Thursday, April 21, 2005The PondMy office building has a large reflection pond in front of it that is home to several families of ducks. When I work late, I come out and see the mallards sitting on the warm lights that point upward to illuminate the fountain. Sometimes I'll grab a sandwich and just watch them for a lunch hour, letting the sound of the freeway on the other side of the fence lull me as completely as the waves on a beach.Every spring we see two or three new families created. In the beginning, the ducklings are so small they can barely waddle across the grass. But soon we see the females paddling across the water, their young following behind them in an inverted V. Stout businessmen in pinstripe suits are rendered motionless, mesmerized by the scene. Collectively, we are touched. And concerned. When it seems there might be fewer ducklings on a Monday morning, I ask the the security staff and they give me a report on whether there have been any fatalities over the weekend. But every day, it seems, the ducklings get bigger and bigger. And when they get big enough to stop being differentiated from the mother, we are, collectively, proud. Recently, the pond has been emptied and dry for maintenance. They seem to be patching up the floor and letting the cement cure in the sun. One day, before it dried up completely, I ate lunch and watched a couple of ducks stand in the remaining puddles. They looked puzzled, but took what they could get. It's been completely dry for a few days, though. Today, walking into work, I saw one of the female ducks standing on the grass, looking up towards the building. She was away from the empty pond. Standing on the grass. Unsure and lost. It was the saddest image I've seen in a long time. A duck standing alone. Without the water that sustains and surrounds. I hope they fill it up again. Soon. # posted by Katherine Doughtie Nolan @ 9:15 AM  
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