When Mr. & Mrs. Brown arrive at Arkatype Farms, Mr. & Mrs. Black aren't so sure about sharing their favorite willow pond. Luckily, Professor Gruff, editor of the Ozarks Goat News, has his notebook, his golden pocket watch, and a brilliant plan!
Get to know the ducks and the wise goat behind the most famous schedule in the Ozarks!
Species: Midnight Muscovy Ducks
With shimmering iridescent feathers that glint emerald green in the sun and bright bumpy red masks, the Blacks have enjoyed Willow Pond all to themselves for a whole year.
Role: Editor, Ozarks Goat News
Distinguished, calm, and always dapper in his forest-green waistcoat, bow tie, and round spectacles. He knows every blade of grass in the Ozarks and believes every problem can be solved with good notes and a cup of clover.
Species: Chocolate Muscovy Ducks
Dressed in warm chestnut-chocolate feathers with creamy white wing tips. They just moved to Arkatype Farms and are eager to splash in the cool water and bask on the warm sunning rock.
In the heart of the rolling Ozark hills, at a picturesque homestead known as Arkatype Farms, there was a pond so blue and clear it mirrored the puffy white clouds like a giant looking glass. Overhanging the eastern bank was a graceful weeping willow whose long, leafy branches dipped gently into the water.
For an entire year, Willow Pond had belonged to just two ducks: Mr. and Mrs. Black.
The Blacks were splendid Muscovy ducks. Their glossy black feathers shined with hints of beetle-green and purple whenever they paddled through the morning sunshine. Around their eyes grew bright, bumpy red masks called caruncles, giving them the look of dignified feathered kings.
“Huff-huff! What a glorious kingdom we have!” whispered Mr. Black, wagging his tail happily. Muscovy ducks don’t quack noisily like regular barnyard mallards—instead, they whisper soft, cheerful hisses and wag their tails just like friendly puppies.
Every morning at the crack of dawn, Mr. and Mrs. Black had the water all to themselves. They would race across the ripples, dive down to nibble tasty pond snails, and spread their broad wings to dry off on the big, flat grey sunning rock. It was, in their opinion, the most peaceful pond in all of Missouri.
That is... until a sunny Tuesday in May.
Down the gravel farm lane came a cheerful red farm truck. *Crunch-crunch-crunch* went the tires. When the wooden crate on the tailgate clicked open, out hopped two of the prettiest chocolate-colored ducks you ever did see.
Meet Mr. and Mrs. Brown!
Their feathers were the color of warm milk chocolate, accented with crisp white wing patches and bright red caruncles. They had traveled from a nearby valley and were thrilled to call Arkatype Farms their new home.
“Look, my dear!” hissed Mrs. Brown, her dark eyes sparkling with excitement. “A pond! A real, sparkling willow pond with cool fresh water and juicy duckweed!”
With eager little waddles, *patter-patter-patter*, Mr. and Mrs. Brown marched straight toward the water’s edge. But just as Mrs. Brown lifted a webbed foot to take a refreshing plunge—
“FLUMP!”
Mr. Black puffed his chest out so far he looked like an oversized feathered bowling ball. Mrs. Black stood beside him, raising her head crest feathers in alarm.
“Hiiiiissssss!” cautioned Mr. Black gently but firmly. “Excuse me, newcomers! This pond is already occupied. We are the swimmers of Willow Pond!”
Mr. Brown bowed his head politely and wagged his tail feathers back and forth. “Pardon us, neighbors! But the farm is wide, the sun is warm, and our feet are awfully dry. We wish to enjoy the cool pond too!”
Neither duck was mean, but neither duck wanted to share! When the Blacks paddled to the left, they glared at the right. When the Browns stepped into the shallows, the Blacks splashed a great spray of water to reclaim their territory.
Soon, both duck pairs were standing on opposite banks of the pond, wings tucked tight, hot, grumpy, and unable to enjoy a single swim!
Now, just up the grassy knoll overlooking Willow Pond lived the farm’s most respected citizen: Professor Gruff.
Professor Gruff was an elderly white goat with a beard as soft as dandelion fluff and wisdom as deep as the Ozark valleys. He was also the esteemed founder, reporter, and Editor-in-Chief of the Ozarks Goat News.
Every morning, Professor Gruff put on his crisp white shirt, his tailored forest-green waistcoat, his silk bowtie, and his polished round wire-rim spectacles. Tucked safely in his vest pocket was a shiny gold pocket watch that went tick-tock, tick-tock.
As Professor Gruff strolled across the clover pasture holding his wooden clipboard and fountain pen, he heard the frantic splashing and territorial huffing down at the water.
“Ahem-meh-eh-eh!” Professor Gruff bleated softly, adjusting his spectacles on his snout. “What in the name of clover and buttercups is happening down at Willow Pond? Staring contests? Feather-puffing? This sounds like front-page farm news!”
He trotted down to the water’s edge, where the two duck families were still refusing to look at each other.
“Good morning, feathered friends,” announced Professor Gruff in his deep, soothing baritone. “I see four fine ducks and one magnificent pond, yet nobody is swimming. As a journalist, I must ask: who turned off the sunshine and turned up the sour faces?”
Professor Gruff knew that no good problem was ever solved on an empty stomach. So he sat down beneath the shade of the ancient Oak tree and opened his canvas reporter's pouch, laying out a tempting snack of sweet wild clover, tender dandelion leaves, and crisp watercress.
The delicious aroma proved irresistible. Mr. and Mrs. Black waddled over from the north bank. Mr. and Mrs. Brown waddled over from the south bank.
“Now then,” said Professor Gruff, clicking his fountain pen. “Let us take notes. Mr. Black, tell me your routine.”
Mr. Black swallowed a dandelion bud and cleared his throat: “Professor, my wife and I are early risers! We love high-speed morning sprints when the water is crisp. We like diving for water bugs before midday. But when the afternoon heat arrives, we prefer resting in the barn shade!”
Professor Gruff scribbled fast: Early risers... morning water sprints... minnow hunting... barn nap after noon.
“Very illuminating,” nodded the Professor. He turned his spectacles toward Mr. and Mrs. Brown. “And what about you, Browns? What makes a perfect day for your family?”
Mrs. Brown smiled gently: “Oh Professor, my husband and I love to sleep in! We like to forage through the sweet grass until lunchtime. Our dream is to spend the warm afternoons floating lazily under the weeping willow branches and sunning our chocolate wings on the flat rock until dinner!”
Professor Gruff’s eyes lit up behind his round glass lenses. His beard twitched with a delighted grin.
“Great horns and haystacks!” chuckled Professor Gruff, tapping his golden pocket watch. “Do you hear what I hear? You four aren’t fighting over the water—you are fighting over a calendar that hasn't been written yet! Your favorite hours don't even clash!”
The four ducks looked at one another, tilting their heads in surprise. “They don’t?” whispered Mrs. Black.
“Not at all!” beamed Professor Gruff. “What Arkatype Farms needs is not a bigger pond... but The Great Willow Pond Schedule!”
Professor Gruff hurried back to his cozy wooden editor’s desk at the Ozarks Goat News. Under the warm glow of his lantern, he smoothed out a fresh sheet of heavy parchment paper. With elegant calligraphy, he dipped his fountain pen in blueberry ink and drafted the official charter for Arkatype Farms.
He returned to the pond and read the rules aloud in his grandest editorial voice:
When the Professor finished reading, he held out the inkpad.
Mr. Black was the first to step forward. He dipped his right webbed foot in green dye and pressed a neat duck-print signature at the bottom left: 🐾.
Mr. Brown waddled forward with a happy tail flutter and pressed his foot-print signature at the bottom right: 🐾.
Professor Gruff stamped the official golden seal of the Ozarks Goat News right in the center. “The decree is signed!” he cheered. “Let the swimming begin!”
From that bright day forward, peace reigned supreme over Willow Pond at Arkatype Farms.
Every morning at seven sharp, Mr. and Mrs. Black rocketed across the sparkling pond, spraying cool crystal droplets into the fresh air. At noon, they waddled up to the shade of the red barn for a satisfying snooze.
At one o'clock, Mr. and Mrs. Brown drifted peacefully under the draping willow branches, letting the cool water soothe their feathers while they basked in the golden afternoon heat.
And when the sun dipped behind the Ozark mountains, painting the sky in shades of peach and violet, all four ducks gathered together for The Sunset Grand Flotilla. They paddled side-by-side around the water lilies, catching evening gnats and gossiping with the friendly bullfrogs.
Mr. Black learned that Mr. Brown knew the best spots to find tender aquatic roots. Mrs. Brown learned that Mrs. Black knew how to predict rain hours before the clouds appeared. They weren’t just pond-sharers anymore—they were best friends.
Up on the hill, Professor Gruff stood watching through his polished spectacles. He took out his golden pocket watch, nodded with satisfaction, and took a small, contented bite out of an old copy of the Friday Gazette.
“Sharing,” whispered the Professor to the evening breeze, “turns one little pond into an ocean of friendship.”
✨ THE END ✨
WILLOW POND – Harmony has been officially restored to the waters of Arkatype Farms following the successful implementation of the Willow Pond Shared Utilization Accord, brokered earlier this week by this newspaper’s editorial board.
Tensions initially flared when newcomers Mr. & Mrs. Brown arrived seeking aquatic recreational rights alongside longtime residents Mr. & Mrs. Black. However, diplomatic talks under the Great Oak revealed that the parties possessed entirely complementary schedule preferences.
“It turns out when ducks communicate their needs instead of merely puffing their chest feathers, everyone gets to swim in peace.”
Adopted unanimously by Mr. & Mrs. Black, Mr. & Mrs. Brown, and Professor Gruff
Respect the Hours • Share the Waters • Keep Feathers Shiny
Diving laps, minnow chasing, splash games, and high-energy morning foraging.
Pond is quiet. All feathered friends graze sweet clover and take a peaceful barn nap.
Flat rock sunbathing, leisurely floating beneath the willow shade, feather preening.
Shared evening cruise, catching dragonflies, socializing, and sunset dabbling together.
Test what you learned about Mr. Black, Mrs. Brown, and real-life farm ducks!
Muscovy ducks are very quiet. Drakes (boys) make a soft, breathy huff-huff hiss, while hens (girls) make gentle trills and chirps.
When Muscovy ducks are happy or excited to see you, they wag their tails just like happy dogs!
Unlike mallards, Muscovies have strong, sharp claws on their webbed feet that allow them to roost safely in trees and fence posts.
Muscovy ducks love eating flies, mosquitoes, and garden bugs, making them the best organic pest controllers on Arkatype Farms!
Select the correct answer to earn your Honorary Junior Reporter Badge!
1. Who helped Mr. & Mrs. Black and Mr. & Mrs. Brown solve their pond disagreement?
2. What time do all four ducks swim together for the Grand Flotilla?
3. What do happy Muscovy ducks do when they are excited?