At the suggestion, all the ducks around me chimed in. “Yes, swim. Swim with us.”
Another laugh popped out of me. Animals always had easy solutions to problems. “Thanks, guys, that’s a nice thought, but humans aren’t supposed to swim in this pond.”
“Many rules.” Bill gave a flutter and a twitch of his wings.
“So true. Humans have way too many rules, but sadly, I have to live in the human world, so I must abide by them.” Not for the first time, I wondered what it would be like to escape civilization. Unfortunately, being human also meant having bills and needing a way to pay for them.
I played with the worn, brown leather cuff bracelet on my wrist, as I often did. A pewter medallion sat in the center of it with an intricate knot design that formed the shape of a wolf’s head. The bracelet wasgiven to me by my great-grandfather before he passed. He told me it was an heirloom that had been passed down through our family for generations, and he knew it was meant for me. I had only seen him a few times when I was a child, but I always felt a special connection with him. It was a connection I had been unable to replicate with anyone else in my life and I couldn’t put a finger on why, especially since I’d been so young and he so old.
The ducks chattered around me, drawing my attention back to the present, and we talked casually, but mostly I listened. Closing my eyes, I let the peace I felt with them surround me. It was so much easier. I’d yet to find a person I could sit with contentedly like this. The birds didn’t expect anything out of me; I didn’t have to fit a role they thought I should play, and they didn’t think I was rude for not doing my part to fill the silence. We could simply exist together. The ducks seemed to appreciate my company as much as I did theirs, though the peas didn’t hurt either.
A chill suddenly swept around me, and the chattering came to a dead stop. My eyes flew open, and I sat up, swinging my head around. Nothing looked out of place, but I felt that restlessness return. The waterfowl had clearly felt something, too. They all stood still, in a loose circle with their tails inward, each looking out in a different direction.
“What isit?” I whispered.
None of them responded immediately until they all flapped their wings and let out an assault of quacks and honks. Their actions unsettled me and had me launching to my feet, clinging to the messenger bag that hung at my side.
I still didn’t see anything, but I felt a knot in my chest. “What’s happening?” My words came out in a louder whisper, laced with dread.
“Cloud,” Bill honked and began flapping his wings and lifting his body off the ground. The other ducks began lifting as well.
It was sunny and clear as far as I could see. “Cloud? Where? I don’t see anything.”
“Cloud coming. Bowen fly.” The ducks began to swarm around me, a feathered tornado, as if they could shield me from something. Each one chanting in panicked quacks, “Fly. West. Bowen. Go.”
Trying to peer through the flurry of wings and tails, I lifted my hands to cup around my eyes. “I don’t understand.”
Bill stopped in front of my face, his wings flapping to keep him steady. “Go. Bowen. Go west. Now!”
With that final word, the ducknado lifted away from me, and they flew out over the water, leaving me behind. Animals had great instincts when it came to danger. Even if I didn’t understand it, I wasn’t going to ignore the warning. I tightened the strap on my messenger bag and fled, hurrying to get to my car.
What was the cloud, and why did it freak them out so much? I kept looking over my shoulder even as I started my car. Nothing but sunshine and a few puffy white clouds in the distance. So why did my chest grow tighter and the stirring inside me make my stomach queasy? Andwest? That wasn’t a lot to go on. Not knowing what else to do, I headed toward the freeway. West.
My eyes drifted to the rear-view mirror frequently, never seeing anything other than cars following me. After about an hour of driving, I started to doubt myself. Maybe I was overreacting. Maybe I could stop now. But then… maybe not. The ducks wouldn’t mislead me, but I didn’t know where they wanted me to go. If I kept going, I would hit the beach in another forty-five minutes. It seemed as good a place as any to stop. I had enough gas to get me there and then I could regroup and figure out what to do next.
Attempting to distract myself, I put on my favorite Denver Greene playlist. He had this beautiful way of storytelling through his music. For all the people I’d met with nothing to say, this folksy musician seemed to speak through his songs in a way that I could actually connect with. As he sang about a love in the sea, I felt the tension in my chest ease slightly. Although my checking in the mirror didn’t decrease.
When I pulled off the freeway, I lowered the window, breathing in the salty ocean air. It seemed to soothe the stirring within, and I felt relief washover me. It was the beach. I liked the beach… at least when it wasn’t crowded. You wouldn’t catch me here on a busy day if I could help it. The thought of towels and umbrellas—not to mention the people—covering every square inch of sand made me shudder.
Not sure what else to do, I pulled into a pay lot near the harbor and used the machine to pay for my parking stub. My stomach grumbled, reminding me I hadn’t eaten since lunch. I went straight to the pond after work, not expecting to sit on the highway for two hours. Perhaps with a little snack and time to sit and relax, everything would sort itself out.
With my messenger bag slung over my shoulder, I walked toward the boardwalk while I figured out what would come next. The one good thing about it being crowded at the beach meant there were plenty of food vendors to choose from, so that was something. Although it would have been easier if I had packed something. Not wanting to wait in line, hoping to avoid as much human interaction as possible, I opted for the small market stand instead of one of the busy food trucks.
The shop had a variety of beach clothes, from dresses to hoodies, some souvenirs, as well as coolers with drinks and pre-packaged food.Perfect.Grabbing an iced tea and a packaged sandwich, I headed to the counter where a petite man with brown hair, wearing a shell necklace and a gauzy shirt, greeted me with a wide smile.
“Hi, welcome! I’m Nemo, nice to meet you.” The man held out his hand, which I begrudgingly took, and he shook it up and down with enthusiasm.
I offered a fake smile, slightly overwhelmed by the energy he was giving off. “Uh, yeah, hi. Nice to meet you.”
The man gave a slight shake of his head. “No, see, I said my name, so you are supposed to tell me yours. But it’s okay, we can try again.” He pointed to himself and said, “I’mNemo, and you are…”
Biting back the exasperated sigh I felt, I replied flatly, “Hi, Nemo. I’m Bowen.”
“Oh! Bowen.Bow-en.” He repeated my name a few times, sounding it out carefully. It had me tilting my head. There was something familiar about the way he was saying it, but I couldn’t quite put a finger on it.
“I like it. I’ve never met a Bowen before.”
I felt my lips tug up slightly, unable to help myself. I pushed the items I’d grabbed closer to him. “Uh, thanks. Just these, please.”
