1. Ducks on stage
In a world just one step away from here lives Lorely the duck, with her three ducklings: Lilly, Lolly and Lally.
The little family lives in a lake within a large park. And the Lake lovingly embraces them all, holding them in its waters. The flowers, trees, and all the other animals live in harmony around its shores ...
In a world just one step away from here lives Lorely the duck, with her three ducklings: Lilly, Lolly and Lally. The little family lives in a lake within a large park. And the Lake lovingly embraces them all, holding them in its waters. The flowers, trees, and all the other animals live in harmony around its shores ...
I would like to introduce the characters of this story - begins the Lake. Then, huffing and puffing, he drags Lorely and the three little ducks out of the current ...
“This way you’ll get to know them better. Come on you there, introduce yourselves!” urges the Lake.
Lorely the duck is the main character of this story, but she really does not like being in the spotlight.
So she steps forward, wrapping a leaf around her head like a bandana, hardly visible on her green and brown feathers, and explains: “I use this to protect myself from the sun, but I feel it also comforts me in my daily chores. I am a very busy mummy duck, with three ducklings to look after, and I have so many things to take care of ...”.
Mummy duck does not even have the time to complete her speech, because her daughter jumps in and “My turn! My turn!” shouts Lally. She grabs a flower to adorn her head and begins: “I am the only girl in the family, and that’s why my brothers love me so much. When I grow up I want to be a singer, and then I hope one day I can leave the boring life here around this lake, and become a star!”. She then opens her wings and bows and, before turning around, bats her long eyelashes in search of consensus and returns to her place.
Two roses look at her going away from them and whisper: “A duck singer? Everybody knows that ducks are out of tune even when they speak!” “I would not worry so much about this, Roselle” comments the other rose, called Rosette “but if today she picked a tulip to dress her head, this means she’s so vain that, who knows, tomorrow she might choose one of us”. And then they both sigh: “Ah, how hard is the life of us queens of flowers.”
“Hurry up Lilly, it's your turn, now” - calls the Lake.
Lilly, a skinny and ruffled boy-duck, can hardly walk. Staggering to the left and to the right, he manages to reach the speaker’s spot. “I am Lilly, the oldest son of the family” he says, “ I am not so fond of the lake waters and I much prefer the park lawns where I can make friends with other animals and children. But I have to be very careful, because the slightest breeze can make me lose my balance and fall”.
“Okay Lilly, that’s enough. Come on, Lolly, it’s your turn.” announces the Lake.
“Lolly, Lolly! ... where is he?” asks the worried mother.
“He was here a second ago!” says Lally.
And then in a weak voice: “Not that I have seen him, but ...” says Lilly, with a guilty air.
“But what?” say all the others at the same time. “But I bet he's underwater again ...”.
“Lake, oh Lake, you deal with it please! Only you can fish him out!”
The Lake puffs again and here comes Lolly.
“Lolly” says his mom, telling him off, "what were you doing? It’s your turn now!”.
“Yeah mom, I’m sorry, you’re right – says Lolly apologizing. "I just felt a little peckish ...”
With his totally opposite build, the youngest of the three duck brothers is in fact the most plumpy and glutton, and he is wearing a colourful snorkelling mask to have a better underwater view.
“Unlike my brother, as you have certainly noticed, I by far prefer being underwater and play with the fish that dash here and there.”
“And eat” adds Lally, with a disapproving tone, “always eat!”.
“All right, all right” says the Lake cutting it short. “Now, my dear ducks, we are all here.
The story can begin...
The trees bend their branches over the Lake, the curtain closes, to be re-opened soon.
Angela Falcone
Illustrations of Chiara Tomati