Gurning Pond shimmered gold in the morning light. Dragonflies dotted the air like living jewels.
Waddles waddled right past Bert. "Eww! You just ate a wriggly bug!" He did a silly imitating dance.
Bert's eyebrow twitched. He hopped — splash — and disappeared into the reeds.
Next, Waddles mimicked Paddy's slippery crawl. Then he tapped Sable's shell with a reed stem.
The pond went quiet. Even the dragonflies stopped hovering.
Waddles waddled over the old muddy bank to show off. Snap — his webbed foot got pinched in scratchy blackberry stems.
He flapped and pulled, but the prickly vines held tight. Waddles let out a worried quack.
Bert appeared from the reeds, unhurried. He hooked a long leg under Waddles' wing and gave a steady pull.
The stems sprang free. Waddles tumbled onto soft mud, breathing hard.
That night, the pond settled into a deep blue silence.
The next morning, Waddles placed a fat green beetle at Bert's edge. "For you," he said.
Bert blinked slowly and took the beetle with a small nod. They sat together and watched the pond.