down the road toward the pond. Jellie. Jellie in the morning, Jellie at the duck pond. She wore
old jeans and her hiking boots, a heavy sweater and a red stocking cap with
Grownup
printed on the front. Her hair was in a ponytail, and she was smiling as she walked toward him.
“Hello, Michael. I came to help you find the ducks a new home.”
He cared for her more at that moment than ever before.
“Jellie… thanks for coming. It’s going to be something of a mess, I’m afraid. But the little folks need somewhere to go.”
She walked over to him, wrapped both her arms around one of his, and leaned against the Shadow, putting her head against his
shoulder. The physical contact was unnerving and surprised him, but he thought, Maybe we’re going to work it out and be friends,
nothing more. He only thought that for a moment. Being merely Jellie’s friend and nothing more was impossible for him.
The Humane Society troops pulled in, a professor from the biology department riding along with them. He had cages and a net
that could be fired out over the pond with small rockets, which took him about twenty minutes to get set up. Jellie didn’t
say much, Michael didn’t say much, watching the professor and his helpers from the Humane Society, all of whom wore chest-high
rubber waders. They strung the rocket net along the shore while the ducks woke up and swam around in circles, alarmed and
telling everyone who would listen about how they felt.
Jellie and Michael walked over near the water where the professor was crouched, making adjustments on his apparatus. He straightened
up and said, “Ready.” Everyone stood back while he threw bread crumbs onto the water. Alarm is one thing, bread crumbs are
something else, and the ducks swam toward them, quacking. When the ducks came within range the biologist fired his rockets,
which scared hell out of the ducks. But the net arched across the pond, went down past the face of a rising sun and over ten
frightened ducks.
The biologist waded into the water, motioning for the Humane Society to follow him. They got around on the pond side of the
net, gently pushing the net and ducks toward shore. The professor obviously had done this before. He glanced up at Jellie
and Michael. “We’ll hand you the ducks. You two can put them in the cages, very carefully, if you please.” So saying, he rolled
up his sleeves and began reaching under the net, which now formed a small semicircle near the shore. It was all very crisp,
easier than Michael had thought it would be. He and Jellie put the ducks in cages, Jellie petting them and talking in a low,
sweet voice as she handled the terrified birds.
The operation took less than ten minutes. The biologist rolled up his net while Michael and Jellie carried three cages to
the Humane Society truck and put them in the back. A woman in a tan shirt with a
Humane Society of the United States
patch on it said, “We’re taking them out to Heron Lake north of town. You know where that is?”
Michael nodded. “I’ll follow you on my bike.” He looked over at Jellie. “Want to come? There’s room in the truck, or you can
ride with me.”
She turned to the woman from the Humane Society. “We’ll meet you out there.” At that moment, Michael felt as if some kind
of decision beyond transportation had been made.
He kicked the Shadow’s starter and helped Jellie climb on behind him. She’d never been on a motorcycle before, so he gave
her a twenty-second lecture on where to rest her feet and how to lean with him in the curves. She wrapped her arms around
his waist and said, “This is fun, Michael,” as he pulled out behind the truck.
The campus was quiet early on a Saturday, air warming rapidly, prodded on by a fat, red sun. The Shadow rolled smoothly down
the streets of Cedar Bend and out into the countryside through tunnels of red and yellow leaves. Jellie’s arms tightened around
Michael. He could
old jeans and her hiking boots, a heavy sweater and a red stocking cap with
Grownup
printed on the front. Her hair was in a ponytail, and she was smiling as she walked toward him.
“Hello, Michael. I came to help you find the ducks a new home.”
He cared for her more at that moment than ever before.
“Jellie… thanks for coming. It’s going to be something of a mess, I’m afraid. But the little folks need somewhere to go.”
She walked over to him, wrapped both her arms around one of his, and leaned against the Shadow, putting her head against his
shoulder. The physical contact was unnerving and surprised him, but he thought, Maybe we’re going to work it out and be friends,
nothing more. He only thought that for a moment. Being merely Jellie’s friend and nothing more was impossible for him.
The Humane Society troops pulled in, a professor from the biology department riding along with them. He had cages and a net
that could be fired out over the pond with small rockets, which took him about twenty minutes to get set up. Jellie didn’t
say much, Michael didn’t say much, watching the professor and his helpers from the Humane Society, all of whom wore chest-high
rubber waders. They strung the rocket net along the shore while the ducks woke up and swam around in circles, alarmed and
telling everyone who would listen about how they felt.
Jellie and Michael walked over near the water where the professor was crouched, making adjustments on his apparatus. He straightened
up and said, “Ready.” Everyone stood back while he threw bread crumbs onto the water. Alarm is one thing, bread crumbs are
something else, and the ducks swam toward them, quacking. When the ducks came within range the biologist fired his rockets,
which scared hell out of the ducks. But the net arched across the pond, went down past the face of a rising sun and over ten
frightened ducks.
The biologist waded into the water, motioning for the Humane Society to follow him. They got around on the pond side of the
net, gently pushing the net and ducks toward shore. The professor obviously had done this before. He glanced up at Jellie
and Michael. “We’ll hand you the ducks. You two can put them in the cages, very carefully, if you please.” So saying, he rolled
up his sleeves and began reaching under the net, which now formed a small semicircle near the shore. It was all very crisp,
easier than Michael had thought it would be. He and Jellie put the ducks in cages, Jellie petting them and talking in a low,
sweet voice as she handled the terrified birds.
The operation took less than ten minutes. The biologist rolled up his net while Michael and Jellie carried three cages to
the Humane Society truck and put them in the back. A woman in a tan shirt with a
Humane Society of the United States
patch on it said, “We’re taking them out to Heron Lake north of town. You know where that is?”
Michael nodded. “I’ll follow you on my bike.” He looked over at Jellie. “Want to come? There’s room in the truck, or you can
ride with me.”
She turned to the woman from the Humane Society. “We’ll meet you out there.” At that moment, Michael felt as if some kind
of decision beyond transportation had been made.
He kicked the Shadow’s starter and helped Jellie climb on behind him. She’d never been on a motorcycle before, so he gave
her a twenty-second lecture on where to rest her feet and how to lean with him in the curves. She wrapped her arms around
his waist and said, “This is fun, Michael,” as he pulled out behind the truck.
The campus was quiet early on a Saturday, air warming rapidly, prodded on by a fat, red sun. The Shadow rolled smoothly down
the streets of Cedar Bend and out into the countryside through tunnels of red and yellow leaves. Jellie’s arms tightened around
Michael. He could
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