The Crowd

There was always a crowd and he loved it that way. Clean air, deep blue skies, play all day, sleep all night -- there was nothing like it in the whole world.

He’d had a girlfriend, but one day she was gone, just like that. Well, it wasn’t going to be permanent anyhow, so he didn’t spend time missing her.

Come on, come on -- the gang was heading out and he didn’t want to be left behind. It was a gorgeous day to be alive, so he slipped and slid as he made his way to their destination -- a beautiful blue expanse of water to dive in, splash in, play in. When they arrived, they raced each other to see who could make it in first.

It was glorious and carefree and they spent weeks playing in the area -- adults as well as older kids. All of that wonderful, warm sunshine was just perfect.

Suddenly there was a loud cracking noise and an echoing boom that reverberated around and around. What’s happening? He didn’t understand, but part of the group quickly headed one way and took safety on the platform, and part of the group headed over to the main beach area.

He joined the group huddling on the platform. Most of his buddies had headed over to the main area and he watched to see they were all safe. Soon he realized the platform was moving. I wonder if that’s bad, he thought.

After awhile he decided he didn’t want to be so far from his friends and was worried since the distance between them was growing greater. He started to dive in the water and swim to the other group, but he heard several adults talking about seeing danger in the water. He looked around and sure enough -- predators were lurking down there. This doesn’t look good, he thought.

The next day, he was even farther from his friends and was desperate about getting back. There was still danger in the water though. He would wait.

The platform, a small iceberg, floated out to sea and, eventually, all the penguins were lost.
(True story, altered with poetic license -- http://simonc.f2o.org/south/archives/000145.php )