It Could Only Happen in Disney World

Once upon a time, there was a (manic) mommy, a daddy, a big boy, his little brother, and their Gram. They lived in the Kingdom of the Frozen North so the (manic) mommy booked a vacation to the warm and sunny land of Florida, where they could worship at The Altar of The Mouse God. And away they went.

One fine day in sunny (but not too warm) Florida, the family went to the pool at their hotel. Because it was chilly, the (manic) mommy and the gram stayed poolside while the brave and intrepid daddy played in the pool with the big boy and his little brother.

Also out for a swim were a mommy duck and her two little baby ducklings. The mommy duck and the baby ducks meandered slowly around the pool's edge, enchanting the adults and entertaining the children.

A captivated (manic) mommy commented to the delighted gram that much like a human mommy, the ducky mommy would quack to her offspring whenever they wandered too far afield, calling them back. And the ducklings would fall back in a row. The sound of the quacking became the sound of yet another mother on vacation, calling to her children.

Oh, happy family. Oh, happy Mouse God. Oh happy duckies. Until...the quacking became lounder...and more insistent.

A hawk swooped down from the tall trees and snatched one of the poor ducklings from the pool, carrying him off in his talons while all the mommies and daddies, and especially the mommy ducky looked helplessly on.

The mommies and daddies spent some time around the pool that afternoon explaining the harsher aspects of real life to their children: Survival of the Fittest Sucks.