5 Minute Freewrite - Prompt: Ducks

Eric had never courted a girl before. Sure, he had engaged in some flirtation from time to time, but he was quickly discovering that he knew little about proper courtship. Would it be too forward to ask her to join him at the town festival? What if her father objected? He had only received permission to court her three days prior. Yet here he was, sitting in the dining room of Clara's family home, struggling under an awkward silence.

Clara's parents had ushered him in from the crisp autumn air and deposited him in the large dining room with hardly a word. Unsure of what to do with his coat and hat, he draped them over a nearby chair. Before he could take a seat, Clara was brought to the room and they were left alone.

Eric offered her a small bouquet and a timid greeting, helping her to her chair before taking his own seat, and then the silence descended upon them. Minutes passed and, if not for the sound of dogs barking and a man cursing just outside the window, the only sound would have been the tick, tick, tick of the grandfather clock standing in the corner. He frowned slightly, struggling to find the courage to speak.

"Ducks," she suddenly said.

"What?"

"The barking. The dogs are chasing ducks again," she answered shyly.

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Note: This one took a few tries before I finally had something worth posting. I ran out of time before I could wrap things up, but I think it still works. :-)

This prompt is from @mariannewest and can be found here.

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Image sourced from Pixabay.