BABY DUCK

The baby duck was screaming.

That was the first thing Maya noticed.

It wasn’t cute. It wasn’t soft. It was loud and sharp and wrong for this place. The sound bounced off the sidewalk and the parked cars and made her chest feel tight.

Maya stopped walking.

She looked down.

The duck stood near the curb, small and shaking, its feet slipping a little on the wet concrete. Its mouth opened wide every time it cried, like it was calling for something that wasn’t there.

“Hey,” Maya said. “Hey, it’s okay.”

It was not okay.

The duck kept crying.

Maya looked around. There was no water nearby. No pond. No other ducks. Just grass, trash, and a road that cars flew down too fast.

She checked her phone.

4:12.

She was already late.

She crouched down slowly, afraid she might scare it, but the duck didn’t move. It just cried louder.

“Where’s your mom?” Maya asked.

The duck answered by screaming again.

She sighed and looked around once more. Nothing.

She stood up and paced. Just a little. Back and forth. Her heart started to beat faster.

“I can’t leave you,” she said. “I really can’t.”

She checked the time again.

4:15.

Maya took off her hoodie and gently scooped the duck inside. It fought her at first, kicking and flapping, but she held it close. It was warm. Too warm.

Cars rushed by. One honked. Someone yelled something she didn’t hear.

“Okay,” she whispered. “Okay, okay.”

She started walking toward the park down the street. It was the only place with water she could think of.

The duck screamed the whole way.

Her arms started to ache. The hoodie slipped. The duck wriggled.

“Please don’t jump,” she said.

It tried anyway.

She tightened her grip and almost tripped on the sidewalk.

“Stop,” she said, breathless. “I’m trying to help you.”

The park felt far. Too far.

She checked her phone again.

4:27.

She picked up her pace. Her shoes slapped against the ground. Sweat rolled down her back. The duck’s cries echoed in her ears and made her feel like she was doing everything wrong.

Halfway there, a dog barked from across the street. The duck freaked out and flailed harder.

“No, no,” Maya said.

She nearly dropped it.

Her heart jumped into her throat. She stopped walking and bent over, breathing hard.

A woman passed by and stared.

“Is that a duck?” the woman asked.

“Yes,” Maya said.

“Why do you have it?”

“I’m taking it to its mom.”

The woman shrugged. “Good luck.”

That made Maya angry for no reason.

She kept walking.

When she finally reached the pond, her arms were shaking. She rushed to the edge and looked around.

Nothing.

No ducks.

No mom.

Just water and wind and her own heavy breathing.

“Oh no,” Maya said.

The duck screamed louder than ever.

She spun in a slow circle, panic creeping up her spine. She checked behind the trees. Around the benches. Near the tall grass.

Still nothing.

Her phone buzzed.

She ignored it.

She checked the time.

4:46.

She sat down on the grass, exhausted, the duck still screaming in her lap. Her hands trembled.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I really am.”

Then she heard it.

A low quack. Soft but close.

Maya froze.

Another quack.

She stood up and walked toward the sound, slow and careful. The tall grass rustled.

Then she saw her.

The mother duck stepped out, calm and alert, her head tilted. She stared at Maya. At the duck.

The baby duck screamed one last time and leaped from Maya’s arms.

It ran. Fast and clumsy.

Straight to her.

The mother duck wrapped herself around the baby like nothing bad had ever happened.

Maya stood there, breathing hard, her arms empty.

She checked her phone.

5:01.

She was late. Again.

But she didn’t move right away.

She watched the ducks slip into the water together, quiet now, smooth and easy.

Maya wiped her face.

Then she turned and ran.

Megan Clark is from Orlando, Florida. She has worked in the culinary field for nearly ten years and has a strong passion for baking and recipe development. Megan is a content creator on YouTube, where she shares original recipes and food-focused content. She is also a visual designer and an aspiring media strategist, blending creativity with storytelling across multiple platforms. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family and running her small business.