The Buddha and the duck
The Buddha and the Duck
A black crow is pecking at the pear tree. Oily winged it tears by to the gate post.
Good – I think to myself. Time you left. A horse in the distance is chewing on grass and it’s swinging its tail and chasing flies away.
I have built my nest by the dam and swim amongst the reeds and my favourite thing is sitting under the pear tree in MY spot. I am a wild duck. I like to sit under the branches of the pear tree but a branch above is worrying me. Each morning I hear it making a noise that says ‘You’ll have to find another place to sit’. The pear tree is talking to me and I must listen to what it says. I will leave my spot. I will not be happy to sit under the branch of the pear tree again until the branch falls, until it’s safe to return.
Days and nights pass. My life has changed. I sit and watch until my eggs begin to hatch. The first shell cracks, then the next and the next… Wet wings unfurl, my ducklings scramble out of their shells and walk on shaky legs. So MANY mouths to feed! ‘Stay close to me’. I say. ‘It’s not time for you to venture out into the world’.
When night falls we rest on the bank with the moon and stars shining above us. Time passes, my young soon grow steady on their feet. They follow after me hurrying and when I swim in the dam they tumble in and bob about on the water! When the sun goes down we return to the warmth of our nest on the bank.
I heard it in the night! At last it has happened. When the winds began to howl that branch on the pear tree fell to the ground. Soon I will take the ducklings to visit my old spot!
From our nesting place on the banks of the dam we will go across the paddock. My ducklings will follow me in single file. ‘To the pear tree, to the pear tree!’ I’ll quack.
The fallen branch is there on the ground near my old spot. There are pears are on the ground also. That black crow has been pecking at them again. Good, they will be soft enough for the ducklings to eat. ‘Quack! Quack! Quack! I say to them. Thank that black crow up there and come quick, come quickly and eat! The ducklings topple over each other to reach the pears.
It is then that I see it for the first time. Something is sitting in MY spot.
It’s tucked itself up against the branch and I don’t like it!
It is sitting very still and I don’t know what it is or what it isn’t? ‘Stop! Stop! Stop!’ I call out to my ducklings but they don’t listen.
Faster, faster they run towards it! They topple over each other to reach it. Up they climb and off they fall on whatever is sitting in MY spot.
I quack at what it is or what it isn’t! Quack! Quack! Quack!
Not a sound from it. It doesn’t see, it doesn’t speak, and it doesn’t move! Quack! Quack! Quack! You’re sitting in MY spot!
Nothing! Not a word from it!
My ducklings are climbing all over it. Up and down. Down and up!
Get down from there! I call. Quack! Quack! Quack!
Do they listen? No no no! Up and off they tumble then climb back up again and still it doesn’t move an inch. How strange this all is.
I can hear myself quacking louder and louder and it is beginning to upset me! I flap my wings to tell my ducklings I’m not happy with them.
Now they’re listening!
They tumble down and at long last they begin nibbling at the juicy pears.
Whatever it is or whatever it isn’t doesn’t bother them, in fact it doesn’t bother us at all, it seems happy sitting there and my ducklings seem to be happy eating the pears alongside of it…but then I hear a voice and it’s coming from inside my own head.
’We can all stay here. We can all sit next to each other, next to whatever it is or whatever it isn’t.
I am happy now that I have decided this. That’s what we’ll do.
I take a deep breath and take a good look around and just enjoy where I am with my ducklings and whatever it is or whatever it isn’t.
That horse in the distance is chewing the grass again and it’s swinging its tail to chase the flies away and the black crow is above us pecking at the pear tree.
Authors: Janice Slater & Alexandra Chambers. © 2005/2023
Illustration: Katka Adams © 2005/2023
https://australianjazzrealbook.com/artists/janice-slater/
http://www.nationaltouringopera.com/offers/alexandra-chambers/
https://soundcloud.com/sandra-lee-12/clockwork-butterfly-interview
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