"I Want a Duck!"
Saturday, June 11, 2005
Collette was fascinated by the “mysterious island”, and wished to create her own. Translated from the French, she was not quite sure the words in English matched the same original tone, however, even the translated passages created by Jules Verne were so very interesting. The youngest of the “colonists”, Harbert, was the expert in botany, and he always seemed to be rattling off the various types of plants covering the slopes and hills of the island. On the 30th of October, after coming across mustard and ebony trees, spinach and eucalyptus, Harbert proceeded to list the relatives of the fragrant eucalyptus tree:
“…these eucalyptus belong to a family that include many useful members: the guava-tree which gives guavas; the clove tree which produces cloves; the pomegranate tree which yields pomegranates; the “eugenia cauliflora” whose fruit makes a passable wine; the “ugni” myrtle which contains an excellent alcoholic liqueur; the caryophyllus myrtle whose bark makes an esteemed cinnamon; the “eugenia pimenta” from which comes Jamaica pimento; the common myrtle whose berries can replace pepper; the “eucalyptus robusta” which produces a sort of excellent manna; the “eucalyptus gunei” whose sap transforms into beer by fermentation; and finally all those trees known under the name of “trees of life” or “ironbarks” which belong to this myrtaceae family that comprises forty-six genuses and thirteen hundred species.”
It would be Rose’s last day with them, Sunday, before she left for Kansas City – herself, Annamaria, and Spurgeon West’s little sister, Summer. It was sure to be a new and interesting experience for her, and Collette was glad she had taken it.
Upon watching Gertrude the duck in “Journey to the Center of the Earth” that stormy Saturday evening, Rose promptly announced:
“I want a duck!”
However, Collette assured her that the probability of receiving a live duck for her birthday was most remote.