Sentient Duck

[bosco]

I was out walking today in the early evening. I was walking in sight of
a duck pond (being generous with the name pond) about ninety feet away
and about twenty feet below me. The 'pond' is about ten feet wide,
perhaps thrity feet long, and has some brush around it.

As I walked a smaller than full adult human sized brown shape appeared
and asked if it could walk beside me. I said 'yes'. Within a split
second of thinking 'yes', it disappeared and a duck quacked loudly a
few times from the pond. It took me a few seconds to see one lone
female mallard sitting on the water all alone.

Perhaps it was playing a game with passing humans and was startled by
me never expecting anyone would answer it.

ben