Donald McDuck 2017

The heavy oak door of the McDuck estate creaked open with a barely audible creak. Donald slipped through the resulting gap. He gently closed the door behind him, pressed his back against it, and let out a sigh of relief, closing his eyes.

The evening in the port quarter had clearly dragged on. Donald had only intended to have a glass of fizzy lemonade with some old naval acquaintances to relieve stress, but in the end, a couple of strong sailor's cocktails had done the trick. His head was pleasantly buzzing, and the world around him rocked gently, like a deck during a light storm.

“Quiet... The main thing is quiet...” he muttered under his breath, struggling to find the right words in his usual hoarse speech.

Taking off his cap, Donald hugged it to his chest and took his first step across the marble hall. His paws touched the cold floor.

Slap.

The sound seemed deafening to him. He froze on one foot, balancing from side to side like a drunken penguin. After waiting for the imaginary danger to pass, he moved on, trying to step as smoothly as possible, but his coordination was failing him. The enormous portrait of Scrooge on the wall seemed to glare at him disapprovingly. Donald stuck his tongue out at the portrait and immediately tripped over the edge of an expensive Persian rug.

"Quack!" he squeaked in fear, flapping his wings to maintain his balance.

Donald froze, narrowly missing the decorative knight's armor. The armor wobbled dangerously, but held its ground. The drake caught his breath, wiped the sweat from his brow, and stealthily moved toward the stairs. Each step seemed an insurmountable obstacle. He gripped the railing with both hands, stubbornly pulling himself up step by step.

Reaching the second floor, Donald tiptoed down the long hallway, past the boys' rooms. He stopped at Huey, Dewey, and Louie's door, put his ear to the keyhole, and, hearing a soft snore, smiled stupidly but warmly. Everyone's home. Everyone's safe.

Having hobbled to his room with difficulty, he leaned against the door with his whole body. And then fell into the room.