New England Cable News/Kenn Tompkins via AP
- A big rubber duck has left the Maine harbor where it mysteriously appeared on August 14.
- It's still unclear how the guest arrived in the first place, according to The Bangor Daily News.
- Residents of Belfast, Maine said the duck brought lots of delight to the coastal community.
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A 25-foot inflatable duck that brought much happiness to the residents of a coastal Maine town has disappeared just as mysteriously as it arrived.
Joy, the big yellow duck that floated among rowboats and expensive yachts in Belfast Harbor, was likely removed from the water Saturday night ahead of Tropical Storm Henri, according to The Bangor Daily News.
"Most people loved it. They really were rather upset when it left," said Belfast Harbor Master Katherine Given. "It was fun while it lasted."
Given told The Bangor Daily News that she received an anonymous letter from someone who claimed to be involved with the situation.
"JOY simply is fowl play. In this day in age of such bitter divisiveness in our country, we wanted to put forth a reminder of our commonalities instead of our differences. Nothing embodies childhood more than being in a warm bath with your rubber ducky – the joy of not having a care in the world other than having to remember to wash behind our ears," the letter said, indicating that the duck might be headed somewhere else.
No one quite knows how Joy ended up in the harbor on August 14. Given said to the Bangor Daily News last week that the duck was rumored to have drifted in from the neighboring island town of Isleboro, and that boat owners from the island told her they saw a similar-looking duck around the area.
This story is developing. Please check back for updates.