A personal creative non-fiction piece

Originally published: February 6, 2014

The exhilarated sound of daredevils screaming at the thrill of the Dæmonen (The Demon) only juxtaposes the greying colour of the sky. Enormous clouds loom overhead the Tivoli Gardens, an amusement park that stands at an extraordinary 170 years old. In the enchanting city of Copenhagen – home to The Little Mermaid, the brightly coloured houses of Nyhavn, and the boutiques of Strøget – my parents and I braved the gloomy weather and set foot into Tivoli. A storm was brewing in the distance, but we did not let that hinder us. Surrounded by the crisp scent of foreign nature and the pleasant petrichor of Danish soils, we walked into a fairytale world.

Strolling along streets lined with quaint European village houses, ever so faintly grazing the grounds of replicated Chinese temples, and promenading in admiration past the famous and exclusively exquisite Nimb Hotel, our trip inside Tivoli was put to a halt with the racket of loud honks - not of horns, nor of vehicles, but of a mother duck. My curiosity and fascination with animals drove me in the direction of the frantic noise, as I wandered off ahead of my parents. A pair of white ducks was distraught and rushing about, their ducklings close by. I did not realize what was happening until my parents, who had finally caught up to me, gestured towards the tiny man-made hole of a pond to my right. There, ever so slightly quacking in a bundle of fuzzy grey feathers, was a duckling, struggling to regroup with its family. Being surrounded by tall rocks and dirt slippery from the rain, it could not reach land. I desperately wished to help the poor duckling; however, I chose to watch the situation unfold, not wanting to disturb the natural way of life for animals. As my parents and I attentively watched Papa Duck and Mama Duck frantically search and call out to their lost youngling, other visitors of the park stopped their journey in Tivoli to observe the situation as well. We all knew better than to make physical contact with the duckling, as we did not want to injure it. So, all we could do was just stand there, helplessly, and watch this family of desperate ducks as they struggled to reunite with one another.

After some fifteen minutes of feeling utterly helpless, a very kindhearted (and clever) couple stepped up to the plate and called for the aid of some park personnel. Two burly and scruffy Danish men in their black park uniforms arrived at the scene, a petite cardboard box in hand. At the sight of these towering and strange figures, the duckling paddled vigorously towards land, in an attempt to escape from these two pairs of gigantic hands. Trying their best not to frighten or injure the duckling, crouching behind the long blades of water plants, they gently coaxed it into the box and respectfully let it go near its family. The heroes of the day were recognized with happy cheers and sighs of relief from the crowd, as the duckling rapidly waddled its way back to safe land. The family was reunited on the cobblestoned path, the lost duckling welcomed back with warmth, basking in the sunlight. No longer a broken family, the ducks waddled off into the midst of the fantastical Tivoli Gardens.

The trip to Denmark and other countries in Northern Europe marked the final large-scaled family trip prior to my entry into university. I am leaving the comfort of residing with my parents and wandering off into new places, exploring a new world – just like this duckling who deviated from the safety and comfort of its family to explore the pond, all on its own. I have walked with my parents for 18 years, and come September, I will be on my own. Like the rides at Tivoli, it will be a thrill, but I will miss the bigger picture: spending time with my family amongst this thrill. Family will always be family, caring for one another despite the circumstances, distance, and species. Although my parents will not be physically with me, I know that they will keep honking on, making sure that their little duck is safe on whatever adventure she is off to.

- Cynthia Y.