[for Max]

[adifferentlife]

The days are starting to feel cooler in the afternoons, and it's weather that Sybil enjoys. The heat of the summer had felt harsh to her, harsher than the one before. She's determined to enjoy it, spending the late afternoon in the park with a book. A blanket laid out by the duck pond, she has some crackers to nibble on as she relaxes in the warmth of the sun and the cool breeze that works its way through the trees.

What she hadn't considered was the determination of the ducks. Scenting something akin to bread, they'd descended upon her, waddling over in droves until she's forced to flee. Sybil throws the remains of the crackers at them, shouting at them to go away. It's embarrassing to say the least, and she only hopes that no one has seen her.

Comments

[silverhammer]

Max thinks that Jude's in the park somewhere, selling drawings or something. He's reaching into his pockets for his portable phone to call him— and is starting to think that he left it at home by mistake— when he gets to the lake and sees Sybil.

And a hell of a lot of ducks.

"Jesus," Max says, and he's about to rush over to put himself between the bids and Sybil, and probably get himself pecked half to death in the process, but when she throws a bunch of crackers at them, they seem more interested in that than in chasing her.

"Hey! Sybil, you okay?" he calls, approaching at a less rushed pace than he would have if ducks weren't so easily distracted.

[adifferentlife]

As much as she's hoped to not see anyone that she knows, there's also a relief in hearing Max's voice. The ducks seem distracted enough for the moment, and she backs away, pulling her blanket and book to her chest. "Fine. I'm fine. Just surprised."

[silverhammer]

"Never come between a duck and crackers, man," Max replies, and for a second, he'd worried whether or not they'd start after him for nearly stepping in.

"Or bread. Either way, they're killers."

One of the ducks gathered around the crackers that Sybil had thrown seemed to look over at them after Max's comment, quacking once before going back to fighting for crumbs.

[adifferentlife]

“I wonder now,” she says, a laugh bubbling up at the silliness of this all. She’s picturing herself running in fear from the birds, and can’t help but laugh. “The elderly women who feed them must be quite fierce to stand in their face without wavering.”

[silverhammer]

"No, they've just got about a million of those little candies in their handbags to throw," Max replies, remembering how his own grandmother used to have caramels all the time.

Jesus, it's been a long time since he thought about her.

"You've gotta admit, it's a decent distraction."