Morning Circuit
Five stops, one shift, no skipped reeds.
First Light
Begins beside the cattails before the pond starts reflecting.
Shore Check
Counts every lily pad, including the suspicious duplicate.
Reed Patrol
Inspects the tall grass for unauthorized rustling.
Pond Ledger
Ticker: QUACK. Every lily pad remains accounted for.
Sunset Close
Leaves when the orange reflection reaches his feet.
Blue Hour
Quackbit works when the reeds are quiet and the pond starts reflecting things it has not approved. He checks the lilies, tests the shoreline, and keeps one eye on the sunset. The other eye remains reserved for bread-related emergencies. Nobody hired him. Nobody has managed to end his shift, either.
Pond Terms
The standing vocabulary of a very small waterside office.
Still Water
Preferred operating environment, provided it stays still.
One Orange Bill
Approved for pointing, pecking, and final decisions.
Reed Office
Open at dusk; closed whenever the cattails whisper.
Lily Inventory
Counted twice, then watched from a respectful distance.
Sunset Clock
The reflection decides when business is finished.
Dry Feet
A policy, not a result.
Keep the pond properly counted.