When the Ducklings Crossed the Parking Lot

On a Tuesday afternoon in May, traffic stopped completely in the parking lot of our grocery store. A mother duck was leading eleven ducklings from the drainage pond to the creek on the other side.

Nobody honked. A man in a delivery truck got out and walked beside them like a crossing guard. A cashier came out of the store, still in her apron, to block cars at the far end. Kids pressed their faces against car windows.

It took the ducks about six minutes to cross. There was a nervous moment at the curb, when the smallest duckling couldn't make the jump, and a teenager very gently lifted it up and set it beside its mother.

When they disappeared into the reeds, the whole parking lot applauded. Then everyone went back to their errands, smiling at each other like they shared a secret. In a way, we did.