Preep: Quack

Pip froze. He tried again. "Quack—preep. Quack preep."

Pip felt hot shame under his feathers. He swam to the loneliest edge of the bog, where the reeds grew tall and the water was dark. There, he whispered to his reflection: "What’s wrong with me—preep?" quack preep

Pip nodded— preep .

A slow, old turtle surfaced nearby. "Nothing’s wrong," said the turtle, whose name was Tethys. "You’ve just got a preep . It’s the sound of a thought that doesn’t fit a quack." Pip froze

He swam back to the other ducks. They started to snicker, but Pip raised his beak high. A slow, old turtle surfaced nearby

Pip crept closer. Inside the log sat a ragged-eared rabbit, tapping a stick against a stone. Every fourth tap, instead of tick or tock , it went boop .