The day I became president of the ducks

About two hours in, I became absolutely convinced that the ducks on the lake were holding an important political meeting. They weren’t swimming randomly they were clearly conducting official business. One large duck seemed to be in charge, while three smaller ducks followed behind like advisers. For reasons I still cannot explain, I felt obligated to assist. I spent nearly twenty minutes standing on the dock respectfully nodding at them. Eventually one duck looked directly at me, and in that moment I understood, without words, that I had been appointed Vice President of the Ducks. It was an enormous responsibility. I immediately briefed my friends on the situation. They responded by laughing so hard that one nearly fell out of a chair. I interpreted this as support from the human government. The next hour was spent negotiating an imaginary trade agreement between ducks and squirrels. The squirrels, unfortunately, were difficult to work with\. They kept changing shape every time I looked at them. Later, we lay in the grass watching clouds. One cloud became a dragon, then a sailing ship, then what appeared to be a giant loaf of bread judging humanity. Nobody could explain why the bread looked disappointed. As sunset arrived, everything became incredibly beautiful. The lake reflected orange and pink light, the trees seemed to breathe gently, and every song on our playlist felt like it had been written specifically for that exact moment. Then came the evening’s greatest mystery. Someone asked where the snacks were. The snacks were sitting on the picnic table. We all looked directly at them. None of us recognized them as snacks. For nearly ten minutes we debated what these strange objects could possibly be. One friend suggested they were “future potatoes.” Another thought they might be decorative rocks. They were tortilla chips. Eventually reality reassembled itself. The ducks concluded their meeting and returned to ordinary duck activities. My vice presidency ended without scandal. The squirrels remained suspicious but manageable.