Small-town police work was usually pretty routine for Officer Wilkins, but nothing could have prepared him for the sight that greeted him one quiet Tuesday morning. An ancient pickup truck puttering down the road with what looked like at least fifty ducks crammed into the bed – some standing, some sitting, all quacking loudly and flapping their wings in the breeze.
He immediately activated his lights and pulled over the vehicle. The driver, a spry old fellow with a mischievous grin, rolled down his window. “Is there a problem, officer?” he asked innocently, as if driving a truck full of waterfowl was the most normal thing in the world. Officer Wilkins sternly informed him that transporting loose animals through town was against ordinances and that he needed to take the ducks to the zoo immediately.
“Yes sir, officer sir,” the old man replied with exaggerated seriousness, tipping his hat before slowly driving away, the ducks’ quacks fading into the distance.
Imagine Officer Wilkins’ astonishment when he saw the same truck the very next day – but now every single duck was sporting tiny, perfectly-fitted sunglasses! They looked absolutely ridiculous sitting there in the truck bed like a bunch of feathery tourists. The officer pulled the truck over again, demanding to know why his instructions hadn’t been followed.
The old man just chuckled and explained, “Oh we did exactly what you said, officer! Took the whole flock to the zoo yesterday – they had a wonderful time. But on the drive home, they started making such a fuss about wanting to go to the beach today that I just had to oblige. Can’t you see they’ve got their beachwear on and everything?” Officer Wilkins stood there dumbfounded as the truck full of sunglass-clad ducks drove off toward the lake, leaving him questioning whether he’d just been outsmarted by a bunch of birds.
