full the their hands Why don’t we start at the pond Abby suggested Then we could do the inner loop and end up at the outer loop by the time Mom comes back Grace had hoped to see the peacocks first but Abby’s plan made sense so she held back her protest and walked with her sisters toward the tiny pond Abby stopped to buy duck food from the vending machines With sisters approached the railing around the pond Ducks geese and swans swam toward them eager to be fed Wow look at that swan I think they’re the most beautiful birds Emily said I wish I had my camera and sketchbook I think peacocks are prettier Grace said You have your phone don’t you You could use that to take pictures Emily felt around in her pockets and pulled out her phone Can you hold my duck food while I snap a few pictures She dumped the feed into Abby’s
outstretched hand Then she took several pictures of the various birds Grace tossed her feed into the water and the birds fought over it When her hand was empty she was ready to move on She wanted to head toward the nearby hill where they housed the peacocks but remembering her mother’s warning she stayed where she was while Emily took photo after photo Grace sighed loudly to signal that she wanted to go Just a few more Grace I promise Emily rested her elbows on the railing and kept tapping the button Let’s take a selfie with the birds in the background
The three sisters huddled together one on each side of Emily as she snapped a picture Lean back more against the rail she said so I can get the swan in the background Okay smile Girls a man’s voice barked nearby Could you move out of the way please Startled they all jumped and Emily almost dropped her phone They stepped away from the railing as the end of a huge net came sailing toward them A short bald man in hip-high wading boots shoved behind them Move please he said sharply as he reached for the flying net He caught it and draped it over the railing The sisters had moved back far enough to observe him He tacked the edges down with plastic stakes he’d pulled from his pocket Then he motioned to someone on the other side of the small artificial lake and pointed to his right
