Alfred the Penguin
By: Brenda Miller

Chapter 1

It was a cold, sunny day. All the penguins were asleep in their own nests. Every now-and-then you would hear a little crack-crack and someone would shout, "Oh! Look, Dear! Isn't he cute?" and then there was a happy feel to everyone.

But then....it happened. Their eggs started to crack-crack. Then came the chirp-chirp-chirp and out popped two little newly hatched baby penguins. They were absolutely adorable, and when you looked at them, why, you just couldn't help but love them to pieces.

One was a loud chirper and had a lot of energy. And the other was just as energetic as his brother. However, there was a difference between the two. The one was black and white with deep yellow feet, but the other was purple and white with light blue feet.

His parents were concerned when he first hatched out and in their distress they decided to confront the Doctor penguin. "So, what's wrong with him, Doc?" asked the mother penguin, whose name was Aline.

"Well, I've fully checked him over and nothing seems to be incorrect with this little fella' at all except that he's another color." replied the doctor, "Other than that, he's perfectly fine."

"How'd he get that way?" inquired the father penguin who was one of the leader penguins in the hunting they did. He was tall, a very strong swimmer, and an excellent guide for the others.

"Well, I must say, I'm not totally sure. Some of the other doctors and I have done a little research but haven't exactly nailed what causes these sort of things." answered the Doctor. "Best as we can figure, it's caused from not getting enough sunlight. But like I said, we're not sure exactly."

Aline and her husband, Ralph, thanked the Doctor and went back to their nest. They made the decision to love him just as much and treat him just the same. He was no different than the others-except for his color. And his parents didn't think anything of it for a while, but how long would that last?...

Chapter 2

"Aline, would it be ok if Joseph, and Alfred joined our class?" inquired Joline, the Baby Penguin School teacher, "We will be learning how to slide today!"

Aline agreed, and so Joseph and Alfred went along with the teacher. They were lined up along with all the other little baby penguins who were going to learn as well.

"Hello everyone. My name is Joline, and we will be learning how to slide today. I will demonstrate how to do it and then I would like all of you to give it a try."
So Joline demonstrated the proper way to slide and then all of the baby penguins took a shot at it. Most of them did pretty good for beginners, however, Alfred had trouble with it.
"Joseph, I can't seem to get it. What am I doing wrong?" Alfred asked his brother, and then proceeded to demonstrate the way he was sliding down the small hill. But when he did it, it seemed to Joseph that he was going down backwards. And although he tried and tried he always did it backwards.
Joseph tried to show him what to do but little Alfred couldn't get it.

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Every day Joline would take the little penguins for a couple hours and show them different things they needed to know in order for survival in the Arctic. She showed them not only how to have fun, but also all the dangers and predators that were around and how to take care when they were out in the wild.
They all understood quite well.

Then....it happened!....that one fateful day.....that one day when Alfred asked the question, "Dad, we've learned a lot in class each day and I know a lot, but one thing we haven't learned is how to fly. I've seen the eagles do it and I've been waiting for that one day when Miss Joline will show us how to fly, but she hasn't yet, and she says that class is almost over with."

"I'm sorry son," replied Ralph, "but as penguins....we don't fly."

"WHAT!!!????" cried Alfred. He couldn't believe it. One of the biggest things he's wanted to do, and he couldn't do it. "Unbelievable!" thought Alfred.
Nonetheless, Alfred wanted to fly-even if he couldn't. And he was determined to do so.
From then on he had one mission.....to FLY! and nothing could stop him!

Everyday Alfred would go out on top of the highest 'cliff' he could find and jump off exactly the same way as the birds did it-or so he thought. He calculated his momentum, his speed, the force of gravity upon his own body weight, and the ice which he slipped on and for some reason...it didn't add up. All his calculations said he could fly, but every time he jumped off he would fall instantly. He tried soaring-from a higher cliff-but that didn't work either. He just couldn't get it.
Finally he decided one thing....."I'm a looser." He thought of himself as someone who failed at everything he tried to do.

Everyday after trying to fly and not succeeding he would go home to his nest and just ponder his thoughts trying to figure things out that never added up.

After another failing day of flying Alfred did his usual routine and headed back to his nest to ponder his thoughts. But this day was different. He realized something he hadn't before....he was purple! and had blue feet! "Why is this?" he wondered.

Chapter 3

Every other month Ralph would go out and be gone for a month and then come back, and then Aline would be gone for a month and come back, and so forth every month. This is because they take turns gathering food for their family. They go out with the other penguins and all gather together in the ocean and once they return they put the food in the 'refrigerator' and then the other parent would go out and collect food.

Once Joseph and Alfred grew up a little they decided they wanted to go too. But they were too young yet. So they put their minds to other things to occupy their time, and it was during this time that Alfred made the miraculous discovery that he was different than the other penguins, and he began to wonder why.

"Mom told me that the doctor painted you purple and blue" teased Joseph. But Alfred didn't think it was funny. He was actually rather concerned about it. He asked the Doctor, but (according to Alfred) "...he doesn't have a clue what's wrong with me. I'm just a nobody who isn't important and he doesn't want to waste his time to figure out what disease I possess."

Alfred felt that nobody loved him at all. He couldn't slide, and now he's different. What was going on?
Well, because no one loved Alfred he figured the only possible way to get better is to cure himself, and that's just what he did.

He used Joseph as a specimen-he studied the color of his feet, the height and shape of his body, and the color of his back and 'wings'. "Ah! Finally! Now I know what's wrong with me!" declared Alfred.

"What?" asked Joseph, who was very curious now since his brother had gone on this long spiel about being different and didn't believe him when he told him that it was ok to be different...every penguin is created differently…but Alfred didn't believe him.
Would you believe your brother if he told you that you were supposed to be different even though no one knows why and that the doctor painted you like that? I don't think I would.

"I'm not eating enough carrots!" shouted Alfred.
"We eat carrots...?" replied Joseph with a slightly confused mind.
"Yes, and that's why my feet aren't yellow. Where can I get carrots??? Hmmm...." wondered Alfred.

After searching and searching he finally found.....carrots. They were actually wild carrots that grow very rarely in the Arctic areas. But it didn't matter what kind of carrots they were, Alfred was determined to get yellow feet.

So away he went...to eat carrots.

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"Alfred!" exclaimed his mother once she came back from the hunt one month, "What's happened to you?"

"Mom, I've been eating carrots. And now...I'm a normal penguin." Alfred replied proudly.

However, if you took a good look at Alfred you would realize that actually his feet weren't yellow, but BRIGHT orange. Once his mother mentioned something he realized that she was indeed correct and put two-and-two together and figured that's why Joseph was making silly faces at him all the time, and waving his feet around. But he couldn't figure out what went wrong. Carrots are orange, and if his feet were blue...that should make them yellow...right?

Well the carrots didn't work, so he figured he'd try shrimp. Shrimp are pink. And if you mix pink, orange, and blue well, that should make yellow.

So he ate shrimp until his father exclaimed, "Alfred! What's happened to you? You've turned PINK!"

What! What could've went wrong. I mean, it seems that by now his feet should be yellow....but instead he was pink!
Then the doctor explained it, "...if you look at flamingos they are white, however, once you start feeding them shrimp they turn pink. The same happens to penguins."

This made sense, but he wasn't happy with it. All he wanted was to fly, be a regular colored penguin like the others, and have yellow feet. But instead he's been turned pink. He was getting very discouraged now and was actually, quite disappointed in it.
He was left no choice now...diet! NO SHRIMP, and RED BERRIES! "YES! That should make me black," he thought.

So that's what he did. He ate red berries and no shrimp. He was determined that this was going to make him a regular penguin. However, to his disappointment it only turned him a dark blue. He was ready to give up ... besides, who was he anyways??? Just a no-good, odd colored, can't slide penguin that looks funny with pink belly and orange feet.

Chapter 4

"Mom, what's wrong with me?" Alfred asked his mother as he started to cry.
"What dear? Why, nothing is wrong with you. You are my adorable little Alfred that I absolutely love." replied his mother.
"But I'm pink, and can't slide."
"What? You think you're a nobody because you aren't the best slider, you aren't the correct shade of black, you don't have yellow feet. This is NOT my favorite little 'Alfred the Penguin' I've always known and have loved. I love you for who you are, not who you aren't."

Ralph walked in and joined their conversation, "Alfred, I want you to know something. Just because you aren't just like the other penguins your age doesn't mean we don't love you. You are a special little person, and that's what makes you who you are. Not by what color you are, not by your yellow feet, and definitely not by how good you can slide. We love you for who you are, and not for who you aren't." stated his father.
"My dear baby, we love you. Don't ever forget that. It's not who you are on the outside that matters, but who you are on the inside is what counts. Okay." said Aline.

"And I love you too bro. Even though I do tease you a lot, I still love you. It's just brotherly love sometimes :)" stated Joseph with a comforting smile on his face.

Alfred started to cry. All along he thought no one loved him because he wasn't the perfect penguin like everyone else he knew. He couldn't fly, or slide and was oddly colored. But it turns out that he was wrong completely. His family did love him, but not for who he wasn't or who he should have been, but who he was on the inside, not on the outside.

***And that's exactly the way the Father thinks of us. He loves us for who we are, and not for who we should be but aren't. We are all made special in our way-even if you're different, you're still special. Remember that!***