Once upon a time on a splashy and bustling pond, two sweet ducks named Bryan and Dani met and fell in love. 

That winter Bryan thought it was just the right time to ask Dani to marry him. Dani quacked excitedly "yes!" And the two wed!

They swam and swam through several ponds until they found a beautiful spot on a blue lake with the friendliest neighbors—all excited to have hatchlings of their own.

There on the lake, Bryan and Dani gathered grass and leaves to make a nest. Dani plucked some of her softest feathers to line the nest. She smiled and thought as she laid each feather down how warm and comfortable her new ducklings would be. Once her eggs were laid, Dani joyfully sat upon them, and there Bryan and Dani waited...and waited...and waited. 

The weeks passed, but still no ducklings.

Over at the nearby nests, Bryan and Dani could hear the excitement as their neighbors eggs hatched. 

They were happy for their friends, but their hearts hurt because none of their eggs had hatched. 

The seasons changed and they flew south for the winter as their neighbors remained close to their hatchlings. 

Bryan and Dani spent the whole winter talking and dreaming of having hatchlings of their own. 

They couldn't wait for spring to arrive so they could fly back to their nesting spot and try again.

When spring came they flew back to that beautiful blue lake they called home.

They knew exactly what to do. Dani laid her eggs, and, with a heart so full of hope, sat on her clutch to keep them nice and warm.

To pass the time, the pair came up with a name for each egg, but just like before not one egg hatched.

The season was coming to an end and their hearts ached as they prepared to fly south without the sweet hatchling they longed for.

They'd spent winters reading egg hatching books and taking trips to visit Dr. Toad. 

They continued to dream of all of the things they would do one day with a duckling of their own—as a family. 

Many springs and winters would come and go, 17 to be exact. Each time they returned south for the winter, their nest empty and their hearts hurting. Still they held onto hope for a duckling. 

Dreams felt further away than ever. Despite all of the pain and

uncertainty they would try again, for they both knew that they had so much love to give.

Spring came and this time when Dani laid her eggs, there was just one for her to sit on. 

As she gently warmed the nest, Dani prayed that she would soon meet this duckling face to face. She longed to know what it would be like to be a mother. 

Bryan stayed very close to Dani and quietly imagined what it would be like to be a proud father.