We saved a duckling! I was walking down Raadhuisstraat ("City-Hall Street") in central Amsterdam, and A said, "Look!" and pointed down to the sidewalk, where a fistful of down was cowering near some steps. At first I thought it was a squashed bird, but it was just a tiny duckling. I picked it up and it looked like a healthy little bird. It nestled trustingly in my hands, just occasionally sticking out its head to look around. It was so soft and warm.
The canals in Amsterdam mostly have steep sides and you can't get down to the water easily. So we walked over to the Homo-monument (a monument to the Dutch homosexuals killed by the Nazis during World War II) where there were steps over a little bridge, down to a monument at the level of the Keizersgracht canal, and put the duckling into the water. It looked very alone and small in the big, empty canal, and I wondered how it would ever survive. It went and hid under the monument behind us. I feared for its little life.
Just then the cavalry came to the rescue! I heard honking and loud quacking, and six Mallard ducks came sailing under the canal bridge toward me: two males, and a mother duck with three little ducklings. She was the one who was honking, turning her head in all directions as if searching. Without hesitating she came straight for where we were standing, and went under the monument with her ducklings.
What a happy ending! When they came out on the other side, she was leading four ducklings.
She looked at me as if to say "Thank you" (or maybe "Stay away from my baby!") and then with a flash of her tail she and the ducklings were gone.
It was so sweet.
The ancient Chinese sage Mencius said that men were born good. He pointed out that anyone who saw a child fall into a well would be alarmed and would try to save the child. Maybe it's that way with ducklings, too.
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