Dazel woke up to the hustle bustle of the pond on Saturday morning. She groaned. Even though she was an early riser on weekends she wished she could just keep her eyes closed and contemplate early in the morning.

On the other hand, when she woke up early before daybreak, which was her routine during school days, she had to make sure she didn’t disturb her pond neighbours. So singing while bathing was something she couldn’t do. These were the rules of living in the pond community. But things were about to change. Dazel grinned as she thought about her decision to move out from the pond. Wiz Rooster had offered that she could move into his backyard.

“The construction of the pond in Wiz Rooster’s backyard begins today,” Dazel remembered with a squeal and she jumped into the pond with a splash.

“Oops, sorry,” she apologized to Swain who had been drenched by her splash. After gobbling down a quick break¬fast, Dazel made her way to Wiz Rooster’s house near the Aviary School for Birds.

“Good morning,” Wiz Rooster greeted Dazel with an earnest smile. “So today is the day our project begins, Dazel!” he said. “The moles, badgers and rabbits will be here soon to start digging the hole for our pond. Are you excited?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact, I am,” replied Dazel. “Don’t you worry, Sir. I know you’re very busy so I’ll overlook the digging.”

Soon the burrowing creatures arrived. “I’m Moto, the mole. I specialize in digging wide burrows and ponds. My team and I have also helped the gardener, Burrow the rabbit, dig up several of his fields for the sowing season. So, what exactly do you want here, Sir?” one solemn looking mole with beady eyes asked Wiz Rooster. He seemed to be the leader of the group of diggers.

“Well, a pond is what I had in mind. Dazel here will live in it and tend to it. But do explain how it will be dug?” inquired Wiz Rooster.

“My experience tells me to dig a pond in an area that gets mixed sun and shade. We won’t dig in a spot too close to trees, as it may damage their roots,” the mole paused to inspect the backyard of Wiz Rooster’s home.

“There’s plenty of space here so I recommend digging a large pond which is easier to maintain and will prove to be more stable.” Dazel couldn’t help being impressed. This mole really seemed to know what he was talking about!

“Please proceed! You are the expert here,” said Wiz Rooster humbly. “But do tell me how long this will take?”

“I should think a week,” said Moto after he consulted his team.“And how much will it cost?” the rooster probed.

“Ten sacks of any grain and three baskets of fresh fruit,” replied Moto promptly.

Dazel gasped at the cost of the project but Wiz Rooster ignored her protests. Before long, the group of six moles, rabbits and badgers had begun by laying out the shape of the pond with a long vine. Then the digging began in earnest. On the first day Dazel felt there was hardly any progress.

“So how’s your new home coming along,” asked Swain the black swan when Dazel returned to her pond home at night. The pond was still bustling as the creatures enjoyed their dinner.

“Slow and steady,” replied Dazel wearily. The next day was a Sunday yet she had to get to Wiz Rooster’s backyard at the crack of dawn. That’s when the digging team would resume their quarrying.

Sunday was a bright sunny day and the mole and his team seemed to make quite some headway and the depth of the hole was apparent. Moto instructed his team to save the topsoil to edge the pond. In the following week all the Aviary School birds had found out that their principal Wiz Rooster was having a pond dug in his backyard and that Dazel was supposed to live there. A host of birds flitted above the digging area, chirping, chattering and gossiping.

“So how will it feel being the Princi¬pal’s neighbour and living so near the school?” asked Candy the canary. She was one of the smartest birds in Dazel’s class and her most ruthless rival.

“I don’t think Candy likes the fact that I will be living so near to Wiz Rooster,” shared Dazel with Din Din one evening. The duck had been unable to go to the pond that weekin the evening to meet her friends as she needed to oversee the digging after school till sundown. Finally, Din Din had come over to meet Dazel on the sixth day of the digging.

“Wow! That’s quite a pond! It’s huge!” marveled Din Din.

“It’s nearly done. It was incredible when the fresh water began filling up from underground. We were all worried there would not be enough water in the water table underneath,” said Dazel in relief.

By Sunday the pond was filled and all ready to be lived in. Dazel’s pond neighbours, including Swain, the frog family, as well his school mates and Din Din helped in carrying Dazel’s belongings to her new home.

“What a stash of weird looking rocks and bric-a-brac you have,” said Din Din as he off-loaded a basket from his back. “But now you have enough space to put them.”

Dazel grinned sheepishly. Wiz Rooster was also by Dazel’s side the entire day. “Din Din, these shrubs and flowers you have planted around the pond look stunning,” remarked Wiz. Din Din blushed with pleasure.

The rooster even provided snacks for all of Dazel’s helpers and it turned out to be quite a house warming party.

“Congratulations on your new home,” piped in Dazel’s old pond neighbours as they bid her farewell. The usually stoic and composed Swain also had to brush away his tears. Dazel felt a lump in her throat as she saw her old neigh¬bours walk away. She had become so used to having them around all the time. Could she actually live without them? All alone?

Just then Wiz Rooster’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts. “So dear, I’ll bid you good night. If you need anything I’ll be home. Please feel free to pop in. We are neighbors after all!”

Dazel’s heart filled with a rush of gratitude. “Sir, how can I ever thank you for this lovely home? You have paid for it all. It just feels unfair. I wish you would have let me pay at least half.”

“My dear, I have been looking forward to having a pond. Now I have someone to tend to it. So you see, it has worked out for us both,” Wiz smiled his wise knowing smile and with a wave of his feathered wing was gone.

The sun was casting an orange glow and soon it was dark. Dazel heard the chirping of the crickets as she prepared herself dinner of sunflower seeds and mangoes which Din Din had brought for her. She had expected to feel lonely. Instead a sense of peace prevailed. She sighed in contentment and murmured a prayer of thanks as she nodded off to sleep.

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