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The air was balmy, the sky was dark. A light breeze rustled high in the trees leaving the ground to swelter, a gathering from all around to see the miracle happen, as the clocks hands ticked down each second, minute and hour as the crackling noise continues. One by one they slowly came, standing around the cover, a wooden triangle nestled in the golden hay. The moon, shined high above as the only light on the ground, leaving a blue hue to everything it touched. First a black bandy hen, only six inches tall came and lay waiting with eyes of red watching. Time passes, the air now starts to cool, two by two, four Rhode Island Reds slowly without making a sound join the bandy and lay in waiting, pecking the ground on occasion to eat the bug passing through. The night air moves gently now cooling off the land, as the sweltering heat leaves and the comforting breeze gently massages the faces of all who wait. A soft sound waddle, waddle, flap, flap of the webbed feet of the four ducks of all color making there way up to the rise where their friends wait, as they all find there spot to watch. The ruffling of their feathers and the swishing of the tails all in unison as they become comfortable in the soft dirt. Deep into the night the soft sounds of crackling and makes the excitement rise. Flop, Flop, Flop, a muffled honk and a chatter of a hard black bill, the ruler of the land, a Canadian Honker, Grey with a black face and neck that stretches out to see into the shed. Shaking back and forth and stretching up into the sky in a quiver, as if to say time is near, stands patiently. The moon now moving into the resting spot over the rise, as the light deems on the land as three magnificent golden animals walk slowly to the triangle. All who wait lay still, in slight fear. Wondering if the miracle is worth there lives. Heads low to the ground smelling all who wait, feathers softly tickling their nostrils as they move in and out as each of their sense are taken in. Their eyes now closed and heads lowered with relief and allowing the magnificent golden animals to join in on the miracle. A soft whimper a whine and a sound that catches their ears. Three heads turn to the side to catch each movement in the shelter. Another sound and another, now their bodies all tense the sounds become more frequent. The older of the three now bows and stretches out her front legs, her tail wagging with excitement as reality hits her on what is happening . The other two watch her as well as the shelter in amazement. Time passes, as more sounds and crackling come from the shelter. The three Danes, one standing and two laying with ears up and at attention tuned into the shelter as they begin to feel the excitement through their bodies as they quiver, when a light shines down from a brilliant star now high in the sky, the bandy, the Rhode Islands, and the ducks all look up, the Goose now stands as she looks up into the blanket of glitter, the Great Danes all follow and look up into the darkness of night with a glowing of a light that seems to shine only on them and the shelter. A Beep is made. All heads in one swift movement from all, turn to look into the triangular shelter and listen, as another beep happens and then another and another, as they all look from the shelter to each other and back, the miracle has happened. Under the soft white downy feathers pop out the heads of 12 ducklings. As they look at the faces of all those who came and joined in on the night life was given. They responded with beep, beep, beep. And a reply of honk, honk, cluck, cluck, quack, quack and sounds of whimpers and whines. Everyone rejoiced in the new life. That night the ducks went to the pond, the Goose still stood by her neck stretch out straight honking and hissing, the Chickens all fluffed and spied with their heads cocked to the side and one eye on the ground, scratching and pecking, and the magnificent Golden Danes rushed around the land at top speed, chasing each other and rolling on the cool grass with the biggest smiles on each face. Beep, beep, beep now is the noise we hear and the big brown eyes watching each day as they grow with the love in their hearts because they watched the miracle of life in their yard. Suzanne Leighton Northumbria Danes, So. Calif
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