Lollie the Duck!

In a pond not too far from here, lived a duck named Lollie who wore a lily pad hat and loved rowing. Since she was a duckling, Lollie would go out to the water, get into her raft, composed of a particularly solid lily pad and sticks, and row back around forth across the pond with paddles painted all the colors of the rainbow. Her grandfather had gotten the paddles for her as soon as he found out Lollie wanted to row. At first, other pond dwellers laughed at her, for who had ever heard of a duck rowing across a pond? But Lollie persevered, and soon the pond dwellers stared at her, not with mockery on their lips but words of admiration. Satisfied, and after months of practice, Lollie went to the rowing team and asked them to join.

“You?!” They squawked at her, but you are a mere duck! What duck could be on a rowing team?!”

Lollie had been expecting this. And before the condescending geese could say another word, she had waddled to the water and took the raft across three times. The geese started making excited, jubilant noises.

“Why, that was, was faster than Reginald! He’s one of our best rowers, and has a wingspan twice the size of hers!” exclaimed a brown goose.

“We have to let her join!” urged a white goose.

“It was quite good.” replied Reginald, a black goose, with a trace of envy in his voice.

“No.” A grey goose in the back spoke and a hush fell upon the gaggle. It was Bartholomew, the captain and founder of the rowing team.

“But-“ Lollie began.

“Duck,” Bartholomew interrupted. “Could you please remove your lily pad hat?”

“But-“ Lollie tried again.

“Do you want to join the rowing team?”

Lollie looked at the rest of the rowing team. The brown and white goose nodded encouragingly to her and even Reginald looked somewhat supportive. Lollie sighed and removed her lily pad hat.

“Why she’s got an infection!” yelped one goose with the brightest orange bill.

“She’s bleeding!” blurted one with white spots.

“No,” gasped Reginald, staring at Lollie’s crimson colored scarlp.. “That is her plumage!”

“As I suspected!” sneered Bartholomew. “A duck with a red-feathered head! Such an atrocity could never row among geese!”

“No!” shouted Lollie. “That’s not fair!”

“You don’t deserve fairness!” countered the goose with the brightest orange bill.

“I hope you are all cooked and by next Wednesday!” boomed Lollie. And she flew away from the pond she had loved her entire life. She flew past the grey rocks and the small stream and across some human people, which she avoided, and landed in a tree on the other side of a very tall tan wall. She flew swore angry duck curses, and wept little duck tears so did not notice the form the crept up behind her.

“Whoppble!” it cried.

Lollie let out a squawk and fell from the tree. She looked up and saw an orange creature with a very long neck and spots.

“I am Larry! The creature stated with glee. “What is your name, small duck?”

“Lollie,” said Lollie.

“Well that is grand just grand!”

“What are you?” Lollie inquired with a sort of awe. “And what does ‘whoppble’ mean?”

“I am a giraffe!” Larry announced proudly. “Native to Africa! And ‘whoppble’ is the sound a giraffe makes.”

“I didn’t know I was in Africa!”

“Africa, no. But I shall be there soon! After, I visit New York and New Zealand, and France, of course. I am planning my escape!”

“Why are you trapped here?”

“Because I am a delightful orange color!”

“What?”

“The people here own a zoo. A color zoo to be specific, where they capture and view animals of the finest shade! They delight in me, but I shall not let them exploit me for my radiant color! I am going back to Africa to be with my people, but first I shall travel the world! Why are you here? Oh! I see the bit of red on your head! A fine color indeed! I have heard red-headed ducks are much admired. Would you like to escape with me?”

“I’m not trapped here. I just flew in and I can just fly out again,” Lollie pointed out.

“I see,” Larry muttered enviously. “I am happy for you, but how I wish I could fly away as well!”

“Fly?” spat out Lollie. “The devil take my wings! All my life I simply wanted to row!”

“To row?”

“Yes, on a pond, but the geese won’t let me join their rowing team because of this horrendous red plumage. Which I HATE!” Suddenly Lollie tried to pluck her feather from her head.

“Don’t do that!” declared Larry. “Your feathers are so wonderful1”

“You wouldn’t understand!”

“I am imprisoned for my color, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love it. It is beautiful and apart of who I am. Besides, I can’t change I. So, I might as well be proud of it. I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of resenting myself. ”

Lollie, the duck felt a bit ashamed of herself.

“Besides, you don’t need those gessees approval! Start your own rowing team! Accept ducks of all kinds! And frogs! And trout!”

“Trout? That’s seems a bit silly.” “

“And geese too!”

“Geese?” Lollie hissed..

“If you don’t accept them, you’ll become like them. Now hurry off, you’ve given me an idea . . . I am going to fly out of here!”

“A giraffe flying?!” The ducked quirked her head to the right.

“It’s no more ridiculous than a duck with red plumage on a goose rowing team!”

“ . . .well played.”

“Now go! Make your rowing team!”

“I will!”

“I shall see you soon!”

Lollie flew away with enthusiasm under her wings. She passed the people humans, the small steam and the grey rocks. The sun was setting when she arrived at the pond again.

“Hey geesees! And ducks! And frogs! All pond dwellers! I have something to say!”

The dwellers emerged, curious to see Lollie so empowered and loud, but especially without a lily pad hat. Many, if not all, had never seen her red feathers flutter in the wind though they had heard rumors.

“I do not need you geesses! I am started my own rowing team! Anyone can join! Duck, goose, frog or even trout!”

“A trout?” questioned a dragonfly.

“Yes!” snapped Lollie.

“Do you think you can do it, red cap?” clucked Bartholomew.

The pond dwellers gasped, none knew Bartholomew would sink so low as to utter the most derogatory term for a red headed duck.

“That is out of line, Bart!” protested Reginald.

“Well, do you think you can do it? You will have to start all over! We goose have been here for years and have the best rowers with in a league!”

“I will try!” bellowed Lollie, her voice rich with righteousness.

“But, really, can you?”

“It won’t be easy!” thundered Lollie. “I may not have as many good rowers as you at first. And I won’t be known in different ponds, but I can do it! I can do it! I can do it as surely, as surely as . . . “ Lollie could not think how to finish her simile.

“Whoppble!” came a cry form above. Lollie looked up.

Larry’s’ lanky limbs kicked in the air as he flew over the pond. “Good luck Lollie! I am off to Africa! But first, I shall se the rest of the world!” A blustery gust thrust Larry up and way past the cumulonimbus clouds towards New York. As Lollie watched his retreating lanky form, she thought of exactly what to compare her aspirations to.

“As, I was saying!” She shouted to draw the pond dwellers attention away from he African animal in the sky. “I can form this rowing team as surely as a giraffe can fly!”

The End.