The Great Mdina Duck Chase – A Feathery Tale of Misadventure

Quack-ups Begin in Gozo

It was a regular sunny day in Gozo when Ta’ Carmnu, a local farmer and weekend hunter, thought his eyes were tricking him. Instead of the usual pigeons roosting on his old limestone farmhouse, a flock of ducks had taken up residence. But not just any ducks. These were the fabled Maltese Mallards, known for their uncanny ability to dodge hunters’ shots by doing the Mediterranean Zigzag.

“Uwejja! These ducks think this is some kind of five-star hotel,” Carmnu complained to his mate Benna, while crunching on a pastizz and planning their capture. The mission was set for the ducks to take part in a grand feast featuring fenek (rabbit stew) and ftira (local bread). Little did they know, the ducks had a different idea.

Mishap in Mdina

The hunt took a turn for the weird when the ducks, much to Ta’ Carmnu’s surprise, launched into the air with what seemed like tiny jetpacks. “Mela! What in the name of Saint Publius is going on?” exclaimed Benna, as the sky filled with quacking aviators zooming towards the ancient city of Mdina.

“I told you to invest in a good net, not to go buying a second-hand catapult from that shady market in Valletta!” scolded Benna, now covered head to toe in feathers.

Chasing after the ducks, the two hunters ended up sprinting through Mdina’s narrow streets, causing quite the scene. Tourists snapped photos, local nannas shook their heads, and a brace of ducks were now perched on the legendary Fontanella Tea Garden, demanding a table with a view.

The Plot Thickens With Sauce

Meanwhile, an ambitious local chef named Il-Fennek, famous for her innovative hobz biz-zejt creations, saw this as an opportunity. She announced that she would put an end to the madness by creating the world’s first duck-themed hobz biz-zejt.

Little did anyone expect, the ducks were social media savvy. They commandeered a tourist’s iPad and began live-tweeting their escapade. #MdinaDuckChase went viral in minutes, and now a team of animal activists were en route with placards painted “Save Our Quackers!”

The Ultimate Twist Comes A’Waddling

As the chaos spiraled, a gentle quacking resonated through the city. The ducks, forming a V-formation, glided down towards the activists. But before the ducks could be draped in miniature protest scarves, they began performing a synchronized dance. It turns out these ducks were no ordinary fowl; they were part of a traveling waterfowl ballet troupe, mistaken for local wildlife!

Il-Fennek, ever the entrepreneur, struck a deal with the duck troupe leader, exchanging a season’s worth of gourmet bread for exclusive rights to ‘The Great Mdina Duck Ballet’. The show would combine Maltese culinary delights with feathery choreography.

Maltese Mallards – From Targets to Tickets

In a surprising turn of events, instead of being the main course, the ducks became the star attraction. The Mdina moat was transformed into an open-air theater, selling out faster than a hot batch of pastizzi ta’ l-irkotta on a Sunday morning.

“I used to shoot with a rifle, now I shoot with a camera,” Ta’ Carmnu declared, having found a new hobby in avian photography. While Benna sold duck whistles at the ballet’s entrance, humbly admitting, “Turns out, saving ducks is more profitable than hunting them, uwejja!”

The Great Mdina Duck Chase had everyone in Malta chuckling, quacking up, and perhaps contemplating the age-old lesson: sometimes, the mallard in hand is better than the two hiding in the bushes…especially if they can pirouette.