HAVE YOU SEEN MY QUACK Chapter (2)

HAVE YOU SEEN MY QUACK? Chapter (2)

    The next morning the sun shone brightly, and the hens and ducks clucked and quacked around the farm yard. During the night the little duckling had spent a long time thinking about how he could find his quack, and he decided he must go and look for it, and so while his mother and brothers and sisters went up to the farmyard for some breakfast corn, the brave little duckling slipped quietly into the water and paddled slowly along the edge of the river. He  searched under every leaf and twig but he couldn’t find his quack. After a while he stopped to eat some tasty weed when a voice suddenly startled him.

   “Hello young Mallard.” Duckling looked up and saw a strange looking duck in a black suit with a white stripe on its head. It was Mrs Coot. “You are a long way from home young Mallard. What are you doing here?”

    “I’m looking for my quack. Have you seen it?” he asked.

   “I’m sorry I haven’t.” Replied Mrs Coot. “What does it look like?”

   “I don’t know, but it is very loud and warns all the other ducks that a Buzzard is coming.”  He said.

   “I see.” Said Mrs Coot. “If I find it I’ll be sure to go and tell your mother. Be careful there are many dangers along this part of the river.” Then Mrs Coot walked across a patch of watercress and disappeared into the Bull rushes.

   The little duckling continued to search for his quack for the rest of the day which was difficult because he didn’t even know what it looked like.

  By evening time the little duckling was far from his stretch of river by the farm and it was too late to go home. He was tired and so he found a nice safe place to sleep under a large tuft of grass.

 

When the little duckling finally woke up the next morning the sun was already high in the sky and the day was warming up.

“Oh my.” Said duckling. “I wonder where I am.” He crept out from under the tuft of grass and looked around him. He didn’t recognise any of his surroundings. He looked up into the sky to make sure there were no Buzzards out looking for a tasty brown and yellow duckling for breakfast. When he was sure it was safe the little duckling slipped into the river. He quickly found some soft weed to eat and when he was full he started off in search of his quack once more. Very soon he came to a large willow branch hanging low over the water.

“Hello little duckling.” Said a cheery voice. The little duckling looked up to see a pair of bright blue Kingfishers sitting on the branch. He’d never seen any birds so pretty so he said.

“Hello, and who are you?”

“Why we are Mr and Mrs Kingfisher.” Said one of the birds in a surprised voice. “Surely you’ve heard of us.”

“No I’m sorry I haven’t.” Replied the little duckling. “You see I’m not from around here so I don’t know many creatures along this part of the river. Do you live near here?” Mr Kingfisher shook his bright blue head then raised his wing and pointed to the other side of the river where there was a steep sandy bank.

“The door to our home is a small hole near the top of that sandy bank.” The little duckling looked hard to find the hole.

“What happens if the water gets in?” asked the duckling. “All your belongings will get wet.”

“Ha ha.” Laughed Mr Kingfisher. “We build our home high enough up from the river so that water won’t get in.”

“What a good idea.” Replied the duckling.

  “Well are you lost little duckling?”  Mrs Kingfisher asked in a concerned voice.

“Not really, you see I’m looking for my quack. Have you seen my quack?” The Kingfishers looked at each other and then at at the little duckling.

“Goodness me where did you lose it?” Asked Mrs Kingfisher, but before duckling could answer Mrs Kingfisher darted into the river and emerged with a tiny Minnow trapped in her long beak. Then she tapped the little fish on the branch before swallowing it. The little duckling was amazed. Then he said.

“I didn’t lose it. My mummy said I hadn’t found my quack yet so I’m looking for it. If you find it would you please go to Apple Tree Farm and tell my mummy.”

“Do you know what your quack looks like?” asked Mr Kingfisher.

“Not really, but it is very loud.” Replied the duckling.

“I think you should go and ask the wise owl who lives in the old water mill by the weir.” Said Mr Kingfisher.

“Thank you so much.” Said duckling. “There’s just one more thing I want to ask you. What is a Weir?”

“Ha ha.” Laughed Mr Kingfisher again. “Why a Weir is a place on the river where the water falls over small wall in the water.” The little duckling thanked them and then waved them goodbye with his tiny yellow wing and set of once more in search of his quack.

Reviews

[MomzillaNC]

I hope you’re going to illustrate this. It seems a good kid’s book in the vein of Charlotte’s Web.

[MAD ENGLISHMAN]

I am trying this out with a new illustrator to see what he can come up with. The lady illustrating the rhyming stories is overwhelmed with the amount of paintings needed.

[MomzillaNC]

The copy of Charlotte’s Web I read as a kid was beautifully illustrated. There were full pages of real works of art in each chapter, plus simpler sketches interspersed among the text. It was among several books, along with The Velveteen Rabbit and The Secret Garden.