by Rebecca Chan

Alfonso was a normal rubber duck, with a shiny, glistening yellow body and a bright orange beak. Alfonso was a joker—a hilarious, funny-bone-tickling comedian. He loved to tell jokes.

There came a time when he had to depart on a long journey to the Bathtub Club, where he would star for the night as the top comedy act. He was ecstatic—his first big break. He'd been a small-time comic, performing at parties and such.

"My jokes always quack up the crowds," he often said. As he said it, he "quacked" a partial smile . . . pardon the joke.

So there he was, stuffing a backpack with all his gags and props, from squirting flowers to propeller hats, bicycle horns to whoopee cushions. He was prepared. Before he left, he grabbed some extra Bath Bucks—the Bathroom World's currency—in case he got hungry on the way.

Alfonso left with a large smile on his face, bouncing squeakily across the tile. After a while the rubber duck came across a cowduck bearing a ten-gallon hat on his yellow duck head. The cowduck's horse was stuck in the sink, neck-deep in soapy water, whinnying like mad. Alfonso stopped and eyed the cowduck. "Looks like you're in quite a pickle," he said.

"Obviously, pardner," replied the cowpoke with a tip of his hat. "My ride's stuck in the muck. Never seen a worse per-dic-a-ment."

"Predicament," corrected Alfonso, who was a connoisseur of words and preferred using them correctly.

"Yeah, yeah, pardner," mumbled the cowduck, wiping his beak with a sudsy wing. "Do ya mind helpin' me out? I could use another pair o' wings."

Alfonso nodded. "Sure thing, mister."

The comedian set down his backpack and jumped into the sink. Making sure to keep from getting his feet caught in the drain, Alfonso helped the horse free up its hooves. The horse slowly floated to the surface, and the cowpoke grabbed the creature's reins. Alfonso jumped out of the water and helped the cowduck drag the horse out. Once the horse was free, it neighed happily and licked Alfonso's face. Alfonso laughed.

"Thanks much, pardner," said the cowduck, shaking wings with Alfonso.

"Don't mention it," answered Alfonso with a grin.

The rubber duck skipped on. Soon he spotted a wealthy-looking duck clad in a spiffy tuxedo that made him look like a penguin. A bachelor, Alfonso concluded after a while. The wealthy duck was squatted in the middle of the road, picking up candies that had fallen from a heart-shaped box that he held in his wings.

Alfonso approached the bachelor. "Sir, are you all right?" he inquired.

"No, no, not at all," sighed the duck in a British accent. "I was going to see my girlfriend. I was going to propose and give her this box of chocolates—her favorite kind. But I tripped on a rock and now her candies are everywhere!" The duck held his head in his wings. "This is not good! Not good at all!”

"Hey, hey, don't worry," said Alfonso, placing a wing on the duck's shoulder. "I'll help you.”

Over the course of the next half hour, Alfonso and the bachelor scrambled to pick up every candy in the road. Thankfully, the tile had been recently cleaned, and there was little dust. The chocolates that had been dirtied were promptly rinsed in the nearby sink and were returned to their places in the box. Then the bachelor bid farewell to Alfonso, and the comedian hurried on.

As Alfonso continued, the bathroom became deathly silent. Alfonso gripped his backpack tighter and focused on the road before him. Suddenly he was jumped from behind by gangsters, who had emerged from their hiding places in the laundry basket. Alfonso quacked in alarm and ran as fast as his feet could go, but soon the gangsters overtook him and surrounded him.

Alfonso’s eyes grew large as he took in the sight of the hoodlums, with their hooded heads, pierced beaks, and tattooed wings. He tossed his pack of belongings and his Bath Bucks in the direction of the gangsters. They scrambled to grab Alfonso's things.

Looking at the floor, the comedian sidled away, hoping he could get down the road, but the gangsters surged forward, preventing his escape.

"Leave me alone!" Alfonso pleaded. He glanced at one of the gangsters, who appeared to be wearing brass feathers.

"Nuh-uh, richie," growled one of the ducks. He smiled evilly. "Get 'im, boys!" he shouted.

Alfonso was forced to the ground. Punches were aimed at his face. Kicks injured his legs and wings. After giving him a painful, intense beating, the gangsters left, leaving Alfonso dropping in and out of consciousness in the middle of the road.

Time elapsed. There was not a soul on the tiled road. The Bathtub Club was nowhere in sight. Alfonso shivered. Then—What's this? There was a shimmer of hope in his heart as he spotted a man on the horizon. It was the cowpoke, sitting upon his horse! Alfonso tried to lift his battered body, but he was too weak.

"Hey! Hey, pardner!" Alfonso cried sadly.

The cowpoke trotted up. He winced as he recognized Alfonso, the comedian who had helped him free his trapped horse.

Alfonso bit his beak. "Hey! I need some help! Please?”

The cowpoke glanced ahead worriedly. "Har . . . erm . . . Sorry, pardner, but I got a rodeo to prepare for next sunrise. I'm on a tight schedule." The cowpoke crossed to the other side of the road and kept on going.

Alfonso was disheartened. Yet he was still hopeful—especially when he noticed the bachelor running down the road.

"Sir!" shouted Alfonso.

The bachelor approached the comedian, but he frowned upon him and said, "Ick. I hate blood," and kept going.

Now Alfonso was really sad. Life was horrible now. No more jokes. He just wanted help.

However, as the sun was about to set outside the bathroom window, Alfonso saw another shape on the horizon. It was no one he recognized, no one he knew. But then he saw the long, curving neck of the figure and realized it was a rubber goose.

Alfonso grumbled under his breath. The rubber geese were Alfonso's worst enemies, and he regularly referred to them as “Samarigeese.” They were comedians as well, and competition for the best laughs was always vigorous between the ducks and the geese. But I need help, thought Alfonso. And any help is good help.

The goose approached. He eyed Alfonso, the injured rubber ducky. Then, with a sharp nod of his white goosy head, the Samarigoose quickly built a sled and carefully hoisted Alfonso on top of it. He bandaged Alfonso with expertise and cleaned his wounds, all without saying a single word. Soon they were off.

The Samarigoose took Alfonso to a nearby inn, where he paid for Alfonso's stay and anything he might need. The rubber goose produced his own Bath Bucks to pay for the costs. As Alfonso lay in a nice warm bed, a pillow beneath his injured head, he asked the goose, “Why did you do this?"

The goose turned to face the young comedian. He smiled and answered in a calm voice, "You are my neighbor. You were in trouble. I helped. Good night." The goose went on his way, leaving Alfonso with a very grateful feeling in his churning stomach and a new impression of the Samarigeese.

“Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked.

The man replied, "The one who showed him mercy."

Then Jesus said, "Yes, now go and do the same” (Luke 10:36, 37).
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All photos from Wikimedia Commons.

The Parable of the Good Samarigoose

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The Parable of the Good Samarigoose

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