Watch

Though their beginnings were different, the same guiding hand of human kindness led them to sanctuary. And somehow, to each other. Ridley came with legs that did not quite agree with their will, each step a craggy negotiation that more often than not ended in failure. But their spirit? It blazed. It was clear little Ridley didn’t just want to live, Ridley wanted to belong.

Dapper Duck arrived almost entirely covered in fluff. Their baby down was already surrendering to a new suit of speckled and spectacular feathers, as though Dapper was growing into confidence one plume at a time.

And now the two are inseparable.

They’ve recently graduated from their tiny splash-about pond to what, to them, must feel like an Olympic pool. Back and forth they go, lap after lap, as though training for something very important. Ridley, proud and vocal, calls out as if to announce the moment: “Hey, look. Look what I can do. Look how far I’ve come” and flaps their tiny wings as though the applause is waiting.

From the sidelines, Xena provides the commentary with all the gusto of a duck who believes the world, or at least that trough, was built for her pleasure and hers alone. She watches them cutting through the water and quacks indignantly, as if calling time: “Hey! That’s mine!”

Ridley doesn’t seem to notice and neither does Dapper. Dapper stays close to their buddy, sweet and a little shy, letting Ridley’s boldness make the world feel safer. In Ridley, Dapper has found a steady star and in Dapper, Ridley has found someone who never looks away.

And that is why the title of this story is Watch.

Because when we slow down long enough to truly watch, the world opens itself to us. We see animals beyond armchair assumptions or vested interests. We see friendships forming, courage finding its webbed feet and joy learning to swim. And we see humour and hope carried on small wings and lives unfolding without spectacle.

If only the world watched a little more.