monstrous human. As frightening as is her size and species, he considers that she still hasn't eaten me. In fact, she is kind of nice to me. I really want her to pick me up but she is so scary! Miracle hovers in the far corner as the giant arm and hand get closer to grab him. At the last minute, he bolts trying to escape the grasp. The hand shoots out to subdue and grasp little Miracle, and he is caught at last.
Chirping with fear, Miracle tries to escape, but the strong hands are already restraining his tiny wings in cotton rag swaddling cloths. Wrapped like a newborn, the human stuffs Miracle into her shirt. He has grown accustomed to the sound of her heartbeat and the rise and fall of her chest. It is comforting and warm to squeeze up into her sleeve or into the side of her neck. The heavy pulsing of her giant blood vessel lulls Miracle to sleep. He feels safe in her clothes.
Every day, the giant human fills a shiny white porcelain basin from a silvery spigot with warm water for Miracle's bath. This is his favorite time of day. The human tosses torn up green leaves into the water. Miracle eats them like a child eating Halloween Candy. When his sides are ready to burst, Miracle starts his bath.
The bath always begins with a head dunk followed by a splash. Dunk, splash, dunk. splash, dunk. splash. Then balance on one foot while the other vigorously scratches the oil glands on the sides of Miracle's face. Another dunk and rub, rub, rub the oil all over the feathers. Dunk, splash, scratch, dunk, splash and rub, over and over, left and right, back and breast, neck and butt. After every part has been oiled, it is time to preen the feathers. But Miracle hardly has any feathers. Save for the few tiny feathers sprouts protruding from his tail, he is covered over with yellow fuzzy down. Feathers or down, they all get the oil treatment and preening. After the bath, the human wraps Miracle in a clean, cotton cloth, and stuffs him back into her shirt.
One day, the human took Miracle into a giant humming thing and we went far away. Miracle was stuffed into a sock so that only his head could be seen. The human went walking around a place with lots of smaller humans, who all made sounds when they saw Miracle. They said, "Aw-w-w-w" and wanted to pet him. All the kindergarten children sat calmly along the wall in the hallway and petted his head, one by one. Although it was really scary to be around all those humans, Miracle felt safe in the hands of the usual human, the one that puts him in her chest.
Every time Miracle felt like pooping, he would squirm around and make a fuss. The human would put him down into a spigot place, and he would let it all out. There were often cups and bowls filled with water for a little drink. Then the human would make the silvery spigot release water, and wash all the baby duck poop down the drain. Miracle never messed his comfy cotton cloths or the cloths that the human wore.
After several hours, Miracle was exhausted. There was no grain to eat at this place. Miracle got to taste some lovely sweet fruits, but didn't want to eat much of them. With all the little humans petting him, and the absence of food, Miracle couldn't keep his eyes open anymore. He lay his head down and fell asleep. The human put him on her chest inside her shirt, and he fell into a deep sleep. The next thing he knew, he was home and being expelled from the sock into his nice cage. What an adventure!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment