Vikki the Vet Helps Jacinda the Jacana
Belinda and Melinda are twin sisters.
Belinda lives in Virginia Beach, USA.
And Melinda lives in Montego Bay, Jamaica.
Melinda and Belinda have a cousin named Christopher.
Christopher, the cousin, lives in a cabana in Crane Corner.
Crane Corner is on the west coast of Jamaica.
It is by Black River Bay.
Christopher has a pet jacana.
Some people pronounce jacana = zhuh – sah – NAH; other people pronounce jacana = juh – kaa – nuh; but we’re sticking with ja – ca – na.
Because his cousins are named Belinda and Melinda Christopher named his jacana Jacinda.
Jacinda the Jamaican Jacana.
Christopher and Jacinda have been fast friends ever since Christopher rescued Jacinda from Wally Wash Pond.
Jacanas are wader birds.
What are wader birds?
Wader birds are birds with long legs that like to wade through the water.
Like cranes, storks, and spoonbills.
Jacanas are little wader birds.
They like to leap from lily pad to lily pad.
This is why they are also called “lily-trotters.”
Lily pads are the large leaves of water lilies.
When a jacana walks on the leaves of the water lily it looks like it is walking on water.
Jacanas also walk on the large leaves of lotus flowers.
This is why jacanas are also called “lotus-birds.”
Christopher, Melinda, and Jacinda went to visit Belinda for her birthday.
While visiting Virginia, Christopher and Melinda took Belinda out for a birthday dinner.
They took Belinda to a barbecue buffet.
After dinner and drinks they took home some BBQ for Jacinda the Jacana.
Jacanas are carnivores.
They like to eat meat.
They usually eat insects.
But sometimes they find fish.
Sometimes Christopher fries fish for Jacinda, his Jacana.
But Jacinda’s favourite is juicy jerk chicken.
Jacinda loves her Jamaican jerk chicken.
When they got back to Belinda’s bungalow Christopher and Melinda sang ‘Happy Birthday!’ to Belinda.
Then Belinda blew out the candles on her birthday cake.
And after that, Christopher gave Jacinda her Jamaican jerk chicken.
Whereupon, Jacinda the Jacana proceeded to scarf down her chicken so swiftly that she swallowed a small skewer.
“Oh no!” cried Christopher.
“A small skewer has gone down her gullet!”
“And now it’s stuck in her craw!”
Christopher tried to retract the small skewer from Jacinda’s craw.
He tried several times.
He repeatedly reached into Jacinda’s gullet to try and retrieve it.
But alas.
Christopher could not reach down deep enough.
So Christopher, Melinda, and Belinda rushed Jacinda to Vikki the Vet.
“I see you’ve got a jacana,” said Vikki the Vet as Christopher put Jacinda down on the countertop.
“My jacana Jacinda has just swallowed a skewer!” said Christopher.
“I think she might need surgery to bring up the brochette.”
Now you know:
brochette is French for skewer.
“Let me see what I can do,” said Vikki the Vet.
Vikki the Vet reached into Jacinda’s gullet with a pair of Debakey forceps but she couldn’t quite reach the small skewer.
The angle wasn’t quite right.
So Vikki the Vet went to a drawer and pulled out a pair of Alligator forceps.
“I bet you don’t have a pair of these,” said Vikki the Vet.
Whereupon, she proceeded to pull out the small skewer.
“I think Jacinda is going to be fine,” said Vikki the Vet.
“She has some scratching so she’ll have a sore throat.”
“But there isn’t any permanent damage.”
With a great amount of gratitude Christopher, Melinda, and Belinda thanked Vikki the Vet.
“Thank you so much for saving Jacinda!” said Christopher.
“Thank you! Ms. Vikki,” said Belinda.
“Thank you! Doctor Vega,” said Melinda.
“Take care of your jacana,” responded Vikki the Vet.
“Goodbye!” all three replied.
And with that—Christopher, Jacinda, Melinda, and Belinda went back to Belinda’s bungalow for some birthday cake.
The moral of this story is:
Please don’t scarf down your supper.
It is unseemly.
And you just might swallow a skewer.