Breaking the Laws of Nature

Well before the wildlife warning signs were on station at Mackle Park, a home with a Marco Beach Boy and Girl learned a most valuable lesson: Do not ever attempt foolish experiments against the laws of nature!

Most signs are well-positioned and stationed for a reason. The wording or symbols will warn passers-by of danger, hazards or maybe just offer good advice. Along the walking and jogging track encircling the lake at Mackle Park, there are now signs warning against feeding the wildlife.

The following is a true story and will – hopefully - offer a lesson to help others from creating monsters and Breaking the Laws of Nature.

Over the years, there has been a noticeable increase in wildlife on the lake at Mackle Park. More anglers than ever are plying the fertile waters, and an occasional turtle will be observed crossing the jogging track, but there is a community of creatures on the lake that are lying in wait to stagger the imagination. They are resilient in the water; they are very fast when they choose to be, and when feeding, they are relentless, intelligent, and well-organized.

This disturbing story begins innocently enough on a peaceful night when a Beach Boy and Girl were grilling out on their terrace. The couple were facing the water when one of the Mackle Park ducks waddled across the grass and came to visit the grilling area. The duck was a good-looking fellow, apparently friendly, so without a thought, the human inhabitants of the little castle tossed out some breadcrumbs and watched as the new friend with feathers greedily pecked the grass and gobbled up every morsel.

This was only the beginning. Dr. Frankenstein probably started out this way: just an innocent idea that somehow spiraled out of control.

The next evening the islanders were once again out on the terrace. It was a wonderful sunset scene; the grill was on, cocktails were in hand, and a balmy breeze was blowing across the lake. Everything was perfect when the new feathered friend from the day before came waddling across the grass. It was obviously the same duck, and the human couple foolishly thought he’s back, let’s get out the breadcrumbs.

The following evening just before sunset, the new friend with feathers came waddling up, but this time he had a girlfriend. Once again, the foolish humans began to tempt the laws of nature. There were no more breadcrumbs, so a box of cornflakes came out of the pantry. The new feathered friends devoured the offering and then started signaling for more with hard little stares and impatient clicking and puffing noises. Many more cornflakes came out for the feeding experiment, but before the ducks were finished, the humans retreated into the little castle on the lake.

The next night the same two ducks returned but this time they had several new guests for dinner. On the third night, there were five very large and aggressive ducks pecking away at cornflakes and shredding the grass.

Foolishly, the Marco Beach Boy and Girl still thought this was amusing - just like Igor watching Dr. Frankenstein with the early experiments.

The following evening, there were fourteen ducks. They were all waiting at the edge of the patio, pecking at the grass and making those now familiar clicking and puffing noises, and the little hard stares were starting to become creepy.

Just as with Dr. Frankenstein’s experiments, this is when Breaking the Laws of Nature began to go terribly wrong. The ducks were now demanding more than anyone could offer. They were out of control! The cornflakes were gone, and on that fateful evening, an entire loaf of bread was the offering for the animated hordes that were now creatures of the night and waiting outside in the dark.

The following afternoon ten ducks were waiting in the driveway when the Beach Boy came home from work. There was also - on the surface of the driveway - the messy and smelly evidence that the Frankenstein ducks had been waiting for quite some time. When the Beach Boy opened his vehicle door, the frantic creatures came crowding forward, and when the Beach Boy fled inside and slammed the door to the little castle, the Beach Girl ran to the entrance and exclaimed. “They have been waiting all day!”

This scenario must have been very similar to when Dr. Frankenstein retreated from a mob of angry villagers. That evening the sliding door to the terrace was open long enough to toss out a bag of pretzels. The feeding frenzy that followed was not easy to watch.

On the final night, the ducks were waiting on the road next to the driveway. They were in the front yard, huddled next to the garage and waiting near the foyer. There must have been at least twenty. Alfred Hitchcock would have been proud.

When the door slammed shut again and the foolish humans were safely inside, the Beach Girl peaked around the kitchen corner. “Did you see how many there are?” she said, “They have been waiting for hours.”

 “I saw them,” the Beach Boy replied, “What should we do?”

There’s nothing left for them to eat,” the girl crossed her arms, “I say we’re finished before it’s too late. We have created monsters!”

Before an answer was possible, there was a sharp knocking on the patio slider. The couple looked at each other in disbelief. No, it couldn’t be, was the only thought possible, but it was true, the ducks were swarming, and the original ringleader was knocking on the sliding glass door with his beak. Was he knocking to get in? No one wanted to know. The thought was too terrible to consider.

The following week was not pleasant and there were retaliatory duck droppings everywhere, but after two weeks with no feeding, the animated duck hordes dissipated. To this day, however, there are always at least two ducks in the backyard every evening for sunset. The little hard stares are still there, and they seem to be waiting for a sequel of Breaking the Laws of Nature.