Lunch by the river... or not

Last week, after about 10 days of being sick, and so, completely cooped up after work, I was starting to get cabin fever. So, on a sunny day, I decided to go down to the river for lunch. There was a chess table right by the water. I sat down and started to pull out my lunch. A seagull came over. Then another. I told them "No". Two ducks started walking over towards me, and I firmly resolved to ignore them. I started to unwrap my burger. I looked up and saw a big black swan, with a bright red beak, moving toward me. I figured I could just ignore him too. I started to take a bite, but noticed he was still walking toward me, and was only a foot or two away. His head and neck were all bent down and all I could see was the huge beak. He looked so mean, I started to get nervous. Stories of territorial swans and geese started swirling through my mind. I didn't have the fight in me. Much to the amusement of the women sitting on the nearby bench, I packed up my lunch and abandoned the table (and the stalking birds).

I walked up the bank, closer to the road, away from the birds, and ate my lunch there. So I did technically get to eat by the water. But still, I feel like the birds got the better of me. I don't know how many more nice days we'll have, but come next spring, I will be back! And next time, I will win!