Baby Ducks Ate My Lunch #99WordStories

31 Replies

This week at the Carrot Ranch, Charli Mills challenged writers to In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story to explain “baby ducks ate my lunch.” How did that happen? Who is the protagonist? Where did the baby ducks come from? Go where the prompt leads!

My first thought was of the oft-quoted excuse for failing to complete homework: the dog ate my homework, but I decided to go with a more plausible situation with excited children feeding ducks at the park. I hope you enjoy it.

Baby Ducks Ate My Lunch

A wail fractured the picture-perfect ‘Freedom Day’, the first outing since lockdown began aeons ago.

Father’s mind wandered like the lonely cloud contrasted against the vivid sky, contemplating nothing—no lessons, no video calls, no demands for something to eat or do. Mother absentmindedly stroked his hair as she inhaled the freshness of the sunshine and the scent of nearby gardenias. The children entertained themselves—what luxury—feeding ducks with days-old bread.

The wail amplified, like an approaching train, finally demanding Father’s and Mother’s attention. “What’s wrong?”

“Baby ducks ate my lunch,” wailed the younger. The older one shrugged.

Thank you blog post

Thank you for reading. I appreciate your feedback. Please share your thoughts.

Note: The collection of stories made in response to the previous prompt Disappearance, including mine,can be read at the Carrot Ranch here.

31 thoughts on “Baby Ducks Ate My Lunch #99WordStories”

  6. Pingback: Baby Ducks Ate My Lunch Collection « Carrot Ranch Literary Community

    1. Norah Post author

      Thank you, Anne. I’m pleased I captured the moment. I did hesitate about feeding the ducks bread. I do disagree with it – we know better now – but many still do so I wanted to paint a realistic picture. Perhaps I should have chosen something else less destructive to birdlife.

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  10. Jules

    This reminds me of a time just before our lock down (which has relaxed much these days) – when we went for a walk at a local park around their pond path and met our son, DIL and grands! It was delightful to see the water fowl, but that pond had signs to not feed the wildlife. Still I’m sure some brave ducks do get to close to ground level picnic lunches 😀

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Norah Post author

      I agree with those signs to not feed the ducks, Jules, but many still do so I wanted to paint an accurate picture.
      How wonderful to meet your family unexpectedly at the local park!

      Liked by 1 person

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    1. Norah Post author

      Thanks, D. I’m not actually in favour of feeding ducks stale bread but many families still do it so I hoped the picture was accurate. Thank you.

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