Theme: Differences

Duck's opinions

There was a very beautiful place, where several animals lived. There was a lake there, where the duck swam and spent most of his time.

	While swimming, the duck observed the things and animals around him. With time he came to know the habits of his
neighbors, and to judge them.

Since he was a duck, he didn't know anything about what it's like to live with other conditions. Even so, he thought that the other animals had certain customs that could be improved.

One day, the duck saw the hen with her chicks. He then got out of the lake, shook the water off the feathers and went to talk to her:

- Hello, hen! When will your chicks start swimming?

- Good morning, duck! Thanks for the invite. I know you're an excellent swimmer, but swimming isn't for us!

- Why not? Swimming only brings benefits. They would exercise those skinny little feet and get stronger, with more appetite.

The hen did not like the duck to bad-mouth of her chicks' feet. She explained that they were different from his in that they didn't have webbing between his toes, which helps him swim. But they were perfect for scratching and having fun running around. They also didn't have waterproofed feathers like a duck. For them, cold water was uncomfortable.

She ended the conversation and left with her chicks. The duck didn't know those details. He ended up agreeing with the hen and accepting that they were fine living the way they did.

The next day, the duck decided to talk to the owl. He went to the tree where she was perched, taking her nap, and shouted her name until she woke up and came to talk to him.

- Good afternoon, owl! Sorry to wake you up. It's just that I'm worried about your health. You trade day for night. It doesn't take advantage of the morning sun that it does so well. Don't you think it's better to wake up earlier, talk to your neighbors, eat at the right times?

The owl hardly believed what she heard. She came to think it was a bad joke. But realizing that the duck, despite being inopportune, had good intentions, she explained to him that her eyes were very sensitive to light and that she could not bear to be exposed to the sun's rays.

She reassured the duck by explaining that she had other owl friends that she would talk to and that she could find food easily without having her eyes dazzled. The duck finally understood that she was fine, even doing her activities at night.

A few days later, it was the peacock's turn. The exuberance of the colors and designs of his long feathers drew a lot of attention. When he opened his tail, the farm children would come running to see. Even the other animals stopped to look at his beauty.

The duck, then, thought it best to warn him to be careful with vanity, because it's no use being beautiful on the outside and proud on the inside, thinking he's better than others and showing off all the time.

- Hello, peacock! Can we talk for a minute? - said the duck.

- Hello, duck friend! Of course, with pleasure! How nice to see you! First of all, I want to say that I'm a big fan of yours! I stay here watching you glide over the waters. You swim so smoothly, so naturally, it's like you're not even trying. What a beauty, congratulations!

The duck felt so welcome and happy with the peacock's praise that he gave him a hug, thanking him.

They chatted for a while, but in the end, instead of advising the peacock, the duck ended up praising him too and even asked to see his open tail up close.

- But of course! - said the peacock, raising his feathers and making a beautiful pose that even attracted other animals to see it too.

The duck smiled in satisfaction and reinforced everyone's comment of how amazing the peacock really was. After parting with another warm hug, he returned to his pond.

“How nice the peacock is,” he thought. “There is nothing proud about it. I was mistaken. Just like I was wrong about the owl and the hen too.”

While the duck was thinking like this, a great heron, a bird with an elongated beak, a curved body, that likes to eat fish, landed on the edge of the lake.

Assessing the visitor's appearance, the duck soon thought:

- Wow! What bad posture he has! Before he starts to feel pain, he should straighten his back and keep his head straight.

But soon after, the duck laughed at himself, because he realized that he already wanted to fix that bird, which he didn't even know. So, he just approached smiling and said to the great heron:

- Welcome friend! I'm the duck! If you need anything while you're here, I'd be happy to help.

Translation:
Larissa Martine - larissa_am@hotmail.com

marcelapradacontato@gmail.com