"Happy Birthday! Many happy returns, dear Gibli!"
It had been a very lively day. Gibli had just turned 22, and the birthday celebration brought a burst of renewal. Yes, because with each birthday, another year is added, and with each year, a secret ingredient is added to the grand stew of life.
Gibli was very young, and there would be many more opportunities and birthdays. But this day was going to be a special one.
An osteria on Via Molinetto was the traditional destination for the birthday lunch with lifelong friends, and laughter and chatter filled the air, followed by a stroll along the Ticino riverbank, lasting well into the afternoon.
As the group of friends walked along the river, Gibli spotted a small object on the ground near the bank that immediately caught her attention. She approached and picked it up. She realized it was a duck's beak, but this was no ordinary duck's beak, like those knobs for walking sticks often sold at antique and vintage markets. It was made of metal and wood, finely crafted with silver filigree, and intricately detailed. Even the light seemed to disappear among the sparkling wires.
She took the duck's beak in her hands and began to examine it with curiosity. She noticed a tiny detail: there was an inscription at the base of the beak. With great care, she managed to read the inscription: " 'The beak will guide you to its duck.'" She was certain that the beak was not just a decorative item, but rather held special meaning and was connected to something extraordinary.
Gibli had just begun to examine the engraved words on that peculiar beak when one of her friends, Fabri, approached and asked with interest, "What do you have there, Gibli? A collectible item?"
Gibli looked up and smiled, instinctively hiding the duck's beak behind her back. "Yes, it certainly seems so, Fabri. I just found this little wonder here. It's strange, isn't it?" Fabri leaned over to take a look at the mysterious object. "Yes, it's quite unique."
"It seems to have a message. I'm not sure what it means, but it has piqued my curiosity, Fabri."
He was an eternal optimist with a passion for photography; he always carried his camera with him, so he took a shot of the beak. It might come in handy!
Gibli was ready to follow the clues to see where the duck's beak would take her. It was an enigma.
She got up and carefully placed the little treasure in her jacket pocket.
Several weeks passed, and Gibli began dedicating some of her time to the investigation of the duck's beak. She managed to gather some information about similar objects but found no satisfying answers to her curiosity.
During one of her searches, she came across an old local tale. The folklore spoke of a place not far from the flat but lush countryside by the river. It mentioned a certain duck that had lost its beak. It wasn't a well-known legend and seemed more like a children's story, but the coincidence fascinated her. Perhaps that strange object was indeed connected to this fable and to the 'Power of the Duck' as the story claimed!
The next morning, in the library, she found some old chronicles that referred to a special object shaped like a duck and its extraordinary power. It was said to possess the power of weather forecasting: whoever owned this duck could predict the weather at any place and time. However, one day, its beak was stolen by a greedy adventurer and since then, neither the duck nor the beak was ever seen again.
She decided to share her findings with her dearest friends, Fabri and Chiara, who were enthusiastic about joining her in the search. Chiara knew every plant, every place, and had a deep connection with the world. She was the friend who guarded the secrets of nature... and her own.
Gibli liked to call her the 'guardian of secrets'.
After many old documents, dusty maps, and hours spent fantasizing together, Fabri found an ancient book with a detailed map of the territory, and on it, a symbol depicting a duck without its beak! It was a clear reference to the lost duck legend.
They embarked on an expedition to that little untouched oasis indicated on the maps, surrounded by the canal waters, as if to protect it. During the search for the duck, Chiara's skills as an expert hiker proved crucial.
In the end, they found it! They reunited the duck with its beak, and... Phfffffff! With a gentle flap of its wings, it flew away.
It was as if it had left a message in the wind, and the three friends understood its meaning immediately.
"We've been searching for something extraordinary," Fabri said, "and we found it, but we didn't have to look in the duck; we had to look within ourselves and in the friendships we share."
Chiara nodded. They looked at each other, acknowledging that their special bond was the key to facing the future with confidence.
They returned home, carrying with them the 'Power of the Duck,' which had less to do with weather forecasting and more to do with the ability to pursue their dreams and uncover the true treasure of adventure: friendship and self-discovery.