Happy Feet Two

by Paul Livingston

  Atticus and Bo immediately started to count. “One! Two!” Then they pushed Ramon into the water. He disappeared momentarily but soon resurfaced, muttering to himself, “Baby penguins. Cute … but ruthless.”

  As Ramon was bobbing on the surface, Bill and Will were talking deep down below.

  “What are we looking for, exactly?” asked Bill.

  “That’s the beauty of it, my friend,” said Will. “I don’t know!”

  At that moment, Will saw a break in the swarm—his first glimpse of open water. He sped toward it. Ever cautious, Bill frantically tried to dissuade him.

  “Will, please! Come back! I fear the worst!”

  “I fear the worst, too, Bill, because fearing the best is a complete waste of time.”

  As they were leaving the safety of the swarm, they saw a scary-looking shadow.

  “A black hole!” cried Bill, recalling the ancient krill legends of black holes coming out of nowhere, swallowing everything in their paths.

  “Relax, they’re just stories. Scary talk,” said Will, fascinated by the growing black shadow. “Mind you, for something that doesn’t exist, it’s quite impressive.”

  “Swim! Swim for your life!” Bill squealed, grabbing Will and pulling him back. At that moment, Bill and Will realized that the black hole was actually the mouth of an enormous Humpback whale. The gigantic creature plunged into the swarm, swallowing masses of krill. Then, smaller black holes appeared as schools of hungry fish joined in the feeding frenzy.

  Just before a speeding fish was about to swallow Bill and Will, Ramon appeared out of nowhere and came to a sudden halt. He was staring at twin black holes heading straight for him.

  But these black holes were really two very scary Leopard seals!

  “Penguin munchers!” screamed Ramon, swimming for his life.

  Spotting Ramon, the two Leopard seals chased him.

  Back on the ice, Atticus, Bo, and Erik watched as Ramon shot out of the water. When he landed, he shook with terror.

  “Take me home!” he begged the baby penguins.

  Under the water, Will and Bill were separated from the swarm. Having just seen the Humpback whale and schools of fish eat countless krill, they now understood their place in the world.

  “So this is all we are?” said Will. “Lunch?”

  A tear filled Bill’s eye.

  “Good-bye, krill world,” he said.

  Meanwhile, Mumble had left Emperor Land to search for Erik, Atticus, and Bo. Soon he spotted a fresh set of tracks. Ramon! thought Mumble. He flopped on his belly and slid down a long slope toward Adelie Land.

  Not too far away, Ramon and the kids looked out across Adelie Land. The four penguins had made their way to Ramon’s homeland. The area was surrounded by ice cliffs on one side and the ocean on the other.

  Below, Erik, Atticus, and Bo saw thousands of penguins just like Ramon—no taller, but no shorter, either. And in among these Adelie penguins were many other types of penguins, all assembled around a large mound covered in green moss and grass. The kids had never seen anything like it before.

  Ramon was home! He raced down the slope straight toward Lombardo, Rinaldo, Raul, and Nestor—his closest friends.

  “Ramon?! Ramon!” they exclaimed.

  Ramon introduced the kids to his Amigos.

  “So tell me, where are all the Ramon-starved chicas?” Ramon asked.

  “Man, you’ve been away too long. There’s a lot more competition now,” said Lombardo.

  Suddenly, a roar rang out from the crowd as Lovelace, a strange-looking penguin, stepped onto the grassy mound. Lovelace was a squat Rockhopper penguin with a brightly colored knitted vest that had green, pink, and blue stripes around it and a yellow heart in the middle. There was a story behind this vest. And Lovelace loved to tell it.

  “Lovelace! Lovelace!” chanted the crowd.

  Ramon was upset that all the penguins around him only paid attention to Lovelace and not to him. “Worst case of feather rot I’ve ever seen,” he said, glaring at the vest.

  “Brothers and sisters,” Lovelace called out, waving his flippers around wildly. “We are many kinds gathered here from far and near. Because it’s a new day in a new age! In an all-new Adelie Land! For this is the time of Sven!”

  At the sound of Sven, the crowd cheered.

  “Sven! The Mighty Sven!” they chanted.

  Ramon was confused. Who was Sven?

  “I want you all to make your flippers quiver and your beaks shriek. It’s SvenTime!” cried Lovelace.

  Lovelace pointed to the top of an iceberg, and the crowd burst into wild applause. There, backlit by the sun, Sven stood majestically.

  Sven was a barrel-chested penguin with an oversized, battle-scarred, red beak and golden feathers swept back across his head. He held up a flipper, instantly hushing the adoring crowd. Then, he thrust his beak in the air and leaped off, dropping like a stone down the face of the iceberg.

  Erik, Atticus, and Bo let out a gasp. Surely no penguin could survive a fall from that height! But then, the most amazing thing happened. Just before Sven hit the water … whoosh! With one sweep of his flippers, he soared high into the air, at first higher than the peak of the iceberg, and then higher still.

  Erik rushed forward, wide-eyed. A penguin that could fly!

  Female penguins trampled over Ramon as they surged toward Sven. The flying penguin swooped over them, dazzling the crowd with a series of loops, rolls, spins, and spirals.

  Then Sven’s feet extended beneath him and he set himself down on the mound next to Lovelace.

  “Your story. Tell it, brother,” Lovelace urged.

  “Oh, but friends,” said Sven. “It such a long story,” he said with his unusual accent and choice of words.

  “Tell the short one,” shouted Ramon.

  Sven began his story with great seriousness.

  “It all begin with the loss …”

  “Hey, Goldilocks!” Ramon interrupted. “That beak looks way too big on you!”

  “Keep it down, clown,” Lovelace warned Ramon.

  Sven composed himself and started over.

  “It begin …”

  “The end!” barked Ramon, quite pleased with himself. But he got no laughs from the audience.

  “Security!” Lovelace called. Almost instantly, Ramon was held back by a troop of security Chinstrap penguins.

  Erik was awestruck by Sven and saw his chance to get closer. He darted past the security penguins and toward the stage, closely followed by Atticus and Bo.

  Lovelace turned to Sven. “I’m still here for you, brother. I will help tell your story.”

  “Okay, I give it another try,” Sven agreed. “It begin with the loss of my home.” But then he stopped.

  “No, no, the moment is gone. Forget about … maybe tomorrow,” he said.

  The crowd urged Sven to continue. But Sven would not budge.

  “No, I’m sorry! I’m not feeling it. Show’s over!” he said.

  As Sven turned to leave, he felt a tug on his tail feathers.

  “Please, sir? My friend has a question,” said Bo.

  Sven turned to see three baby penguins staring up at him in wonderment. The littlest one asked shyly, “Does your story have flying in it?”

  “Where you from, little squirt?” said Sven.

  “We from da Emperor-hood,” Atticus butted in.

  “What your name is?” said Sven.

  “Erik.”

  Erik’s hopeful eyes gave Sven a change of heart about telling his story. He invited Erik to join him onstage. Erik took a few steps onto the grass. It tickled his feet.

  “Ya, okey-doke. Hey, everybuddy,” said Sven, addressing the crowd. “I now dedicate my much-applauded, heartwarming saga to my brave friend … III-RIK!”

  The entire crowd began to chant Erik’s name with Sven’s strange accent. “III-RIK! III-RIK!”

  For the first time in his short life, Erik’s chest swelled with pride.

  High
on a ridge overlooking Adelie Land stood Mumble, astonished to hear a crowd of penguins below chanting his son’s name.

  Center stage, Lovelace began to tell Sven’s story, with Sven filling in some of the details.

  The Story of Sven—as told (mainly) by Lovelace

  Once upon a time, on an arctic glacier, an enormous volcano erupted and spewed huge plumes of ash into the air.

  Sven was the last of a noble penguin race whose world collapsed without warning.

  “My homeland was destroyed, and I alone escaped the disaster,” Sven explained.

  As Sven fled, a cloud of ash peppered with lightning flashes blocked out the sun.

  “My power to fly was my saving grace,” added Sven.

  Through his incredible feats of flying, Sven traveled over a vast ocean until he managed to land on the tip of an iceberg. He was in bad shape and so exhausted he could fly no farther.

  But as the iceberg began to drift south and melt, it got smaller and smaller.

  Soon all that was left of the iceberg was a tiny raft of ice. And just before it all melted away, Sven bumped up against a wall of red metal. It was the hull of a scientific research ship.

  “The humans took me in and fixing up my injuries. Soon, I’m resting on a pillow in a woven basket, plaster casting covering me from feet to beak,” Sven said.

  As the ship headed south, Sven waddled along the deck of the ship, still wearing the brace to keep his body upright. Suddenly, he noticed something on the horizon. A damaged oil tanker was leaking oil into the ocean, and a penguin was stuck in it, gasping for air! Sven made a loud, honking sound, which drew the attention of the ship’s crew. They rescued the penguin by scooping him into a net.

  “That penguin was Lovelace!” declared Sven.

  I lay in the ship’s laboratory while scientists rubbed me down to remove the oil covering my feathers. Sven watched as they blow-dried me and fitted me with a colorful knitted vest to keep me warm.

  One day, Sven and I were strolling along the ship’s deck as one of the scientists was playing a guitar. Around him, other crew members without instruments pretended to play along with him. I loved the music and began grooving to the beat, delighting the scientists. Before long, I was playing my own imaginary guitar. The humans called it air guitar. But just when I thought we had found a new home on this ship with our new “family,” Sven saw something that made him realize our destiny lay elsewhere. With his beak, he suddenly tore off his remaining bandages.

  “I knew it was time to leave … QUICKLY!” Sven announced.

  Sven leaped from the side of the ship and flew away. I realized then that he could fly!

  I jumped into the sea to follow him. Eventually, we arrived on the shore of Adelie Land. Curious penguins edged closer, staring at the flying penguin and something sprouting between Sven’s toes: a blade of green grass.

  “Soon after my landing, patches of green grass sprouting up all over Adelie Land, courtesy of me!” Sven declared.

  As soon as Sven’s story was finished, the crowd started chanting his name again.

  “The Mighty Sven! The Mighty Sven!” they shouted.

  Sven held up a flipper. “From that day I took a vow: I, Sven, promise to use my powers for goody. When I fly, my flippers will warm the air and melt the ices!”

  “No more frozen butts!” yelled Lovelace.

  Sven took to the air and glided gracefully over the crowd and then high into the sky.

  “And I dedicate full time to the creation of a New Adelie Land!” cried Sven.

  At that instant, Adelie Land began to rumble and shake. Mumble, who had been making his way through the crowds of adoring penguins, looked around nervously. What was that?

  The penguins did not know it, but the rumble was caused by the Doomberg. It was on the move, bumping along the ocean floor, destroying everything in its path!

  As the rumbling stopped, the crowd erupted into cheers and applause. They thought the tremor was caused by the powers of Sven!

  Sven, at first uneasy, accepted the crowd’s admiration for the disturbance. He put on his most heroic face and flew low overhead, delighting the female penguins below.

  “Sven! Marry me!” one of them cried out.

  “Ah, my beauty, but if I should love only you, who will love them?” Sven said, gesturing to all of his devoted followers.

  This prompted Ramon to speak up defiantly. “Okay, already, but who will love Ramon?”

  Instantly recognizing that voice, Mumble pushed his way through the crowd toward Ramon. Sven landed on top of a penguin’s head and addressed Ramon.

  “Ah, bitter, twisted, lonely guy. You must learn to think like Sven.”

  Sven touched both flippers to his temples.

  “If you want it, you must will it!” Sven instructed. “If you will it, it will be yours!”

  “SvenThink! SvenThink!” chanted the crowd.

  Ramon was not convinced by this “SvenThink.”

  “I’ll prove it doesn’t work,” he said, clamping his flippers to his temples.

  “Now empty your mind,” said Sven.

  “Done,” said Ramon. “Too easy.”

  “Now picture your goal and will it!”

  Ramon closed his eyes.

  “Harder! Now with added bonus will!” Sven urged.

  Ramon did his best to will it.

  “Now open your eyes!” commanded Sven.

  When Ramon opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Mumble rushing toward him.

  “Ramon! Where are the kids?” yelled Mumble.

  Hearing Mumble’s voice, the kids made themselves invisible by hiding behind Ramon.

  Sven was not happy with this interruption of his SvenThinking session. With a wave of his flipper, a group of security Chinstrap penguins pounced on Mumble and wrestled him to the ground.

  “Okay, will it again. Will it!” Sven urged.

  Ramon closed his eyes and willed his favorite wish. This time, when he opened his eyes, standing before him was Carmen, the prettiest penguin Ramon had ever seen.

  “Thank you, SvenThink,” Ramon muttered as he swaggered toward her. “You. Me. Egg. Now!”

  Carmen sized him up.

  “You. With Carmen? Fat chance!” she said coldly. Ramon took encouragement from her words. “I have a chance, and it’s fat!”

  Carmen turned her back and walked away.

  “There goes the love of my life,” said Ramon, following her. “Wait, Carmen. Wait!” Ramon’s departure left Erik, Atticus, and Bo in full view.

  Mumble broke free from the Chinstraps and raced toward them.

  “ERIK! KIDS!” yelled Mumble, stopping the trio in their tracks.

  “We’re leaving. Right now. Let’s go home,” Mumble insisted.

  “But this place is so much fun!” Bo objected.

  “Come on, all of you!” said Mumble.

  Erik refused to move.

  “Erik, it’s a long way home. Let’s go!” ordered Mumble.

  Erik still wouldn’t budge.

  “I’m not going back to Emperor Land,” he said, turning his back on his father. “I’m staying here.”

  Mumble was getting more and more upset. “What about the folks back home and how worried your mother must be?”

  Sven saw what was happening. He gave Mumble a nod and walked up to Erik.

  “It best to do what your father says,” Sven said.

  “But I don’t belong there,” Erik replied.

  Sven leaned in and whispered to Erik.

  “Fluffy one, let me tell you little secret. Sometimes when you a little different, the world laugh at you.”

  Erik knew this only too well.

  “We have a saying in Svenland. Believe in yourself, brave Iii-rik, because Sven believe in you.”

  Erik looked to his father, then back to Sven.

  “Mighty Sven?” asked Erik. “Will I ever fly?”

  “If you will it, it will be yours,” Sven replied.

  Erik gave Sv
en a big hug before heading off to join his father.

  Mumble, Erik, Atticus, and Bo headed home to Emperor Land.

  “You know, son, when things go wrong, running away is not the answer. You have to find a way to handle it. We’re all different; it’s part of the job of life to find out who you are and what you got. Right?”

  Erik nodded.

  “It may not be dancing or flying, but when you find it, it’ll be all yours! Your thing! You know what I’m saying?”

  “Ya, okey-doke.” Erik imitated Sven’s voice before running ahead to catch up with Atticus and Bo. Mumble realized Erik was not really listening.

  Just then, the ice beneath their feet rumbled and shuddered. Erik fell on his back, and Atticus landed on his belly. Mumble and Bo were barely able to keep their balance.

  On a beach nearby, a tribe of enormous Elephant seals stopped their jostling as the ice beneath them shook, too. Out in the ocean, Leopard seals sleeping on ice floes were woken up.

  Back in Emperor Land, the sound of the moving ice was deafening. Gloria led a group of penguin chicks away from the noise to safe ground. From his icy tower, Noah watched in horror as an enormous mountain of ice plowed its way toward Emperor Land. The Doomberg had arrived!

  Still some distance from home, Atticus, Bo, and Erik were concerned.

  “Uncle Mumble?” asked Atticus. “Are we okay?”

  Mumble didn’t know what kind of damage the shaking had caused, but he didn’t want to worry the kids.

  “Sounded awfully close to Emperor Land,” said Bo.

  Mumble frowned. “Come on, guys. Let’s pick up the pace.”

  He wondered if they would be able to get back to Emperor Land safely.

  Meanwhile, under the ice, the two little krill rode out a powerful wave.

  “What was that?” asked Bill.

  “That is the wave of change,” Will replied. “Adapt or die!”

  “Adapt?” said Bill. “There’s no telling what we might become.”

  “Fine,” said Will. “Be a plankton muncher all your life.”

  “But that is what we are, Bill. We’re herbivores. We eat veggies.”

  “Right, so everyone else can eat us,” snapped Will. “Well, I for one am not prepared to be on the menu any longer.”