Tanya Vester ©2012
Pepe the Emperor Penguin was born on the coldest day of the year, when the chilly Antarctic winds were bellowing across the continent of Antarctica. But the small penguin was warm and snug, huddled under the warm plumes of his mother. Pepe raised his head and peeked out from underneath, but all he could see when he looked out was black. His mum told him the long, dark winter would last for four months, but still, he peeked out a few times every day to check that it hadn’t yet become light outside. The whole penguin colony spent four months of every year clustered together protecting themselves from the freezing winter winds.
One day in late September Pepe, as usual, looked out from under his mother’s warm shelter. But this time he caught a glimpse of the first sun rays after the long and dark winter “Mum! Can I go out?” Pepe asked excitedly, wiggling about impatiently. “Yes Pepe, you may go outside now” his mum replied. “But be very careful. There are so many dangerous things out there for a little penguin like you!”
Pepe didn’t have to be told twice. He quickly wiggled his way out. Oh, how he wanted to test the ice! After hurrying out, Pepe tried to stand up – but immediately flopped back onto his belly. “Careful, Pepe!” his mother shouted after him. But Pepe couldn’t hear her. He was already sliding down the slope on his white belly. “Weee… This is awesomeee!” he shouted. One by one, the other little penguins started to pop their heads out from underneath their mothers’ bellies. Soon there were lots of little emperor penguins scrambling around all over the ice!
Pepe got up and took small steps, one foot ahead of the other. It didn’t take long until he was bobbing along like a grown-up penguin. “Pepe, you’re doing well!” he heard a voice behind him shout. He turned around and saw his father, who had followed him without Pepe even noticing. “Thanks, dad!” Pepe replied enthusiastically, swinging around his little flippers. But then again – Flop! Pepe plunged down and was lying on his belly once again. He heard his father laughing. “Keep trying, it will come naturally to you soon enough”, he assured Pepe.
Soon Pepe was hopping about all over the place and his dad decided it was time to take Pepe on a trip to see the ocean. And off they went! Two penguins toddling along, going up and down hills made of ice. Whenever Pepe got to the top of a hill, he flopped down on his belly and slid all the way back down to the bottom as his dad hurried after him and tried to catch up.
After reaching the top of another hill, Pepe looked across and suddenly saw the dark blue sea. It was the first time Pepe had ever seen the Antarctic Ocean. “What’s that, dad?” he asked, pointing his little flipper toward the water. “There’s only one way to find out!” his father chuckled, as they headed for the sea. When they reached the Antarctic Ocean, all that Pepe could see beyond the horizon was a magnificent blue. As the two penguins approached the water, Pepe suddenly felt so incredibly small.
Suddenly a big wave rushed in, and Pepe quickly jumped back. “You don’t have to be afraid of the water!” his father laughed. “After all, water is what ice is made of”. Pepe found this hard to believe. “Then why is ice white but water is blue?” he pondered. Pepe wanted to be as big and courageous as his dad, so he boldly approached the next wave and put his flipper into the water. “Wow… what a strange feeling!” he exclaimed.
Pepe looked across the icy beach. Suddenly, he saw something small and blue moving in the distance. “What’s that?” the curious Penguin asked his father. Both penguins looked out to the sea, carefully observing the moving object. Pepe’s father almost leapt out of his skin. “I think it’s another penguin – but one that is not like us!” he gasped. Unlike his dad, Pepe wasn’t scared about approaching the other penguin. After all, he had just touched the mysterious dark blue water called ‘the ocean’, and that wasn’t so scary at all! Now he wanted to discover more strange things out there…
Hesitantly, Pepe’s dad agreed to go closer and explore the strange penguin bobbing about in the water and coming in closer to the shore. A big wave suddenly rushed in, its feathers were tussled about and the little penguin went flying onto the shore. It was indeed a penguin but one that looked quite different to Pepe. It was very small and blue!
“Hello!” Pepe shouted out as he approached the little penguin. “Who are you?” and bent over to have a closer look at the strange creature. Although the little penguin’s body was small, it had big dark eyes that looked back at Pepe with great astonishment. After all, for the little penguin, Pepe must have looked humongous. “I’m Genie, a Little Blue Penguin” the penguin replied timidly. “I am from New Zealand, but seem to have gotten lost along my way”. Pepe’s dad had heard about New Zealand and the small penguin colonies that lived there. But apparently it was more than two thousand kilometres away from Antarctica – a great distance to swim for a little penguin such as Genie!
So Pepe and his dad decided to take Genie under their wings. At first Genie was a bit scared of the two larger penguins, but soon she was hopping about between them. She jumped up excitedly at seeing the large sheets of ice surrounding Antarctica, and scrambled up and down the many little hills. For every step Pepe took, Genie had to take three!
It did not take long for Pepe and Genie to become best pals. Pepe taught Genie how things were done in Antarctica and Genie told Pepe stories about her penguin friends in New Zealand. “Did you know that in New Zealand, the little penguins normally make their nests by digging a burrow into the sand or finding a gap amongst the rocks?” she explained. “Really? I have never even seen a rock on Antarctica!” Pepe shouted and laughed.
As the days went by Pepe taught Genie how to watch out for Leopard seals and Orca whales. “They are very dangerous for us penguins” Pepe explained. “If you ever see one swimming in the water, make sure to come back to the surface and onto the ice quickly!” Pepe felt like Genie was the younger sister he never had. Whenever it got cold, the three penguins would huddle together, seeking shelter from the icy cold.
Genie was in awe of the huge Antarctic continent and all the excitement that went on in the Southern Ocean. Life under the sea was also very different for Genie – everything was scarier than back home, and the fish had big googly eyes! But over time, the excitement wore off and she realized more and more that she really missed her home country.
Genie was sitting on an ice-shelf looking north, and her thoughts were with her family and friends back home. Pepe’s dad saw her and came over with a worried expression. “Genie, you miss New Zealand, don’t you?” he asked gently. Genie just nodded. The next day preparations were made for Genie’s return home. Pepe’s dad wanted to make sure she ate a lot of fish to give her the energy that she would need to get home. As Pepe’s dad went out to collect fish, Pepe couldn’t help but feeling very sad. He was about to lose his best friend and the sister he never had. He had grown so fond of little Genie.
“Don’t be sad” Genie comforted Pepe. “Antarctica is a dangerous place for Little Blue Penguins like me. There are many big animals and the climate is too cold for me” she explained. “One day when we are confident swimmers, we can meet half way between Antarctica and New Zealand!” Genie reassured him. Pepe’s eyes immediately brightened with that thought.
Suddenly the pair of penguins saw a big dark fin appear over the water’s surface and disappear back into the ocean. Pepe got a shock as he realised his dad was out there looking for fish. ‘Quick Pepe, we must distract the Orca whale and save your dad!” Genie shouted. She flipped into the water and Pepe quickly followed. Once in the water, they saw the humongous black creature not very far away.
The Orca was smoothly gliding through the water and Pepe’s dad was zigzagging ahead and trying to escape the approaching whale. When the whale caught a glimpse of Pepe and Genie it swiftly changed paths and charged ahead toward the two smaller penguins. Pepe and Genie speedily turned back toward land, looking back every so often to see the giant whale get closer and closer. The land was just ahead, but time was running out!
Racing through the water, Pepe and Genie finally made it to the land and quickly jumped out of the water. As they looked back, they saw a black fin disappearing in the distance. The whale had given up and started looking for new prey. They found Pepe’s dad not far away, looking exhausted but relieved to see his two favourites little penguins. “You shouldn’t have jumped into the water to try and save me, it’s too dangerous!” Pepe’s dad scolded. “Scary events like this really make us feel happy to be alive, doesn’t it kids?” he continued. Pepe and Genie nodded in agreement.
Finally, the day had come and Pepe and his dad had to bid farewell to Genie.”At home they will never believe me when I tell them that I met penguins three times as big as me and that I was chased by a giant Orca whale!” she joked. “You are the bravest and littlest penguin I have ever met” Pepe’s dad told Genie affectionately. The three of them huddled together one last time.
And as quick as Genie had appeared, she was gone. Pepe and his dad stood side by side and waved goodbye. After watching the Little Blue Penguin disappear in the distant waters, they started on their return journey home, crossing over the many ice hills once more. 22 Back at home and for months to come, Pepe told all his friends about the little penguin he had encountered from New Zealand, but no one ever believed him. “It was probably a large blue seagull!” they laughed. But Pepe didn’t listen to them. He smiled and imagined Genie happy to be home again, together with her own colony of Little Blue Penguins.