Grin lit the incense and placed it in front of the Stanley Cup. He stepped back and surveyed his bunker; the candles were lit, the mediation crystals were hung, and the Pond was quiet and peaceful. He was ready to begin.
His teammates found it odd that he would attempt a spiritual connection with an inanimate object. But the Stanley Cup wasn't just an object. It had been in the presence of hockey's greatest players during a time when their emotions were at an all time high. Over the decades the Cup absorbed these energies, giving it an aura of its own; even now he could feel it. Not that he expected his teammates to understand. They weren't trained to seek a higher plane of enlightenment like him.
He sat down cross-legged in front of the Stanley Cup, closed his eyes and began the mediation techniques taught to him by his master, Tai Quack Do. He could feel the presence of countless champions who had the trophy before him. He was one with them, heard their voices…
"NOSEDIVE!!"
Mallory's angry yell brought Grin crashing back to Earth.
"NOSEDIVE, YOU ARE SO DEAD!"
"C'mon Mal, can't you take a joke?!"
"Come back here and take your beating like a man!"
"AAGH! Wing, help!
"Don't drag me into this, Dive. You're on your own."
"Mal, Ok, Chill…no, Mal, wait! I…"
KABOOOOOM!
A loud explosion rocked the Pond, shaking plaster loose from the ceiling and knocking over several candles. Grin quickly set them upright again, then realized the pond was too quiet. For a split second he thought Mallory had made good on her threat. Suddenly his com crackled into life and Tanya's voice could be heard.
"Hi, guys. Sorry about that, I had a little, um, mishap in the lab. I'm okay, though."
"Nosedive, get out here!" Mallory could be heard pounding a nearby door. "You can't hide in there forever!" She yelled.
"I can try!" Nosedive yelled back.
Grin sighed heavily. It seemed that if he were to be one with the Cup, he would have to go somewhere else.
***************
It was a typical Saturday in Anaheim Park, with plenty of people out and enjoying themselves. Nevertheless, Grin managed to find a quiet spot under a tree in by the man-made pond. It wasn't the meditation shrine he had spent so much time constructing in his bunker, but Grin had no complaints. Nature was an excellent substitute.
Grin settled down in front of the Cup. He closed his eyes and began his breathing. Soon his mind was clear. Once again he felt the energy of the Cup wash over him…
"HEEEELP!!" A small voice cried out.
Grin opened his eyes and spotted an overturned paddleboat in the middle of the pond and two small children flailing wildly in the water. Without hesitation Grin grabbed the Cup and dived in. With his powerful strokes he reached the kids in no time; moments later the soggy group arrived on shore.
"Look at that!" Someone yelled. People from all over the park came running.
"Grin, can I have your autograph?"
"Can I touch the cup?"
"What's Duke like in person?"
"Can you give Mallory my phone number?"
The crowd grew larger as more and more people arrived to find out what the fuss was about, including a TV news crew that was at the park covering the dedication of a new gazebo.
"Grin, Grin!" The reporter cried, elbowing her way through the crowd, "what's it like to have the Stanley Cup? Hey, you kids want to step aside? I'm trying to do an interview! Anyway, Grin, did you take the Cup for a swim because you couldn't bear to be parted with it for even a moment?"
Grin signed autographs and posed for pictures for nearly
twenty minutes before he could gracefully excuse himself. He carried the Cup to the duckcycle and
peeled out as quickly as possible.
Grin pondered his next destination as he waited for a stoplight to turn
green. There had to be someplace he
wouldn't be disturbed. Then it hit
him. The light changed and he sped
towards the public library.
***************
As Grin had hoped, the library was quiet. Except of course for the hushed whispers that followed him and the Stanley Cup everywhere they went. He searched the building until he found a small empty room in a dark corner. It was filled with dusty volumes of government rules and regulations for everything from agriculture to zoos. Grin was confident he would not be disturbed.
So once again he sat in front of the Cup. Again he closed his eyes and began to meditate. Again he felt the energy of the Cup. Again…
RATTTATTTTAAATTTRATTTATRTTAAAATATTTAATTTATATTARATAT
The noise was coming from outside. Grin got up and went over to a small window, where he saw a construction crew hard at work on the building next door. Not wishing to move again, he decided to try diplomacy.
If the foreman was surprised to see a large alien duck approach him, he didn't show it. He continued his work even as Grin began talking.
"Pardon me friend, but is there a chance you could work more quietly?"
No response.
Grin tried again. "The worker ant treads softly while building its nest."
The foreman looked up. "Listen, buddy, I don't know about any ant, but I'm three weeks behind schedule and I gotta lot of angry people riding my back. Now unless you're Union get offa my site!" He then went back to work.
And so Grin left cranky foreman's construction site, and the library, far behind. He kept driving long after the city of Anaheim disappeared behind him.
***************
Several hours later Grin pulled over. He surveyed his surroundings; nothing but flat, empty desert as far as the eye could see. The sun had also begun to set, bathing the land and sky in soft shades of yellow, purple and blue. Best of all, he hadn't passed another vehicle for miles. It was perfect.
Grin sat down and faced the Cup. Its aura was strong; the raw energy of the athlete's triumphs sent tremors through his body, growing stronger and stronger…
In fact, the tremors grew so loud that Grin was shaken out of his mediation. The entire desert was trembling. Suddenly the ground under the Cup began to swell. Grin watched in horror as the Cup was raised higher and higher into the air, then sent flying as the mound exploded in a hail of dirt and stones. Grin found himself facing a gigantic worm-like creature, with a giant slobbering mouth that showed of rows of menacing teeth. Perched atop its head was a squat little man dressed in black from head to toe, wearing a helmet and a glowing red visor.
"Tremble in fear, surface dweller!" He bellowed. "I am King Mordork of the Underdwellers! We are taking over the surface world and turning you all into our humble slaves! Surrender now or I will command my army to destroy you and your village!!"
He looked down at Grin. "Well? What do you say?!"
Grin stared at the King for a long moment. Slowly his hands curled into fists and he spoke in a quiet, deliberate tone.
"I say…my inner peace has been disturbed enough for one day!"
He leaped up and delivered a round of punishing blows on the worm. The creature and its rider toppled to the ground. The King barely had time to sit up when Grin laid him out with a single punch.
Grin stood over the King's groaning, battered body. "Perhaps you would like to reconsider your plan." He said.
"Yes," the King croaked. "Me and Wormy are going home and won't even think about coming to the surface again."
Grin nodded. The King limped over to his worm and the two of the slinked back into the hole they came from.
As Grin watched them leave a peaceful feeling washed over him; all the memories of the day drained out of him and were replaced with a soothing calm he hadn't felt in a long time. He retrieved the Cup (which was dusty but otherwise okay) and sat down to mediate. Soon the rest of the world melted away and it was just Grin and the Stanley Cup. And this time not even the fleet of eighteen-wheelers, the cattle stampede, or the jet plane that made an emergency landing could shake him out of it.
***************
Only 2 ducks to go! Can the Stanley Cup survive? Stay tuned…
