He stared down at it. It stared back at him brightly.
“Jo,” he said slowly. “What is this?”
His sister beamed at him as though he’d just announced he was footing the bill for her to go to Paris and shop for a week. “It’s a penguin!”
“A penguin.”
“Yes – a fairy penguin to be exact.”
The penguin didn’t look a thing like a fairy to him. It wasn’t pink, and its wings certainly weren’t gossamer-like. Who named these things anyway?
“But, Jo, why is it sitting on my kitchen bench?”
“Well, I was going to put in on the floor, but I was worried your cat would see it – I mean, cats hunt birds after all, and I know penguins don’t really look like your average bird, is a cat honestly going to care…?”
“Jo!” he said, raising his voice, and making the bird skitter away from him. “Why is there a penguin in my house at all?”
“Oh, right. I need you to look after it -”
“What?!”
“- while I head down to the south district for a bit, because I really can’t leave it on its own. You don’t mind do you? I really have to pick this package up, but little Tinkerbell here isn’t due back for another day, and I can’t leave her unattended or she might get into all sorts of strife, and please Kieran, you owe me!”
Oh God, she was pulling that pitiful face again. The one that managed to both say ‘I’m weak and defenseless and love you so much’ and ‘if you don’t do this I will find some way to get back at you, and it will be painful’.
One day, Kieran thought grimly. One day he was going to work out exactly how she did it, and then he was going to build a Jo-proof shield around his house.
“Fine,” he sighed. “But what -”
“Thank you!” She swooped down on him, kissed him on the cheek, dumped a lumpy bundle on the bench next to the penguin and was out the door at a speed that would have the Roadrunner shooting her envious looks.
“You know,” he said conversationally to the penguin, which was pecking at the newspaper-bound package that was beginning to smell suspiciously of fish. “When Jo said she’d gotten a job at the local wildlife centre, I didn’t realize that meant I got to be signed up as a caretaker as well. I thought conscription was banned now.”
The penguin happily blatted a large, foul-smelling mess upon his kitchen bench.
“My thoughts exactly.”
Author notes
I love penguins, I really do. I just don't imagine they'd be the greatest thing to have in your house XD
A contest entry
- all about PENGUINS by sunnyset.
100 points, ended April 5, 2007, 7 entries
Silver trophy winner
• next story in this contest, remove from contest - Short Shorts by Delfishie.
175 points, ended April 7, 2007, 15 entries
• next story in this contest, remove from contest - realistic by LostSoulOfRage.
199 points, ended April 20, 2007, 16 entries
• next story in this contest, remove from contest - Random animals!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! by imaginaryfriendsrock.
100 points, ended February 27, 16 entries
• next story in this contest, remove from contest
Any and all comments welcomed
Comments
1 - 9 of 9
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thnx for entering and im srry for the late comment it was my computer.
anyways i loved this. it was a very cute story. very well written. good luck and keep up the amazing work.
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heh
Cute. I was like, "fairy penguin! Does it grant wishes!?!" but I guess you didn't go that route. Heh. How surprising. /sarcasm.
This was a great short-short. I liked how surreal it was in the beginning and realistic the characters were. That they were brother and sister was a nice touch, as I've witnessed many siblings using the blackmail-with-a-look technique to get what they want.
You wrote this really well. The story flowed smoothly and read like something professionally written. I definitely enjoyed reading it.
Good luck with the contest.
Heh. Fairy Penguins. "I wish for world peace!"
*poof*
"No, world PEACE, not pieces of rotten fish!"
*poof*
"No, I didn't say I wanted MORE pieces of rotten fish! And that had better not have used up my second wish!"
*poof*
"ARGH! Stop it with the fish!"
*blank pitiful stare*
"Fine, you can eat it. ...Stupid penguin fairy." -
Gee, even if this wasn't a penguin required story about penguins I would like it. And since Jo is my sister's name and the penguin blatted on the bench, it certainly worked for me.
Nice style. In a short amount of space established an interest in the characters (besides the penguin). Great Job.
beginning: 4, language: 4, plot: 3, ending: 3, dialog: 4, characters: 4.
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I think it's fine as is - there's nothing wrong with jotting down a single scene that takes your fancy, and leaving it at that.
ps - penguins sure are great. I take it you live waaaaaaay down south? -
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The only way I could get further south is if I moved to Antarctica. Or maybe New Zealand. How could you tell? =P
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well you live in australia, and you see penguins. i just assumed you weren't in queensland
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Oh, but I am in Queensland XD I thought you meant 'down south' as in Australia, but...no, I'm in Queensland. They just have penguins over at Seaworld is all.
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wow, this was really cute! i really think you should add more, though, because this story not only kept me reading, but it also made sense. It was fun to read. I could visualize what was happening, and I think u are a terriffic writer! keep it up
have a wonderful day
hw13
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Aw, thank you. But...
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*Whispers* To be honest I couldn't think of anything else to write, so I cut it off there. My brief inspiration decided to enact a gruesome death on me, so a quick one-shot it was.
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