I was in a cage with no room to move about and I was covered in bandages and deeply in pain, and I hated it. I had never felt so violated in my life. I had lost a fight, lost consciousness, and it seems I had lost my freedom. Where was I and what was going to happen to me. As an educated duck I could read the English words on the wall but I did not understand them, something about a Chinese Market, and words like dim sum, chopsticks, steamed dumplings. Where was I?

I lived in that cage for over 3 months with out change. I learned that the towering figures that had attacked me were thinking creatures of a type I was to learn more about in the near future. I could not understand half of what they said because they were speaking a language I had never encountered but some of their talk was in English so I learned that I was now in the city of Boston and they were waiting until I was over my beating and fattened up before they did something with me that I never fully understood. I had little choice so I listened to them and sought new ways to learn about my surroundings. As the time progressed and I started to feel better it became evident that what was to happen to me would not be a good thing from my point of view. I watched, listened and planned for any way I could think of to get away from this place and one day it happened, they left the cage door loosely locked. Before they had always been very careful to make sure the latch was all of the way down in the catch but today the front door opened and a customer yelled for their help just as they were finishing up with the cleaning of my cage. I waited, it was hard, but I waited until they were fully occupied and I knew that they would not be back for several parts of the day and I pushed the door open and slowly worked my way through thecage door and down to the floor.

Now where was I to go. I knew from watching that I was in a room with only one exit and that is the way they had gone when they had left. I looked hard and remembered the window high up on the wall that I had dismissed before because I could not fly very well. It was a hope, not one I was happy about, but a hope. I had been in the cage for several months and I realized that the leading edges of my wings had softened some so maybe I could fly out the window if it was open. It was and I decided to take the plunge and waddled my way across the room flapping my wings until I felt my self lift into the air. I was airborne and headed toward the window. I was out of practice and large for the window so when I approached it I knew that I would not get through without hurting myself but I had little choice. I felt my wing tear as I sailed through the window and fell out the other side into a smelly box of stale food and old moldy things. I knew that I was not safe yet as I was too close to where I had been held captive when I felt the box move. It lifted into the air and turned on it’s side until the contents slide out and took me with them. My freedom was short lived as I knew that I had been caught already and would soon find myself back in the cage. Then the lights went out. Movement, loud noises, stink, jerks and bangs filled the darkness and I knew somehow that I was getting further from my captors every minute. Was I safe? Not yet I decided but I felt better about it all. I had a torn wing, I was dirty, I stunk, but I was moving and I was alive.

A squeal, a crashing noise and the light flooded the room. I could see a box rising into the air and turning toward me when I decided to get out of this place. I stumbled to the edge of the opening and jumped into the air. just as the box turned back away from me and I fell inside.

It was an empty box with an open top and with my torn wing I knew that I would have a had time getting out. Rather then try I decide that this might be a safe place to spend some time healing from my injuries. Little did I know the fate in store for me as I settled down for the night and If I had known then what I know now would I have changed anything? I like to think that I would not but I can not see what I could have done differently in any event.

Ed