A children's story for children.
Drakeford was a baby duckling. He lived with his mother and father and his brothers and sisters in a shady, cool pond by the library. Drakeford was the same as every other baby duckling that has ever been - except for one thing. His leg was injured.
"I don't want to be a lame duck," Drakeford grumbled to his mother as he watched his brothers and sisters race each other around the patch of grass. "I want to run and play and shout with my brothers and sisters!"
"Now Drakeford," his kindly mother replied, "Whilst you may not be able to walk as fast as your brothers and sisters, you are far and away the fastest of them all when it comes to swimming. Isn't that wonderful?"
"Humph," grumbled Drakeford. "I hate my life."
"Drakeford," replied his mother, "you don't know that. You'd do better to find out about how lucky you are before you make up your mind about how your life is. Look, there is a cockatoo over there. Why don't you ask him about his life?"
And so Drakeford, grumbling all the way, limped over to the sulphur crested cockatoo. "SQWWWAAK!" yelled the cockatoo, and Drakeford covered his ears in fright. "H- Hello?" Drakeford managed to say after he was sure the noise had stopped.
The cockatoo cocked its head, and stared at Drakeford. "And what's your name" the cockatoo screeched. Poor little Drakeford, having learnt his lesson, only just managed to get his wings over his ears in time. "My name is Drakeford, and I'm a stupid lame duck," he grumbled.
The cockatoo cocked its head again, before screeching "Is that so? You think you have it bad, do you? Well at least you have a soothing, gurgling voice. My voice is so loud and screechy, not many people like me. Always telling me to buzz off when I say hello. At least you have a nice voice. Remember that." And with a final screech, he flew away.
Drakeford stared after the sulphur crested cockatoo as it flew away, thinking. Then he turned around, and headed back towards his mother.
"Well," asked his mother, "how do you feel about being a duckling now?"
"The cockatoo said that I have a nice voice. But what use is a nice voice when you can't even walk! I hate my life."
"I wouldn't be so hasty," replied his mother. "Look, there is an Indian Minor Bird. Why not ask him how his life is. And so, grumbling still further, Drakeford limped over to where the Indian Minor Bird was diving in and out of the water.
"Hello," said Drakeford to the Indian Minor, who stopped his diving when he noticed he was being watched. "What are you doing?"
"I'm trying to drown my sorrows, to wash away my ugliness. You are so cute and fluffy and lovable. But I'm nothing but an ugly, hate filled, disease ridden pest that no one loves. And rightly so, for I am so appalling a blotch on the name of bird kind." And with that, the Indian Minor took flight, and Drakeford stared after him, thoughtfully. Finally, he limped back to his mother.
"Well," asked his mother, "how do you feel about being a duckling now?"
"The Indian Minor said that I was very cute and fluffy, and that I wasn't a blotch on the name of bird kind. But what use is that to me, when I can't even run and play with my brothers and sisters? I hate my life."
"I wouldn't be so hasty," replied his mother once more. "Look, there is a Christiano. Why not ask him how his life is."
"What is a Christiano?" asked Drakeford, puzzled, for Drakeford was only young, and so did not know much of the world.
"He is sitting over there at the table, eating his lunch." And so Drakeford limped over to the Christiano, and looked at the Christiano's face.
"Why do you look so sad, mister Christiano?" asked Drakeford.
The Christiano looked down at the adorable little duckling, and smiled. "Oh nothing really," he said. "I just had a test on fractal geometry and chaotic dynamics, and I was thinking I was ready for it, but it turned out I-. Well, I wasn't. I mean, I didn't do too badly, it's even still possibly I'll get a High Distinction. But I was doing rather well in this course, and I was looking forward to acing the final." Drakeford nodded sagely, and pondered. Then he turned around and limped back to his mother.
"Well," asked his mother, "how do you feel about being a duckling now?"
"The cockatoo said that I have a nice voice. The Indian Minor said that I was very cute and fluffy, and that I wasn't a blotch on the name of bird kind. The Christiano said that I didn't have to take any surprisingly difficult tests on fractal geometry and chaotic dynamics. I think I don't mind having a minor limp."
His mother smiled contentedly at him, and pointed over to the edge of the pond, where Drakeford's father was drinking, surrounded by all of Drakeford's brothers and sisters. Drakeford's father would lean in with his long graceful neck, and take a sip. However, when all of Drakeford's brothers and sisters tried to do it too, they all overbalanced and fell in to the pond with a splash. It looked like great fun.
Drakeford limped over to the pond side, and his father smiled at him before taking another sip. Drakeford decided to try it for himself, but with his lame leg, he of course fell in the water straightaway with a great splash. All his brothers and sisters started to chase each other around in the water, but none of them could catch Drakeford, for when it came to swimming, he was the fastest of them all.
"I don't want to be a lame duck," Drakeford grumbled to his mother as he watched his brothers and sisters race each other around the patch of grass. "I want to run and play and shout with my brothers and sisters!"
"Now Drakeford," his kindly mother replied, "Whilst you may not be able to walk as fast as your brothers and sisters, you are far and away the fastest of them all when it comes to swimming. Isn't that wonderful?"
"Humph," grumbled Drakeford. "I hate my life."
"Drakeford," replied his mother, "you don't know that. You'd do better to find out about how lucky you are before you make up your mind about how your life is. Look, there is a cockatoo over there. Why don't you ask him about his life?"
And so Drakeford, grumbling all the way, limped over to the sulphur crested cockatoo. "SQWWWAAK!" yelled the cockatoo, and Drakeford covered his ears in fright. "H- Hello?" Drakeford managed to say after he was sure the noise had stopped.
The cockatoo cocked its head, and stared at Drakeford. "And what's your name" the cockatoo screeched. Poor little Drakeford, having learnt his lesson, only just managed to get his wings over his ears in time. "My name is Drakeford, and I'm a stupid lame duck," he grumbled.
The cockatoo cocked its head again, before screeching "Is that so? You think you have it bad, do you? Well at least you have a soothing, gurgling voice. My voice is so loud and screechy, not many people like me. Always telling me to buzz off when I say hello. At least you have a nice voice. Remember that." And with a final screech, he flew away.
Drakeford stared after the sulphur crested cockatoo as it flew away, thinking. Then he turned around, and headed back towards his mother.
"Well," asked his mother, "how do you feel about being a duckling now?"
"The cockatoo said that I have a nice voice. But what use is a nice voice when you can't even walk! I hate my life."
"I wouldn't be so hasty," replied his mother. "Look, there is an Indian Minor Bird. Why not ask him how his life is. And so, grumbling still further, Drakeford limped over to where the Indian Minor Bird was diving in and out of the water.
"Hello," said Drakeford to the Indian Minor, who stopped his diving when he noticed he was being watched. "What are you doing?"
"I'm trying to drown my sorrows, to wash away my ugliness. You are so cute and fluffy and lovable. But I'm nothing but an ugly, hate filled, disease ridden pest that no one loves. And rightly so, for I am so appalling a blotch on the name of bird kind." And with that, the Indian Minor took flight, and Drakeford stared after him, thoughtfully. Finally, he limped back to his mother.
"Well," asked his mother, "how do you feel about being a duckling now?"
"The Indian Minor said that I was very cute and fluffy, and that I wasn't a blotch on the name of bird kind. But what use is that to me, when I can't even run and play with my brothers and sisters? I hate my life."
"I wouldn't be so hasty," replied his mother once more. "Look, there is a Christiano. Why not ask him how his life is."
"What is a Christiano?" asked Drakeford, puzzled, for Drakeford was only young, and so did not know much of the world.
"He is sitting over there at the table, eating his lunch." And so Drakeford limped over to the Christiano, and looked at the Christiano's face.
"Why do you look so sad, mister Christiano?" asked Drakeford.
The Christiano looked down at the adorable little duckling, and smiled. "Oh nothing really," he said. "I just had a test on fractal geometry and chaotic dynamics, and I was thinking I was ready for it, but it turned out I-. Well, I wasn't. I mean, I didn't do too badly, it's even still possibly I'll get a High Distinction. But I was doing rather well in this course, and I was looking forward to acing the final." Drakeford nodded sagely, and pondered. Then he turned around and limped back to his mother.
"Well," asked his mother, "how do you feel about being a duckling now?"
"The cockatoo said that I have a nice voice. The Indian Minor said that I was very cute and fluffy, and that I wasn't a blotch on the name of bird kind. The Christiano said that I didn't have to take any surprisingly difficult tests on fractal geometry and chaotic dynamics. I think I don't mind having a minor limp."
His mother smiled contentedly at him, and pointed over to the edge of the pond, where Drakeford's father was drinking, surrounded by all of Drakeford's brothers and sisters. Drakeford's father would lean in with his long graceful neck, and take a sip. However, when all of Drakeford's brothers and sisters tried to do it too, they all overbalanced and fell in to the pond with a splash. It looked like great fun.
Drakeford limped over to the pond side, and his father smiled at him before taking another sip. Drakeford decided to try it for himself, but with his lame leg, he of course fell in the water straightaway with a great splash. All his brothers and sisters started to chase each other around in the water, but none of them could catch Drakeford, for when it came to swimming, he was the fastest of them all.