8. Ducklings
He heard her voice before he saw her. She was speaking in a soft coaxing tone, bidding the ducklings at the lake to get closer. From his vantage point, in the shadows of the large willow tree situated atop a grassy hill, he could vaguely make out the outline of a loaf of bread and what he deduced were bread crumbs in the palms of her outstretched hands.
He watched as she inched closer to the ducklings ever so slowly in her crouched position as to avoid frightening the little creatures. Again, he heard her speak in an almost motherly tone.
"It's alright, I won't hurt you. Come on."
He drunk in the scene below him and realized that he had never seen Usagi acting so peaceful and calm. Contrary to her usual vivacious demeanor that was not unlike the Energizer Bunny, the girl before him was the epitome of serenity.
Not wanting to disrupt her, but unable to keep away, he decided to join her down by the lake.
"What have you got there Odango?" he asked. As if he hadn't been watching her for the last twenty minutes.
She looked startled for a moment, wrinkling her face at the dreaded nickname. Then she quickly regained her composure in a matter of seconds as she turned her focus back to the feeding ducks.
"Go away Mamoru-baka, you're going to scare them off," she spoke with the same tranquillity she had used on the ducks, although this time, there was a hint of annoyance in her words.
"Sorry," he whispered back. "Do you mind if I have a piece?" He gestured to the loaf of bread emerging from a paper bag beside her on the ground.
She shrugged, and he took the response as a signal to help himself. He ripped off a chunk of the loaf and imitated her crouch, offering the bread to the ducklings. As one began to approach them hesitantly, she spoke again, her voice so low that Mamoru had to lean in close and strain his ears to catch her words.
"This one's my favourite," she said. "See how his feathers are different from the rest?"
He surveyed the small army of ducklings paddling along in the water nearby and noticed that their little friend was in fact dissimilar to them. Rather than sporting the same charming yellow coat as its siblings, its body was covered in distinct patches of chestnut-coloured down.
"He reminds me of the children's tale, The Ugly Duckling," she went on. "In the story, a swan egg had accidentally rolled out of its nest and found its way into a duck nest. The poor thing grew up as an outcast from his brothers and sisters and spent most of his childhood believing that he was the ugliest duckling there was. There is a happy ending though - one day, he wandered farther out into the pond than ever before and discovered a whole flock of birds just like himself. Realizing that he was never a duck to begin with, he finally saw himself as beautiful the way he was."
"That's a very lovely story Usagi."
She nodded her head. "I always loved that tale. It just goes to show that uniqueness can be beautiful too."
Mamoru stole a glance at the girl beside him, Odangos and all, and he couldn't agree with her more.
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