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Quacky Duck
by
Paul and Emma Rogers
Once upon a pond there lived a duck who was very fond of quacking.
She quacked at the tractor. She quacked at the cat. She quacked at the farmer's funny old hat. She quacked at the heron. She quacked at the fly: She quacked at the drake who went waddling by: She quacked at the clouds. She quacked at the sun. She quacked at everything and everyone.
For when she quacked, she was happy. And when she was happy, she quacked.
"Give us a break! " said Dragonfly.
"Quack!" said Duck. "Quack! Quack!"
Dragonfly darted away over the pond.
"Couldn't we have a little peace ?" complained Frog.
"Quack!" said Duck. "Quack! Quack! Quack!"
Frog flopped into the pond.
"Just a touch of silence from time to time ?" said Very Old Goldfish.
"Quack!" said Duck. "Quack! Quack! Quack! Quack! Quack! Quack! Quack!"
Very Old Goldfish dived down to the depths of the pond.
Duck didn't stop quacking until it was night. Then she went paddling off into the bulrushes. Next morning on the pond, something was different. The flies buzzed, the reeds whispered - but there was no quacking. Duck had disappeared!
"Ah, that's better!" said Very Old Goldfish.
"What a lovely silence!" said Dragonfly.
"Peace at last!" said Frog.
For four whole weeks Duck was nowhere to be seen. "It's a bit quiet without her," said Dragonfly:
"It's not the same," said Very Old Goldfish.
"A bit too peaceful," said Frog.
Then - one lazy, hazy afternoon, when Very Old Goldfish was sunning himself in the shallows, and Frog was snoozing on a log and Dragonfly was zipping amongst the shadows - there was a rustling in the bulrushes.
"QUACK!" cried Duck. "
Ten little ducklings came hurrying out.
"Aha!" said the heron.
"She's back!" said the cat.
"Well," said the farmer, "just look at that!"
And everyone lived quackily every after.
