Drama and Pathos at the Pool

Just before water aerobics began this morning someone noticed a duck and her eight babies on the opposite side of the pool. Everyone, of course, ooed and ahhed about how cute the ducklings were.

As we entered the pool, Mom Duck jumped in also, followed shortly by all eight of her ducklings. They were happily swimming along (maybe they liked the Jersey Boys tape that was playing for our class?) but the life guards had to spring into action and "rescue" these poor ducks before they were hurt by the chlorine. So six teenagers armed with the giant nets and kick boards tried to catch the ducklings. The ducklings freaked and took off all over the pool. Mom duck, meanwhile, has jumped out of the pool and stands watching her babies, terrified.

Then the aerobics instructor gets into the act. She takes a kick board and is able to put it under a couple of the ducklings and lift them to the pool side. Mom duck, however, jumps back in the pool followed by her recently rescued babies and we're back to square one.

Meanwhile we're jumping, cross-country skiing and doing jumping jacks with our eyes glued to the pathos on the other side of the pool.

Eventually one of the guards caught one of the ducklings in a net, but it jumped out of the net almost instantly and took off for the landscaped area near the kiddie pool. All the lifeguards (minus the one who is making sure that ten women don't fall over dead from the excitement) go to the kiddie pool in search of the errant duckling.

Meanwhile, more drama is unfolding. Mom duck is out of the pool and her remaining ducklings are in the water near her. They are jumping like crazy trying to get out of the pool....but the ledge is just a smidgen too high. They jump and jump and jump and eventually one makes it to the ledge. A roar from the aerobics crowd goes up....Touchdown!! One by one the rest of the ducklings eventually get out and rejoin Mom Duck. When they are reunited, they waddle off towards the diving well, leaving behind the baby still by the kiddie pool. Oh, no!

Fifteen minutes pass. Suddenly one of the guards appears cradling baby duck in his hands. He walks to the diving well area, finds the other ducks, and Mom Duck welcomes back her last duckling into the fold.

All's well with the world!