Putting the Tooth Paste Back Into the Tube

When it's never enough

It was a harmless act, or so he thought.

The ducks and geese at the local park were waddling around looking for food, causing mayhem in ganglike fashion and just doing anything they pleased. When Kyle bought a pound of duck food at the pet store earlier in the week, he thought he would help the ducks out a bit.

Was he ever wrong.

As soon as Kyle ripped open the bag, swarms of the waddlers caught a whiff of the food and were now part of Kyle’s intimate posse. He thought he could throw out some food and have the duckies follow him as if he were the next Pied Piper.

But that wasn’t what happened.

At all.

The ducks, geese, pigeons, and crows came for supper even after Kyle threw out the last of the food. They didn’t care that the label said duck food. They were there for the free handouts. The more he had, the more they wanted.

Even as he walked away from those still searching on the ground, they knew from whence it came.

“That’s all I have, Duckies,” he said out loud. “That’s all I have.”

His first inclination after fleeing the gaggle of geese and the flock of ducks was to get more food, but then he realized they’d only want more after he returned.

Anything he bought would never be enough.

When he opened the door to his home across the street, Rex, his German Shepherd, smothered him with affection. Kyle shut the door behind him and looked back at the water fowl who were still following him. They knew where their food resource lived and would no doubt visit often. He only worried they’d learn how to ring the doorbell or knock on the door to get free handouts.