The Ducks Are Not What They Seem.

I started thinking about a Gary Larson cartoon this morning. One of the many Far Side cartoons that I know and love. You probably know this one. Its the drawing of a businessman sitting at a desk, looking startled or worried. Behind him is a large glass window, and across the street is a high rise building In one of the windows there is a bird.  The caption reads, "Anatidaephobia: The fear that somewhere, somehow, a duck is watching you.

This isn't just some random thought, a memory fragment that flicked into my mind for no apparent reason. No, there is a cause and reason for it.

Like many, I work from home several days a week. I sit at my desk, in front of a large window, and can see the world pass by as I create PowerPoints and prepare documents.  It is a lovely view - old walls, a church, a house or two. All built hundreds of years ago, made with the stone for which the village is known.

This week, on three separate occasions, I have noticed a duck sitting on the rooftop directly opposite me. 

In my experience, ducks do not generally sit on peaked rooflines. Having webbed feet and all makes it seem like and unnatural and uncomfortable position to perch.  And yet on three separate occasions, on three different days, the duck has been there. And, I swear, it seemed like it was looking directly at me.

In many cultures, a duck on a roof is a good omen, bringing good fortune. And yet I'm not feeling the luck. I just think back to the Larson cartoon.

Why is the duck there regularly?  Why is it watching me?  Should I be worried?

Ah, paranoia. Philip K. Dick would be proud.