Swan Love

Oli looked around the lake. The last remnants of snow were still visible on the banks, but the sunshine was already doing a good job of melting them away. Soon enough, Swan Lake would be ready to welcome the spring.

Oli fluffed up her snow-white feathers and set off across the lake to join the other swans. She couldn’t wait for it to be spring! The trees would burst into blossom, the green grass would sprout up on the banks, and the other birds would fill the tree-tops with their happy songs. And then maybe, just maybe, Oli might find herself a husband. A tall, white, good-looking, gallant and kind swan, the best cob in the world. She would settle down and start a family with him, and they would live happily ever after.

Oli loved listening to the love stories the older swans told. And she enjoyed chatting with her swan friends about what the swan prince of their dreams would be like.

Some of them wanted their mate to have a long neck, and one said that her future husband had to be able to do a loop-the-loop in the air. The one thing they all agreed about was that his feathers must be as white as freshly fallen snow.

The days passed peacefully and uneventfully. Every day the swans would search for titbits, admire how nature was waking up and bursting into colour all around them, and fly all around the surrounding area, just for fun. But then one day…

Oli was flying back home from a short trip to visit some nearby ponds, when she noticed that there was some unusual commotion on Swan Lake. Dozens of the swans were beating their wings against the water and causing such a racket that…