A Tangled Mother in the Water
A mother duck kicked her right webbed foot forward, straining against a loop of blue synthetic cord wrapped around her orange scales.
Two fluffy ducklings floated alongside her flank, pecking at the green reeds near the edge of the dock.
Each time the adult mallard pushed against the surface, the cord pulled taut, anchoring her leg and keeping her restricted to the edge of the timber pier.
A woman wearing a yellow rain jacket dropped to both knees on the rough wooden boards above.
She lowered her torso toward the water, stretching one open hand downward at duck level.
Reaching Across the Waterline
The woman kept her fingers low and still, letting the mother duck inspect her knuckles without sudden movement.
The duck tucked her bill inward and shifted slightly, but stayed within inches of the weathered dock pilings.
Both ducklings bobbed in the gentle wake, looking upward as the woman leaned further over the edge.
With two hands, the woman cupped the duck’s underside, supporting the bird’s breastbone and wings against her palms.
She lifted the mallard straight up out of the lake, resting the bird against the knees of her olive trousers.
The mother duck settled into the woman’s lap, keeping her neck curved and quiet while her foot dangled.
Below, the two tiny ducklings stayed close to the edge of the wood, paddling in small circles beneath their mother.
Unraveling the Synthetic Cord
The woman slid her left hand down to grasp the duck’s orange webbed foot between two fingers.
A piece of bright blue cord was looped tight around the middle digit, cutting into the soft skin near the joint.
She used her right fingernails to work under the edge of the knot, loosening the bound fibers strand by strand.
The duck opened her bill slightly and let out a faint wheeze, but kept her wings folded flat against her sides.
The woman pinched the loosened loop and worked it backward over the tip of the claw.
The blue line slid away completely, leaving a slight pale indentation on the orange webbing.
She ran her thumb once over the freed toes, checking for deep cuts or remaining strands along the underside.
Returning to the Lake
Cradling the duck once more with both hands under the chest, the woman lowered her back down to the surface.
The mother duck’s webbed feet met the water, kicking immediately in a smooth, rhythmic glide.
Both ducklings paddled forward instantly, slotting into line right beside their mother’s tail feathers.
The woman rested her palms on the dock boards, watching the small family glide away from the pier.
The mother duck cut across the lake toward the green reeds, leaving a V-shaped wake behind her on the calm water.
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