It was pouring rain and barely light out as I pulled out of my neighborhood onto the old county road with no shoulder.
Five neighborhood ducks were in the middle of the road. Two had just been hit by a passing car. Their backs were pinned to the pavement and their necks were waving wildly as they struggled to get up.
They were surrounded by the remaining three ducks...all in shock. They were waiting, loyally. Waiting for the dying ducks to get up.
The sheer horror of the situation was evident by the way the other ducks were standing there, pacing back and forth...watching two of their own die. They looked desperate...trying not to get squashed themselves but keeping a watchful eye on the others.
I'm certain they felt the despair that I did as I passed.
By the time I returned to the spot in the road where the ducks had been, the dying ducks were a pile of macerated roadkill. The morning rush had decimated them. The other ducks were gone.
I won't forget it. Ever.
I'm sorry. That sort of thing happens right in front of us and we are powerless to do anything and it wakes us up to the realities of life on this planet.
ReplyDeleteWhat a terrible thing to deal with! I'm so sorry you're stuck with those feelings and images.
ReplyDeleteAndrea