The Inquisitive Little Penguin

THE INQUISITIVE LITTLE PENGUIN

BY

VALERIE WALDBY

In the eerie light of dawn the rising sun was lighting up a long
stretch of white sandy

beach. The warming sun was also entering the burrows of the Blue Fairy
Penguin

colony who had made their homes in the grass covered dunes overlooking
the

beach.

In one of these burrows lived Percy Penguin and his parents. Percy was
a cute baby

Penguin with a white chest and tummy and always wearing a long black
coat, he had

webbed feet and short wings he used as flippers, and was a very strong
swimmer.

Mother and Father Penguin were preparing to leave the burrow and begin
the

daily journey in search for food for the always hungry family.

As mother Penguin was about to leave she turned lovingly to Percy and
told him not

to venture outside the burrow as there could be trouble and danger if
he wandered

from home alone. He had been warned many times about the gulls, and the
tiger

snakes that lay in wait for curious little Penguins exploring by
themselves. "You be a

good little Penguin," said mother ," and we will be back in the
evening with a tasty

feed of fish."

Leaving Percy alone in the burrow Mother and Father Penguin slid down
the bank to

join the little army of Penguins from the surrounding burrows. Closing
ranks for

Protection from the ever-present enemy of Sea Hawks the anxious group
of

Penguins scurried across the sand to the waters edge and dived daintily
under the

waves, to begin the long swim out to the feeding grounds, where they
would spend

most of the day.

No sooner had Mother and Father Penguin left the burrow than Percy
started to feel

bored. "What am I going to do all day" thought Percy. Knowing there
was a sandy

beach, and tempting rock pools not too far away. "It would be such fun
to explore the

beach outside" thought Percy.

"I'll just take a peak" the inquisitive Penguin said to himself. Poking
his head through

the entrance Percy saw the sparkling rock pools beckoning in the
distance. "I would

Love to have a swim in one of those pools" said Percy and forgetting
all about his

mother's warning Percy headed off in their direction. He wandered
happily along the

beach and soon reached the pools.

"This is fun," thought Percy, as he swam and splashed in the warm
water. He also

managed to catch some shrimps and crabs, which he was able to crack
with his

strong beak, and they made a tasty snack for the hungry bird. As Percy
wallowed in

his pool a dark shadow appeared on the water.

"What was that"? cried the frightened little Penguin, and glancing
upward he saw an

angry Mutton bird hovering overhead.

"Go away, go away," squealed the scared Penguin, flapping his wings and
looking for

somewhere to hide from the circling bird. Percy recalled his Mother's
warning. "There

are many dangers if you venture out alone."

On each turn of the wing the Mutton-bird got closer and closer, and
Percy felt very

alone and eagerly searched the surrounding area for some place to hide.
A little way

up a nearby bank he spied a pile of fallen tree branches.

"If I can just reach them, I could hide," thought Percy, as the
Mutton-bird began to dive.

Plucking up all his courage Percy raced across the sand as fast as his
little legs could

carry him, and he crawled into the safety of a hollow log. It was dark
and musty in the

log, but he was safe from the persistent prowling bird, and gathering a
pile of dry

leaves he nervously settled down and dozed off.

When Percy woke up the Mutton bird had given up the chase and was no
where to be

seen. As the day was drawing to a close Percy thought he should head
for the

Rookery and be home before Mother and Father returned from the sea.
The

inquisitive Penguin knew he would be in trouble if they arrived home
and he was not

there. Percy headed for home and hoped he would not encounter any more
trouble on

the way. A strong wind had sprung up and his sleek black and white coat
was now in

wild disarray as he plodded along the wind swept beach, eager to reach
the comforts

of home.

Dusk was falling as he got closer to the burrows, and Percy found it
hard to identify

the entrance to his burrow, as they all looked the same in the fading
light. Thinking

he had found it Percy entered and was greeted by an angry Penguin "This
is not your

home" cried the unfriendly Penguin, "be off, and find your own home "he
called as

Percy raced for the exit. Twice more Percy headed for a familiar
looking burrow and

was greeted by the same angry outcry. Wandering round the rookery he at
last came

across his rightful burrow and scurried inside, knowing the parent
birds were about to

return from the days hunting, as the sun was about to set. From the
Rookery a great

gabble of voices echoed across the sandy beach as the impatient babies
called to the

home coming parents.

Now safe and sound in his own home Percy watched the shore line and
waited

anxiously for his parent's return. It was almost dark when the first
scout Penguin

appeared in sight. As if from nowhere little gleaming bodies emerged
from the sea

and gathered in small groups to begin the march back to the Rookery,
directed by the

cries of their impatient and hungry babies. The trek back to the
burrows was about

to begin, and the days hunt was over. Percy watched with pleasure as
the parent

birds waddled up the beach, their round white tummies so full of fish
it was hard for

them to climb the bank. Home at last Percy was fed his evening meal,
and the

family settled for the night in the warm and cosy burrow. As Percy
drifted off to sleep

he recalled his exciting day.

"Should I tell about my adventure?" Percy wondered. He knew he would be
in trouble if

he did.

"Maybe tomorrow !"