April (week 3)

SPRING

Part III & IV

The pond dwellers bid farewell to the Buffleheads with all of them expressing hope they would meet again next spring.  

It was quiet on the pond now, with the visitors gone and the mystery of the Woodens solved. Gertie spent hours listening to Charlie’s stories about winter on the pond and  shared her dream that she would experience winter for herself. 

“It gets awfully cold,” he warned her. “And the snow, oh my, there’s so much snow.”

“But it must be a glorious sight,” Gertie gushed.

“I guess,” said Charlie. “I don’t take much notice of such things.”

He told her about Red Fox who was forever apologizing that he couldn’t stop and chat because he was heading somewhere. Red was always heading somewhere and Charlie wondered if he would ever actually get there. He told her about the deer family he called the Darlings.  They came occasionally to the pond but never stayed long before disappearing back into the woods.

"Who do you talk to in the wintertime?" Gertie wanted to know.

“The blue jays and cardinals keep me company,” Charlie sighed, “but they’re not so friendly as you and Gus”.

“And what about the blue house dwellers?” Gertie asked. “Do they stay for the winter?”

“Oh sure,” replied Charlie. “The man seems to like moving snow around and sometimes they climb into the box on wheels and it takes them away for a short time, but they always return.”

With the days getting longer and the air warmer Gertie knew she would soon be spending her time confined to the island. She would miss Charlie’s stories and made him promise to visit her often.

Toward the end of March there was a sudden change in the weather. The temperature dropped and the pond water froze again. It rained for several days so Gertie and Gus stayed warm under the cedars on the island. She was happy she hadn’t laid her eggs yet and she worried about Charlie, but he popped up and let her know he was well insulated, and she need not fret. 

Then the cold rain turned to freezing rain and suddenly the blue house went dark. Trees were creaking and bending. Branches were snapping. In the darkness it was impossible to see, but in the light of day Gus and Gertie surveyed the damage surrounding the pond. Plenty of trees and branches were broken but everything — every tree, every shrub, every bullrush, sparkled with ice. Gertie thought it looked magical. Charlie popped by again to check on his friends. He told them he had seen Red Fox and the Darling Deer family and everyone was just fine. Gus wondered about the the blue house dwellers.

“I saw the man wandering about,” Charlie assured him. “And do you hear that dreadful noise? That’s some kind of machine the man attached to the blue house.” 

They all wished they understood humans.

Each day the noise continued, but at nighttime it went silent and the blue house sat in darkness again. For almost a full week, this new routine continued. The man was seen on the warm days picking up broken branches and cutting up the tree that had fallen near the box on wheels. They heard him telling the lady who dwelt in  the blue house that it was quite a mess but nothing was seriously damaged—just a lot of cleaning up to do. The pond dwellers didn’t really know the blue house dwellers, but they were relieved that everyone was safe. And little did they know that the blue house dwellers felt the same way about them.

Then, the dreadful noise finally stopped. Charlie said the man put away the machine, and that night, the blue house was lit up. The pond was a peaceful haven once again.
 

Part IV

Gus was alone on the pond now and Gertie was settled comfortably on the island. She had laid five eggs during the week after the ice storm and would spend the next month protecting them.  Gus was never too far away and when Gertie needed a break he would do his duty and care for the eggs. Charlie kept his promise, dropping by frequently to keep her updated on the pond activity. 

The Mallards were visiting, but Charlie and Gus hesitated to engage with them.

“They look a lot like the Woodens,” Gus commented on a warm Sunday afternoon as he and Charlie paddled near the island while keeping Gertie company.  

Charlie agreed and Gertie suggested they should tell the Mallards the story of the Woodens. 

And so, without getting too close, so as not to scare them away, they approached the visitors. The Mallards were friendly and showed great interest in the story.

“I still can’t believe they’re not real,” admitted Gus, “But Gertie knows  a lot about such things. And I always say, Gertie knows best.”

The Mallards, knowing a little something personally about duck decoys, confirmed Gertie’s theory. Charlie suggested they all drop by the brooding goose knowing how delighted she would be to have visitors and hear the story of the decoys. She didn’t much care for the idea that humans used Woodens to trick innocent little ducks, but she was certain that wasn’t the purpose intended by the blue house dwellers. 

Everyone agreed.

The Mallards stayed a few more days before continuing their journey. As they departed, they were reminded by their new friends to avoid all decoys.

“It’s been busy around here,” commented Gus, as he and Charlie wiled away their lazy hours in the warm afternoon sun.

“Sure has,” agreed Charlie. “And I expect we may have some unwanted visitors now that Gertie has those eggs.”

Gus wasn’t too worried. The island had always been safe from predators. But still, he never ventured too far, always keeping an eye on Gertie and the nest. 

To Be Continued