Discussion Link:
Oskar and Eli were flying, very high and very fast.
- Did you see that? We are faster than the Boeing!
- We must be getting close now. Come on down.
They landed on the seashore. Eli complained:
- What a fog. I can see almost nothing. What about your GPS device?
- Zapped. There was a little short circuit.
- Because of the blood of that biker, a week ago?
- ...Yea…
Eli teased him:
- You're so sloppy.
- I haven't had as much practice as you.
Eli sighed but said nothing. Oskar hit the device again and the screen lit up.
- Hooray!
- Where are we?
- One minute… Hmm. We are in the north of Norway.
Eli grabbed her head.
- How can this be? We were supposed to go to Lulea!
Oskar shrugged his shoulders.
- I don’t know. Perhaps we got carried away with racing with Boeing jets and got lost, a little.
Suddenly they heard a yell, very near. Oscar jumped in surprise and dropped the GPS phone.
Eli said:
- Quiet. I see something.
Nearby, on a background of dark rocks they could see a white spot. Screams came from it.
They came closer. Oskar asked in a surprised whisper:
- What is it?
- It’s a penguin.
- Penguin??
- Yes.
- Yes. Emperor. You see what a huge one. Almost of my height. Okay, let's not scare it. Have you already charted the way back?
- Wait a little.
Oscar fumbled with the device and said:
- That’s it. Now I know the way.
- Well then let’s go.
- Yeah. Come on, you go ahead, and I'll follow you. Take the phone...and let's not go so fast that we get lost again!
Eli took off without looking back. They flew in silence; Eli still did not look back, fascinated by the GPS device. Sounds from behind were telling Eli that Oscar was nearby. In time the lights of Lulea appeared ahead. She had begun to slow down, when there was a loud screech from behind her. Looking around in bewilderment, she saw Oscar, carrying a penguin.
- Oskar!?! What are you doing?
They landed on the outskirts of the city, and Oskar followed Eli, with the penguin.
- Why have you brought it?
- He was cold and lonely, I decided to save him.
- Oskar. It’s a penguin. I don’t know about loneliness, but it swims at -30°C. It has no need of rescue.
With disappointment, Oscar let go of the penguin's beak and it began to scream, scratch and shit again.
- So, what can we do? You're not going to take it back again?
- Let's pass it to the zoo. Is there a zoo in Lulea?
- As far as I know, there isn’t.
Oskar thought.
- Let's deliver it to the police, we can always find an office.
- Yes, of course. They'll know exactly what to do with it! - I hope it will not be arrested?
Oscar did not know if she was joking or serious.
- But we cannot be seen. I have a brilliant idea.
- What idea, you genius…?
- We’ll put it on the roof of the office, it will scream and will be noticed.
*
In the dark gray of early winter morning, loud screams were heard on top of the Lulea police station. Two policemen stood outside the entrance to the office and looked in bewilderment at the roof, where there was a big penguin, yelling.
- Hey Per, do you see it the same as me?
- I didn’t know that penguins can fly.
- They don’t. May be it is a new species?
The sleepy pair got an apartment an hour before dawn. Oscar was all scratched and shitted-up by the penguin, from head to toe.
Eli examined him ironically, and said:
- As a penguin, you don't look quite the thing...
- But I'm not a penguin!
- Aren't you?
Hardly controlling a laugh, she added:
- Sunny, come on in the bathroom; and you need to change clothes.
- If you’ll be teasing me, I will lie as I am, in the penguin poo.
- I doubt that, you are too sensitive to smells.
Half an hour later, they settled down in the hot bath, arms around each other as usual, and Eli murmured:
- Do you know that we have faced a really large riddle?
- What riddle?
- The fact is that penguins live only in Antarctica and some nearest lands. In the northern hemisphere, they simply are not found. And I do not understand how this one get on the northern coast of Norway?
- A little lost, as we are.
Almost sleeping, she added:
- Only a little. About 10,000 miles...
