Dimitri

        My name is Dimitri and this is my story. So all my life, all two years of it, my dream is to fly with the wild ducks over the great lakes in Michigan. But there’s just one problem. I am not a wild duck, I am a zoo duck. Living in a “habitat” that is supposed to satisfy my animal needs. Silly humans. So that is why, I decided I was going to escape.

The day started off normal. I went to the trough where the zookeepers threw down our breakfast of cracked corn, grapes, wheat, barley, and rice. I ate with my friends but not with my family. They disowned me after they found out about my desire to be free. They believe I am ungrateful for the good food and shelter I have provided with. And I believe that they are lazy and too comfortable with their easy life. But enough about them.

After breakfast, I waited till they all went down to the small enclosed pond in the south west corner to set my plan into action. There was a small duck house with some vines leading up the fence to the wooden frame for the cage. I took a minute to look at the long climb ahead of me. I build up my courage and took a big step towards the wall.

I clamped my bill onto a vine and lifted my feet up. Now that I was here, I realized how hard this was going to be. Concentrating hard, I pulled my feet up to my head and grabbed onto the vine. Swinging my head, I quickly reached up with my bill to grab onto a higher vine. I repeated this a couple of times and looked down, to see I was only about a foot or two off the ground. I groaned and continued my long climb.

After about an hour of tireless climbing, I was more than halfway up the 20 foot fence. Just as I quickly lifted my bill to grab onto the next vine, I heard a loud screech from the other side of the cage, making me lose my concentration and fall. I tried to twist in the air and only half succeeded. I landed squarely on my left wing, and let out a loud yelp as I felt bones cracking and breaking. All I could see was stars and it was like looking through a tunnel, before it all faded to black.

When I woke up next, all I could see was white. I felt like I was laying on a soft fluffy cloud. Taking a deep breath, I slowly pick up my head, looking around. I was in an overbearingly bright room that smelled sterile. A paroxysm of pain washed over me and I dropped my head back down to the soft cloud below me. Closing my eyes tight against the pain, I didn’t hear a door open and slam shut.

“Well, look who’s awake.” A man voice floated through the fog. It was soft and gentle, like it belonged to a kind man, used to seeing pain. I barely heard it, but I could make out a whisper, “Don’t worry, this will help.” It felt like someone stabbed my chest with a dagger. I let out a loud quack and sank lower.

A moment later, I felt the pain seep away. Opening my eyes, I look up into a pair of blue eyes. Startled, I roll over and spring to my feet. The man gently reaches out to calm me. I bit his finger; he tasted like soap and other animals. He quickly pulled his hand back and yelped. Raising my head high, I dared him to try and touch me again.

He laughed, still holding his hand, and said “You think you’re king of the world, don’t you?” I ruffled my feathers and settled down. “That’s better isn’t it?” Ducking my head a little, I lowered my eyes from his for a second, then looks back into his eyes again. He nodded, sighed, and turned around and walked out of the room.

I watched him go and decided to get to know my surroundings, already planning how to escape. Looking down, what I had only minutes ago had thought was a soft cloud, was a white towel laid in a tray with a four inch lip around it. Walking to the edge, I looked over the lip and gazed down at a three foot drop. Sighing, I turned my gaze to the other trays I had noticed. A few feet away was another table, with another tray. But it was empty. After careful study, I concluded that I was the only one here.

Happy after discovering this, I looked at the walls. Spinning in a circle, I noted that there was a window in the far corner. From where I was, I couldn’t see the sun. Sighing again, I was about to see what else was here when the door opened and the man walked in again.

Shuffling through a drawer, he said, “The zoo keepers came today to see how you were. I said you were getting better and will probably need to stay another couple of days.” He turned to me, but I wasn’t really paying attention to him. While he had been speaking, the wild ducks had flown through the part of the sky I could see. I let out a sad quack and the man, who had been mid sentence about my “condition” stopped. Turning around, he saw the last of the ducks fly by.

With a confused look,  he looked at me quizzically. He jabbed back with his thumb toward the window. “You know them?” Hanging my head, I stared at my feet. “No? Then why so sad?” I looked down at my wing then longingly at the window. His face lit up in realization. “Ohhh. You want to be with them, flying free.” Straightening up, I felt surprised he understood what I was”saying”. “Walking toward me, he bent down to look at me in my eyes and he smiled deviously. “Do you really want to be out there?” I nodded sadly.

He jumped up and clapped. He spun around quickly and ran out of the room. Very confused, I just sat there watching the door swing shut. I collapsed onto my butt trying to figure out why he stormed out so fast and so suddenly.

While I was still pondering this, the man came running back in, his smile was so bright, it could have been mistaken for the sun. He did a victory dance around the room, stopping when he was in front of me. Smiling down at me he said as happy as a clam, “I called the zoo keepers. I told ‘em you took a turn for the worst, that you would not be going back.” Bending down to my level. “I’m going to set you free to go fly. Once your wing heals of course. Their coming to check on you in a week. You should be better by then.” I flapped my wings and quacked happily.

7 Days Later

I woke to the sound of someone bustling around. I felt gentle hands remove the brace on my wing and pick me up. Slowly opening my eyes, blinking away the sleep, I look up at the man. He smiled a little and carried me out the door. Quickly picking up my head, I stared around at a small pond and an old willow tree. And under that willow tree, were the flock of wild ducks. He gently set me down next to one of them and stepped back.

Just then, I heard a loud yell from across the back yard. One of the zoo keepers was standing there, yelling and pointing at me. All the yelling startled the wild ducks, and the all took off. Watching them, I stretched my wings out, flapped them a little, and take off after them. I felt a brush on my tail feathers as the zoo keeper tried to grab me. I dodged him and continued on my way.

I look up at the sun, high in the sky. I close my eyes and feel its warmth on my face, the wind through my wings. I open my eyes and fly off into the sun with my new family.