In a rain soaked historic city square, with floodwater spilling from a stone fountain into the street, a tiny duckling was found stranded on the slick edge of the fountain, just centimetres from rushing overflow water.

Drenched and shivering, the duckling clung to the stone as rain fell and water surged around it. Benches, flower planters and wet pavement disappeared under shallow, fast flowing water, while a church tower stood in the grey distance.

A rescuer in a neon yellow flood response jacket approached carefully, knelt on the wet stone and reached out slowly with both gloved hands. The duckling shifted slightly and looked back, but did not flee.

With gentle, steady hands, the rescuer cupped the duckling and lifted it clear of the current. Its soaked feathers dripped as it was held close, safe at last from the water that had threatened to sweep it away.

The rescuer then turned away from the fountain toward a calmer, safer part of the square, holding the small bird securely as traffic lights and wet city reflections glowed in the distance.

It was a quiet rescue, lasting only seconds, but for one small life in a flooded square, it changed everything.