Once upon a time, in the happy land of Traveler's Crossing, there was a particular duck. No one ever knew exactly what made him just…different. It was a quality that no one could quite place their finger on.
This duck’s name was Cracker. Cracker had a bit of a traumatic childhood, and we attribute that to his somewhat deviant behavior.
The first Glimpse:
Cracker’s first glimps of ..er..insanity…came one evening at feeding time. He took his temper out on Em, “Jazzy,” who was walking back to the barn from feeding some horses in one of the lower pastures. Out of nowhere, he was pecking her relentlessly. Jazzy tried, without avail, to kick him back, but the duck apparently was seeing red and was convinced not to let her go. Jazzy finally picked him up by the neck and flung him. This, however, only gave her a running start to the barn as he quickly got up and began a vigilant pursuit. Jazzy made it to the barn, and by the time Cracker got there, he was out of steam and was over his rant.
The Second Glimpse:
Tammy’s husband David often hires help to work with him on various construction site projects. This morning was no different. Brandon had been helping David for a while now and this was a scheduled “help day”. David was on his way to his tool shed behind the barn when something caught his eye. There standing in the back of his truck was Brandon. David cocked his head in wonder. “Well what are you doing up there?” called David.
Brandon looked over nervously. “That duck! It was attacking me so I had to get up here to escape it!”
David laughed. “A duck? You’re running from a duck?”
From the bed of the truck Brandon just glared.
The Third Glimpse:
It was a weekend, and I was feeling particularly resourceful. The weather was so nice I was content to spend as much of my day at the barn as possible. I decided that I would clean Sudi’s stall since I had some extra time. I was walking out the side of the barn when I first saw him. The second he’d caught sight of me, he began charging. I stared at him for a moment in disbelief. How could he be charging me from such a long distance away? My mom, catching sight of this and having previously caught sight of one of Crackers “charges,” advised me to quickly start running.
Part of me wanted to grab the pitchfork as a weapon, but I hesitated too long. Back into the barn I shreaked and ran. Unfortunately, once in the barn, Cracker caught sight of an easier target: Annie – a very old and blind dachshund. Annie squealed in terror as the “Duck on Crack” went straight for her jugular. My mom and I wrestled the two apart, and my mom flung Cracker outside the barn again. Again, not to be undone, the crazy duck caught sight of Ella – a young Chihuahua. Ella took off like a rocket with the duck trailing perilously close behind. Up to the house they ran, around the ring they continued, and finally ended back to the barn. Ella was breathless as I ushered her into the tack room. The duck apparently was, by this time, exhausted and no longer in hot pursuit of any moving object.
The End:
Sadly, Cracker had to leave Traveler’s Crossing. He is now an only child and doing much better on a farm without other small animals. We have no idea what triggered these “Glimpses,” but all seems to be fairing well for Cracker…so far………
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