THE WHISTLE of THE MUTE DUCK

THE WHISTLE OF THE MUTE DUCK

Cyril Theodor Machiavelli , he was an electronic engineer, and a biochemical, a lover of molecular biology and robotics, a scholar of the evolution, especially regarding animals and plants. He was also an archeologist, who had taken part in excavations in Central Asia and in Mexico, which had led to important discovers of past,  ancient civilizations. So, when he had undertaken the realization of that true wonder that was his Carol he had been able   to use all the uncommon knowledge he had. As seeing  her,  the mute duck created by Cyril Theodor  Machiavelli, her  features were those, or almost those , of any other mute duck with black feathers. The very special duck created by professor Machiavelli carried  her body, rather  massive but, above all, large____carried it around____lying  on  her short legs, as if it were the shelf of a table.  The yellow of the legs and of the large webbed feet stood against the black shiny feathers.

Carol,  she  had a large beak, and that kind of red crest , or mask, on her head, around the eyes up to the base of the beak, where it ( the crest) ended up in lush wattles. But the black mute duck to which Cyril Theodor Machiavelli had given birth , she was only nearly identical to ducks of her breed, since she was considerably larger and thicker, and  her neck was much longer of the one of the other mute ducks.

Everyone wanted to see Cyril Theodor  Machiavelli’s wonderful mute duck, whose photos had appeared in the newspapers, which had also appeared in television shows, and yet no one was able to know exactly ( to establish) whether  the duck, although she was undoubtedly a product of genetic engineering ( despite having been obtained through genetic engineering) was nevertheless an animal , a duck in flesh and blood or, rather  a completely artificial bionic being, a kind of robot.  There were even rumors saying that Carol, yes, she was a bionic  being , but to which , however, her creator, would have taken care to insert a human heart, so some people argued, while others claimed that the bionic duck  had been provided not only with a human heart, but also with a human brain. But…how, where  could he, the very eminent professor Machiavelli, have gotten ( found) a human heart and a human brain to implant in his great duck? People asked, when they heard these rumors. “ What a question, come on “ the others replied ,

snorting, as if  to imply that for a such important and excellent man like professor Machiavelli, but on, it was not certainly a problem to get a human heart and brain. Oh, but one like he could easily procure even more than one of human hearts and brains, they added sometimes, with nonchalance, almost cheerfully.

She, the duck …had an imposing appearance, even elegant , and full of glamour.  She gave an impression of magnificence, almost of royalty, to see her advancing, with her webbed step, with her feathers of a very shiny black, with only a few of small white feathers , which peeped out, here and there, from under   that expanse of brilliant black. And on both wings, like a jewel, a thin line of emerald green stood out. Also her very long neck, which was adorned with knotted ribbons and multicolored necklaces, gave her an air of a special elegance and finesse. Ah, and what the magnificent duck was capable of doing, it astonished( stunned) everyone. Carol was capable to go to the newsstand to buy the newspaper and to bring it to the professor Machiavelli. She grabbed the newspaper with her large beak, where she also kept the coin to pay it. But Cyril Theodor  Machiavelli’s  enchanting duck  was even able to dance, or, at least, so many people claimed, first of all her creator. The very exceptional duck of the eminent scientist could even sit at the table, so to speak, in the company of human diners, even thought , in the reality, she stood with her  feet resting on the special chair, or perch, which allowed her ( the duck) to reach the bowl of food, served on the table, with her long beak. Carol  was very  greedy of raisin pudding , of crème caramel, of pistachio ice cream , and even then she stuffed herself with roasted potatoes and French fries, caramelized hazelnuts , peaches in syrup and lemonade.  Ah, how many distinguished, and even illustrious  guests  of the professor Machiavelli enthusiastically told of having been for lunch or dinner sitting at the same table of that wonderful duck created by their brilliant friend!  They all, the renowned guests of  Cyril Theodor   Machiavelli claimed, with great conviction, that the masterpiece of professor Machiavelli, was missing only the WORD. Oh, but they did not doubt that sooner or later their exceptional, brilliant friend would also be able to make her, his wonderful duck, to speak. Yes, Carol didn’t speak, not yet, but besides to the QUA-QUA-QUA , and the QUEQQUEREQUA’ of all the other ducks____although even this would not have been expected of her, as she belonged to the breed of mute ducks_____she was able to emit a truly exceptional WHISTLE , which never any duck, but even any animal had been capable of emitting.  It was a whistle ( sound) that Carol modulated starting from a low, almost plaintive tone, which she emitted by keeping her head and beak lowered, to raise it gradually, as she  raised her head and beak at the same time, until  she reached dizzying heights, with a very thin , even shrill sound, a shivering sound, which she emitted holding her wide open beak straight up. Listening, and also seeing   Carol’ s perform (performing) in her whistle was a real spectacle (show) which, however, only a few selected guests of Cyril Theodor  Machiavelli could have the privilege of attending. He, Professor Machiavelli, had received tempting offers from several televisions interested in Carol’s whistle, but he had not accepted that such an unique show could be trivialized in television broadcastings. However , for some time he had been planning a performance of his extraordinary duck in a great theater of the capital, and he had already made arrangements for this when suddenly, that is , from a day to the next, his wonderful duck had ceased to perform in her extraordinary whistle.  Professor Machiavelli was very worried, he could not understand  WHY  his wonderful duck had stopped whistling.

After not a few months of training  , it had always been enough for the professor to touch the duck’s head with two fingers and to tap a finger on her beak , while he said: “ And now let’s  hear your voice, Carol!” for the duck to start her performance. And now she suddenly couldn’t make her whistle anymore. Professor Machiavelli tried for days to induce Carol to whistle again. He tried gratifying her with sweet  and affectionate words whispered in a sweet, caressing voice, and  he tried smoothing her feathers. He tried giving her the food he knew the duck was greedy. He even tried with Carol’s favorite music, which was waltzes and folk music. But in vain, his duck didn’t want to whistle. The professor Machiavelli was also worried since  when his guests asked him to be able to attend Carol’s performance, he had to climb on the mirror every time again, trying to find an excuse that was credible to justify the fact that no, that day, that evening his duck  could not perform. He often used as an excuse that his duck was cold, or that she was ill, or that she was momentarily voiceless.  His guests , who did not suspect at all how things really were, that is , she, Carol , no longer obeyed his request or order to perform in her whistle, ( they) began to whisper that oh, but how much precious their friend Cyril Theodor Machiavelli had started to play. They even went so far as to insinuate, to suspect that the professor Machiavelli had the intention of not letting anyone attend the performances of his duck by free. Of course their assumptions did not correspond to the reality, as the rumors circulating about the human brain and heart which professor Machiavelli would have  implanted in his amazing duck.  Nevertheless  these  rumors contained something true. In fact, even the heart and the brain of Carol  were bionic, but the eminent professor had obtained them starting from cells of a human heart and a human brain.  And this would have had unpredictable outcomes for him.  Cyril Theodor Machiavelli , tired of resorting to mild methods to induce his duck  to perform again in her solo with astonishing whistle, finally decided to resort to the hard way to be obeyed. He thus started beating the duck, plucking her feathers, kicking her, and insulting her heavily.  When, exasperated, he grabbed her by the neck, Carol killed him with her beak, which had autonomously developed into a deadly weapon.

After killing him  with pecks, Carol returned to perform in her resounding whistle.  That time her performance had as the only spectator professor Machiavelli, who was lying dead at her feet.