First Look Outside Painting

Cape Cod where I grew up, we had a plethora of bird species nesting all over the beaches and dunes. Every spring it was amazing to sit and watch the hatch-lings come alive and grow-up to be masters of the air and sea. One time my brothers and I found a nest with 9 unhatched eggs with no mama duck or papa duck in sight. Me being the youngest and most curious, I wanted to pick up and examine one of the eggs, but was halted by my older brothers as they explained touching would make the mother reject it. So of course the next morning before anyone got up, I sneaked down to the nest which sat in a salt marsh near the public beach. There they were! all 9 of them; I eagerly, but gently picked up an egg. It was still warm and had some weight in my hand. Heavier than a breakfast egg I thought to myself. Then I held it up to the sun and could see something solid inside, possibly moving. Then I put it back. Over the next few days my brothers and I would go to check in on the nest until one day we went back and we could see the mother and counted 8 ducklings swimming away from the nest. Upon examining the nest we discovered one unhatched egg among the detritus of opened shells. Everyone immediately looked at me! I can't be sure I was the reason 1 in 9 didn't hatch that day but I have always felt responsible, So, I paint birds and ducks as my penance.