Preep: Quack

Pip sat with Hodge and Tethys until the sky turned orange. And slowly, carefully, he began to experiment. He quacked at the ripples— preep . He quacked at the moon— preep . He quacked at his own fear— preep .

The other ducklings laughed. "Preep! Preep! Pip the Preep-Duck!" they chanted, splashing away. quack preep

And the bog filled with strange, beautiful, imperfect sounds: croak-ding, squawk-moo, quack-boing, hiss-pop. Pip sat with Hodge and Tethys until the sky turned orange

"A thought?" Pip asked— preep .

Pip smiled. He still didn’t know why his voice had split. But he no longer needed to know. imperfect sounds: croak-ding

"I’m Pip," he said, "and sometimes I go preep ."

Then one small duckling—the one who’d laughed loudest—opened her beak and said softly: "Quack… ding."