Have You Ever Rescued a Worm From the Sidewalk?
    The occasional car drove slowly past our house on our rural road. The morning light bringing with it people on the way to the dump or just looking for a shortcut. What started like a normal morning, would be one that changed me profoundly. Suddenly, it became one of the most prominent memories of my life. My brothers and I were playing in front of our house on the farm. Our mother was sitting on the porch checking her various e-mails. Just 12 or 13 at the time, I was not much younger than I am now, but the difference between that Emerson and the Emerson I am now is irreversible. Because my family was ready early, we were waiting to go to school by kicking a soccer ball back and forth and wasting time by laughing and playing. I noticed the ducks from our neighbor’s pond crossing the street on their daily journey to hang out with our ducks and turkeys, and forage in our orchard. We did not mind, in fact, it was nice to see them wandering around together. There were five in this group and they looked around warily before stepping onto the pavement. We were always nervous when the ducks crossed the road, although we had never had been given a reason to be nervous. Before that day.
The three of us looked to our right, when suddenly we heard a truck speeding up the road. It was travelling well above the speed limit. We had stopped playing to watch the duck trek as we often did.  They really are not meant to walk on land. One had not stepped onto the road yet, but four were halfway across. The truck did not slow down. Instead we heard the engine rev. I expected the driver to slam on the brakes. But as the truck crested the hill, we could tell that when the driver saw the ducks, he went faster. The world seemed to slow down as I realized what was about to happen. The ducks panicked and tried to fly, but it was too late. The truck plowed through them as the driver continued to accelerate. It even looked like he swerved to hit more of them
Two of the ducks popped, eyes out, blood and organs red on the black road. The other two had made it into the air, but not far enough as one broke a wing and the other a leg.  The remaining duck that escaped harm, backed hurriedly away from the road. As he sped by us, the driver threw something out of the window. As it shattered into a million pieces of green light I realized he had thrown a beer bottle against a tree.  The glass remnants were a reminder of that horrible morning as we continued to find pieces for years.
Looking back, it is hard not to be filled with hatred for this driver. Hatred for the act  mixed with sadness and pity for the person’s ignorance and carelessness. Sadness and pity for people who turn to violence when inconvenienced by ducks on a rural trek. I can only hope he did not know what he was doing. Did he know he was impacting a child and killing more than just ducks? Did he think about the impact his careless act would have? This was the first time I had seen someone kill an animal with disrespect and with malice, and for no reason. Because of the environment I grew up in I was always taught to treat the animals and environment with respect. While we raised animals for food, we honored and respected them as living creatures.  It was quite shocking to see people like this driver, who have no respect for the world and its residents. That morning marked the beginning of the death of my innocence. Emerson the innocent was as dead as the two ducks remaining in the middle of the road.
When we recovered from the shock enough to think again, I ran in and told our father. He came out, and as my mother and I tried to catch the injured ducks, he went to tell the neighbor what we had seen. The three ducks remaining from that group seldom came across the road after that. I remember one day seeing the one with a broken leg, mostly healed although still walking strangely and I was reminded again of that terrible morning. I have never quite recovered from the shock, and even now remember it vividly. That someone could care so little for all the lives in our world that he was willing to purposely destroy life. That day shook my faith in humanity and reminds me of the flaws of our kind. It reminds me of those who still need to be reeducated to have more respect for our world and the creatures in it.
I am the one who gathers up the hurt ducks and helps them. Who are you?

                                                                                                                By Emerson Borghardt