The Love Ducks

I never told you about the Love Ducks, did I?  Since it was Valentine's Day this week, they popped into my head.

The Love Ducks were a pair of ducks that decided that the only thing in the world they needed was each other.  One was an Indian Runner duck and the other was one of my pet ducks.  The Indian Runner ducks had taken to roaming through the pastures to both of our ponds.  Sometimes they would come back at night and sometimes they would stay down by the ponds.  One day, we noticed that they stuck by the house more and that two of them were swimming in the pond by themselves.  After investigating for a little bit, I noticed that the Indian Runner duck was limping.  I tried getting closer but both ducks quickly slipped into the water before I could catch them.  Something was wrong the Indian Runner ducks leg and it wasn't able to swim very well.

I really wanted to bring both ducks back up to the house, but they were having none of that.  I gave up and let them be.  And darned if my pet duck stuck by the Indian Runner duck until he/she was healed.  Every day that I left for work and on my way home, I would check and make sure they were still there.  And they still were...just swimming around by themselves.  It just made me think about what made my pet duck stick around with the lame Indian Runner.  They were very vulnerable down by the pond, especially at night since we have LOTS of coyotes.  I decided that they must be in love, hence the name The Love Ducks.

Both Jon and I knew it was a matter of time before the coyotes got to the ducks.  And this story doesn't have a happy ending.  I wish I would have been able to capture them both and take them back up, but they were just too skittish.  One day the Indian Runner duck was gone....and it was just my pet all by his/herself.  And then one day that duck was gone too.  The Love Ducks were no more.  Makes me sad just thinking about it. My little pet duck was so devoted to that Indian Runner, always sticking by his/her side.  The animals in our world aren't so far off from us...

Since I neglected to take a picture of the Love Ducks, I will just share with you my own little love duck...