HEAVEN-SENT REAL LIFE
Lucinda Barton, 35, from Truro, has asmall creature that filled a big hole in her heart…
Pulling up at the local farm shop for our weekly food shop, I made amental note of what we needed.
Milk, bread, veg...
Only, as I arrived that day in 2016 with my dad Louie, 79, I spotted the owner walking across the yard with abucket.
What’s he got in there? I thought curiously.
Approaching the man, he held the bucket out.
Inside was afluffy chick and another bird with amuch longer beak –aduckling.
‘Our eggs got mixed up at the farm,’ he said. ‘I don’t know what to do with the duck!’
He’d meant to sell the eggs, but achick had hatched.
Only, he never expected a duck to crawl out of the other egg, too!
‘He’s so sweet,’ I cooed. ‘You can have him if you want?’ he suggested.
‘Okay, I’ll take him in,’ I said. Having never had apet duck before, Iknew there would be a lot to learn –Iwas used to taking care of my dog Apache.
But holding the fluffy duckling, he was asign for me.
Losing my mum Sharon on 4 July 2007 to breast cancer at the age of 40, Iwas just 19.
I struggled with grief and depression after losing Mum – she was my best friend.
Although I tried to keep busy, supporting my younger sister Mary, now 28, I felt like I was falling apart.
The only thing that kept me going was our pets –Mum was ahuge animal lover.
We had three dogs and at one point, we had 11 cats!
‘Why don’t we get aduck?’ she asked Dad one day.
‘Where are you going to keep it?’ Dad scoffed, confused. ‘In the bath?’ So, we laughed it off. But years later, Itook in the tiny duck just two days after the anniversary of Mum’s death – 6July 2016.
Maybe Mum sent him for me, I thought.
Naming him Charlie Feathers, my duck honoured Mum’s favourite musician.
Dad even built him awooden coop in the garden.
However, the early days were achallenge.
Relying on Google, I discovered there was more to duck care than I thought.
Ihad to look out for diseases like cholera and feed Charlie small worms from the pet shop.
With Charlie sleeping on my pillow, Iwoke up every couple of hours to hand-feed him.
He gave me something to get out of bed for.
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