Pengu's Adventures in New Zealand Book 1

Chapter 8: Friend

"I don't know." Kabdsxy quickly picked up the shattered pieces of glass from the bowl she dropped when she was eating vegemite toast. She got up from the kitchen table and headed towards Pengu's room. Mirk got out of his mouse hole and followed them. Kabdsxy picked up the krill and poured some but fell in the water.

"Help!" she cried but the first half of her word sounded monotone. Pengu gasped and pulled her out of the water with his beak.

Kabdsxy's eyes flashed red suddenly, but as soon as Pengu saw it, it disappeared. Pengu and Mirk watched as Kabdsxy kneeled, look down, and closed her eyes. When they opened, her eyes were glossy as ever.

"Sorry," she said. She cleaned up the splash well Pengu jumped in. Pengu saw that there were more krill than usual. He couldn't eat all of it. Usually, Kabdsxy would dump 2/3 of Caden's Krill, but today, she dumped the whole can in.

Pengu jumped out and followed Kabdsxy to the car where she hid him in her backpack. Mirk saw a sticky note stuck to the steering wheel. Mirk ran forward and peeked at the sticky note before Kabdsxy could see. It read: "I work at a penguin saving company called the New Zealand Penguin Assosiation. I am an ornithologist. My name is Kabdsxy Franti. I study penguins and think they are cute. The Great Barrier Reef fascinates me and my boss." Mirk knew that she always read it before going to work.

Mirk heard a faint voice saying: "Processing..." Mirk whispered that into Pengu's ear. Pengu shook his head.

"Kabdsxy is being weird, but she's Kabdsxy." Pengu replied. Mirk narrowed his eyes and tip-toed next to Kabdsxy.

"Fasten your seatbelts!" Kabdsxy said. Pengu nodded and fastened his seatbelt. Mirk was in the front seat. The seatbelt was too big for him, so he squished himself between the backpacks.

"I'm going to work!" Kabdsxy announced happily.

Mirk snorted. "Yeah right. Where?"

Kabdsxy said: "I forget."

Mirk heard Kabdsxy say "Recalibrating" in a small voice.

Kabdsxy then said, "I forgot."

Pengu said "You told me you worked at the zoological gardens."

Kabdsxy thought about it "Oh did I? Yeah!"

She then started the car and drove away. "Help!" Pengu cried, the car was moving fast and swerving a lot.

"Sorry. Just a little sleepy today." Kabdsxy explained.

Mirk noticed that Kabdsxy was making some squeaking sounds, not the type that mice make, the type that un-oiled door hinges make. Pengu didn't notice.

•••••

After a long and bumpy ride, they were finally at the zoological gardens. Kabdsxy's manager came out and shook Kabdsxy's hand. "Congratulations. You brought Pengu back from the 'evil' animal catchers."

"Or did I?" Kabdsxy grinned.

"That's enough joking." The manager gave her a grim face.

"Okay, sorry." Kabdsxy said quickly. She nodded.

"Er, hello Mr. Manager?" Kabdsxy sheepishly laughed.

"I know this is earth-shatering news, but I have a name. Its Liam. Kabdsxy, I don't remember you as a forgetful person. For today you will work with Pingu the Penguin who has a sister: Helan. Her father is Wink and her mother is Skipper who are the descendants of White and Franny."

"That's my grandma and grandpa!" Pengu cried enthusiastically "she said she had 3 chicks, Skipper, Flaps, and Blue, I never knew Skipper had chicks too! What about Flaps?"

"She mated with Flight and had Gill."

"Why aren't Flight, Skipper, Wink, White, Helen, and Pingu at the zoo?"

"They were living with Equinox and Igloo, Penny's father and mother. They were in a burrow when the keepers came"

"Why are they here then?"

"Akeldama was catching them."

"Who is that?"

"He looks like a white suit monster."

"We call him 'Catcher'."

Just then a penguin came in, she said in English, "Hello I am Pingu, I speak many different languages, like English and Little Blue Penguin" Pengu's translator translated that.

Mirk wondered how a penguin spoke English.

Pingu waddled over to Pengu and hugged him. "Do you remember me?" Pingu asked.

Pengu nodded "I saw you next to my burrow. And I came into yours, but your parents took me out."

Pingu grinned "Yeah and then I dug a hole into yours."

Pengu continued "And you scared us all."

Pingu laughed, "And I pulled you back to my burrow."

Pingu stopped smiling, "The next day you were gone, when I checked your burrow, your family wasn't there either."

Pengu said sadly, "The next day I woke up behind a barrier, I stayed there for 103 rounds of sunfish chasing, then I escaped."

"Where did you go?"

"I followed a four-circle box to a big field."

Pengu stopped and giggled, "A white monster tried to catch me, you would have loved it if you were there, you always complained that there was no action where we lived. Then Kabdsxy came and took me to her house where Catcher tried to catch me again but failed."

"What's this?" Pingu asked, she pointed toward the tracker and touched it.

Before Pengu could answer a hologram appeared, first it showed the camera flying toward a penguin, then it went through everything that happened to Pengu after that from a leg's point of view.

Kabdsxy bit her lip while Mirk looked at them intently.

Kabdsxy whispered, "Secret found." But only Mirk heard her.

Mirk decided to not say anything until he found out more.

The manager cleared his throat and started talking, "You will get to bring Flight, Skipper, Wink, White, Helen, and Pingu to your house since it is no longer safe here."

Mirk heard Pingu beep enthusiastically.

Kabdsxy said, "I could make more burrows or make another model of the environment downstairs."

Pengu said, "How about you make more burrows in my room so we could be together like normal?"

Kabdsxy agreed but it didn't look like she was focused, as if she were planning the burrows.

"I can take Pingu and Helen home for now." Kabdsxy mumbled. The manager nodded. Kabdsxy's eyes glowed red a little.

Whatever was happening Mirk was going to find out.