Aiding Elements

A childrens' fairytale

 

                  Once upon a time in the great frozen land of Antarctica there lived a small group of penguins. Just like any other penguins, when the mother laid their egg, the father would sit on it and keep it warm while the mother penguin went off to find food. Throughout the bitter cold, the father penguins remained sitting on their eggs, ruffling their feathers to keep warm. One day while the mother penguins were still off on their search for food, a great storm blew in over the ice filled valley that the penguins lived in. The wind screeched and whistled against the slick ice walls of the cave that the father penguins had sheltered themselves in. It was late in the evening and the rest of the group was fast asleep with their eggs tucked underneath them, but one penguin was wide awake. His name was Tux and he sat upright in the corner listening to the terrible storm that terrorized the outside world. Tux was usually quiet and kept to himself when he wasn’t with his mate Kiki, so no one ever paid him much attention. All of a sudden he heard a deep bellowing voice resound in the cave. It startled him so much he nearly fell over.

                  “You must go from this place, the mothers have died in search of food. If you do not leave, your fate will be the same.”

                  Tux couldn’t believe what he was hearing and he looked around at the rest of the group who were just lifting their heads from slumber at the sound of the voice. Chatter started to grow within the group as they nervously tried to decipher the voice’s commands. Once again the voice rang through the cave clear as a bell.

                  “You must go now, I can only hold off the storm for a few hours.”

                  By this time they were all thoroughly convinced that they needed to leave. And as they started to pack up their precious eggs, they heard the wind die down outside. They stepped outside into the smoldering darkness and began heading south. There was another colony of penguins there and that was their safest bet. They seemed to be making good time, by a few hours in they were almost half way there. Just when they thought the going was looking easy the powerful wind started to blow again. It pushed harshly at their backs and seared their tired eyes. They lost many on the way, but they refused to give up. They reached the edge of the ice and just on the other side of the water they could see the colony of penguins. Just as they were about to dive in and swim across, two huge sea lions leaped out of the water and through the air. There was no way for them to get across safely. They were about to give up and turn around when Tux heard a low whisper.

                  “The wind helped you push you in the right direction, Let me help you get across these dangerous waters.”

                  Tux tried to quiet the angry group and told them to listen to the voice.

                  “I can help you, with me you will be safe.”

                  And with that the huge piece of ice they were standing on broke off and floated gently across the water just out of reach of the terrifying sea lions. They reach the other side and cheered enthusiastically that they had finally made it. Tux made his way over to the group of penguins and the others followed.

                  “My name is Tux, we have come from the north. The storm has killed our mother penguins and left us without food. Can you spare some?”

                  The leader of the group stepped forward. He stood at least a foot taller than the rest of the group and his thick glossy feathers shone in the pale light of the moon.

                  “I am sorry to say that we too have been affected by the storm and unfortunately we have no food to share.”

                  Downtrodden and discouraged both of the groups began to discuss their options. There wasn’t much they could do to help each other. Just as they were deciding whether or not to leave, the loud rumble of the sea silenced them.

                  “The wind helped push you in the right direction, the ice helped you pass the waters safely, and now I will help you. You will not go hungry tonight.”

                  With that a huge wave rose out of the sea and crashed violently against the icy shore. When the waters receded the penguins looked down to find fish flopping around everywhere. The penguin’s eyes widened with surprise and jumped around excitedly scooping up fish into their beaks. After their long journey they had finally made it and they even had food.

                  After that day they never heard the voices of the wind, ice or sea. The groups joined together to form a larger, stronger community, and all the penguins lived happily ever after. 

Reviews

[Marie]

An excellent fairytale.