Mister Penguin's Secret

I probably wouldn’t have noticed it if it weren’t for the neon-yellow slip flapping against the wind. The sky was booming, and my hands were beginning to cramp from the bags of groceries I was carrying. I had to get my groceries in before the clouds began to weep. 

Still, I dropped one hand’s worth of groceries on the ground and picked up the note, which was slipped onto the split ring of a penguin keychain. The keychain was sitting in front of a rather worn-out looking house. Before I could examine any longer, a gust of wind threw my hair ablaze. As it howled an ominous warning of the storm to come, I chucked the keychain into one of my grocery bags, then hurried the rest of the way home.

***

Luckily, I didn’t get too wet. The rain was now in full session, pattering softly against my window. After shuffling away my groceries, I made myself comfortable on the couch with a bowl of popcorn and the TV remote. I was about to play a movie when, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the bright yellow note and keychain sitting on my kitchen counter. I tried to ignore it- I was feeling so cozy on the sofa- but something kept tugging my attention towards it. 

“Ugh!” I groaned as I picked myself up and grabbed the keychain, then sat back down. The keychain featured a crocheted stuffed penguin, about half the size of my palm with beady little eyes and gray and white yarn for fur. It seemed to be in fairly good condition. Why would someone give this away? 

“You’re quite cute…I wonder if you have a name,” I pondered aloud.

“Mister Penguin.” 

I froze. I know that did not come out of my mouth, because it came from a deeper voice. Was I hallucinating-

“A kind woman gave me that name. She-AGHHHHH!”

When the voice spoke again, I yelped and tossed the keychain into the air by reflex. As the scream traveled in the direction the keychain was falling, I realized that this unfamiliar voice was coming from the crocheted penguin. 

“What is wrong with you, lady? Are you crazy?” The stuffed penguin squawked. As if that wasn’t already terrifying enough, it started to helplessly wiggle, trying to get into an upright position. 

I screamed.

It screamed.

I screamed again.

***

After hushing it (it had somehow managed to scream louder than me) in fear of alarming my neighbors, we both agreed not to scream at each other anymore (or toss anyone into the air again, for that matter). 

“Okay, so let me get this straight: you’re a talking stuffed penguin on a keychain.” 

“Yes.”

I opened my mouth, but no words came out. 

“You’re only going to make yourself crazy trying to make sense of it. Why bother?” 

For the sake of my sanity, I decided to no longer bother. “So you said your name was Mister Penguin?” I asked, remembering what it had said right before it sent me into a plight of terror. 

“Yes. That’s the name she gave me.” 

“Who’s ‘she’?” 

“My human. The one who took care of me. I have to find her,” Mister Penguin said. Even though his eyes were made of beads, I felt as though I could see a glint of determination in them. 

I was hesitant about what to say. I wasn’t sure if I should mention that, just before he came to life, he was left swinging on a stair rail outside someone’s house. 

“Um…were you always able to talk?”

“I was always watching. It felt like she always knew I had a presence, without me having to utter a single word to her.” 

“So why speak now?” 

“Because it appears that I’ve gotten lost! One day, I was feeling quite sleepy and took a nap. Next thing you know, I’m in your stuffy apartment!”

“Hey! Not everyone can afford a house, you know? I’m barely making enough to cover my rent,” I quipped back. 

“Alright- forget your tiny apartment,” Mister Penguin gave a dismissive flap of his wing. 

My mouth gaped. The audacity-

“I have to find my human. She needs me.” 

“What do you mean she needs you?” 

“She kept me in good condition. I’m a bit like her support stuffed animal, you see. And I need you to help me. Please.” 

Somehow, this stuffed penguin managed to evoke sympathy from my heart. His eyes looked anything but lifeless, as they filled with expressions of worry, concern, and a deep sense of care. 

“Okay, fine. I’ll help you. But before that, there’s something you should know.”

“What’s that?”

“When I found you, you were left outside someone’s home, with a note attached to you saying ‘free, please take.’ That’s the only reason why I brought you back to my place.”

“What?” Mister Penguin let out a chirping chuckle. “No no, that can’t be. The last I remember, I was still on her key ring, the one she keeps closest to her. She wears it on a lanyard…”

I slowly shook my head. 

Mister Penguin’s eyes widened. “There’s no way…” his eyes casted downwards, glancing back and forth in confusion.

“Maybe- maybe there’s an explanation for it,” I reasoned. “But something must have happened.”

“Very well. I’ll tell you my story.” 

“Oh. Well in that case, let me grab the popcorn-”

“It started a crisp sunny morning…”

“Okay, you don’t have to be so dramatic…”

“What’s this?” She picked up the keychain laid outstretched in his palm. “Oh my god, it’s so cute!” she gasped. She gazed at the little stuffed penguin, appearing to have been hand-crocheted, sitting in her hands. “Where did you get this?”

“At the fair they were having last week. Someone was selling their hand-made keychains.”

“I see,” she replied. “Why a penguin?”

“When I was a kid, my dream was to sail the world and study sea animals- specifically, penguins.”

She laughed. “They’re adorable,” she said, studying the small gray plush. 

“I always thought they were fascinating,” he noted. “For giving up what their wings could’ve been to live a life at sea.”

“Interesting,” I mused. “So how do you feel? For giving up what could’ve been a grand life flying across the world to live at bay?”

“It’s a sacrifice- the kind that you make when you know, with utmost faith, that it’s worth it.”

I had a feeling that Mister Penguin wasn’t talking about penguins. “You’re fairly poetic for a talking stuffed penguin.” I paused. “I think.” 

I could’ve sworn I saw Mister Penguin roll his beady little eyes. He continued- “She took me everywhere she went. She also loved him as much as she loved me.”

I felt like it was the other way around, but chose not to say anything. 

“They stayed together for a good two years, but between his shop and her classes, it seemed they needed different things at different times.” Mister Penguin shook his head in pity. “After she finished her classes, she decided to support his business full time. But that didn’t seem to make him happy.”

“I don’t think you should work here anymore,” he said, a tone of frustration in his voice. “You’re not happy-”

“You don’t get to tell me what makes me happy!” she shouted. “I-I want to be here. I want to help you. And once we get your shop off the ground, we can-”

“There’s no ‘we’ in this plan. There’s only me. I know what your dreams are, and I know it’s not this!” he let out a heavy sigh. “But with where my business is going, I don’t think there will be space for your dreams to grow.”

“But-”

“This is a huge life decision. You need to know what you want, and you need to try. Right now, you haven’t even bothered trying because of my store.” 

Silence filled the gap. Her eyes tear as the realization dawned upon her. “So…what are you saying?”

“I’m saying-” he stopped himself as he brought a hand to his mouth. His eyes lingered on the ceiling for a moment, his expression unchanging. “I’m saying,” he took his hand away, “that you should pursue your dreams, and I ought to keep going with mine.”

She didn’t know what to say. 

“I still love you. And I always will. And maybe, one day, our paths will cross again.”

Not a single tear was shed.

“But right now, I think we need to go our separate ways.”

“After they left each other for the last time, she went home and cried for months on end. Eventually, the crying lessened over time. She still took good care of me, but she was never the same after that. It was like…a light died in her eyes.”

“She sounds…heartbroken,” I said in thought. The unfortunate reality of circumstances. 

“Which is precisely why I need to find her again. Without me, who else will be there to comfort her?”

I let out a breath. “Fine. We’ll head back to the house tomorrow morning.” 

***

The next morning, we stopped by a local cafe to grab a cup of coffee on the way. While I was waiting in line, I heard a voice coming from my bag:

“Psst! Hey! That’s him. The guy who broke her heart!”

“Stop shouting! People can hear you!” I whisper-yelled to Mister Penguin, with a hand cupped over my mouth. 

Mister Penguin, who was chained around my purse handle, looked up at me. “No need to worry about that. No one can hear me but you. That’s the fun in magic, eh?”

“...Great.” In other words, I look absolutely crazy to the public. Good to know. “Who did you say you spotted?”

“The ex-lover. Black hair, gray sweater. He’s sitting by the window- wait…” 

I leaned over to get a better look. “There’s someone else sitting at his table,” I observed. “Do you know the woman he’s with?”

“It’s definitely not my human…hold your fishes, I think I’ve seen her before.”

“Who is it?” I exclaimed in a low voice.

“That’s…that’s one of his good friends. They’ve known each other for a while. I saw her at his shop!”

“What?”

“I asked what you would like to order, ma’am.” 

I whipped my head around, not realizing we had made it to the front of the counter. A lady stood before me, with a sharpie and cup in hand. “Oh I’m- I’m so sorry! Um, I’ll take a medium caramel latte…”

***

“I can’t believe you didn’t warn me,” I groaned as I stepped out of the coffee shop, latte in hand. “That was so embarrassing. She probably saw me spying and thought I was talking to myself.”

“For all that she and everyone else knows, you were talking to yourself,” Mister Penguin retorted. 

I rolled my eyes. “Whatever.” I turned my attention back to the cafe. “Those two in the coffee shop…they seemed to be quite friendly, huh?”

“I can’t believe him,” Mister Penguin shook his head. 

“I mean, they could have just been catching up over coffee, as friends do,” I explained. “She had her hair and makeup done, he was dressed up…they looked like they were having fun. She kept touching his arm throughout their conversation, and would lean into him whenever she laughed…oh gosh. I think they’re-” 

“Dating! Unbelievable- with that woman, of all people. How could he do this to her?” he uttered in disbelief. 

“I’m sorry, Mister Penguin. But-” I didn’t have the heart to tell him that this was bound to happen, sooner or later. “Maybe she’s doing better now, so this won’t really bother her?” 

Mister Penguin didn’t say anything. We walked the rest of the way in silence until we reached the front of her house, the place where I found Mister Penguin just the day before. 

“Well, we’re finally here. Are you ready?”

“Hey, let’s just head back.”

The hesitancy in Mister Penguin’s voice caught me off guard. “Why? What’s wrong?”

“Well, I did some thinking while you were walking. I think she left-” 

Before Mister Penguin could finish his sentence, the front door swung open and a young woman stepped out with a trash bag in hand. She looked to be about in her twenties, with chestnut brown hair held in a messy updo by a hairclip. We made eye contact, and she stopped in her tracks. 

“Um…can I help you?” She asked, eyeing me curiously.

“Oh! I’m so sorry. I wasn’t trying to, uh, be creepy or anything. I just- I wanted to give you something…” I slip the keychain off my bag and show it to her. 

Her eyes widened in recognition; but before she could say anything, a voice called out from the door, grabbing May’s attention. “May! Are you there?”

May turned back to me. “I’m so sorry, I need to attend to my grandmother first. Um, would you like to come in?” 

***

“I’m so sorry for the mess, I didn’t know May was inviting someone over today. Make yourselves at home!” With that, May’s grandmother left. The room we entered wasn’t all that bad- it was a cozy little space with perhaps a bit of clutter, although it looked to be mostly family photos and little trinkets. A table stood next to the window, displaying a sewing machine. Several pieces of fabric were draped around the room’s furniture. 

May quickly picked up a couple pieces of cloth and dropped them on the chair by the sewing machine, then motioned for me to sit down. “Sorry about my grandmother,” she sighed.

“Oh, that’s alright. I’m sorry for intruding.”

May shook her head. “Don’t be. If anything, she’s probably excited that I’m actually talking to another human being right now that isn’t her.”

We both shared a small laugh over that sentiment. 

“So,” May began, “you said you had something for me?” 

“Oh! Yes,” I reach into my coat pocket and pull out the keychain. “I believe…this belongs to you?”

May stared at the penguin for a couple of seconds before gently taking it into her own hands. While she didn't say anything, I watched a flurry of emotions and memories flash across her eyes as she gazed at the stuffed penguin. 

“Yes, it used to be mine. But I gave it away. I left it outside this house, with a note saying it was free to take.” 

“Yeah, I saw. I took it home.”

She blinked at me. “Then why did you bring it back here?”

I wasn’t sure how to explain that part. “Uh…I just had a feeling that it missed you?” 

To my surprise, May let out a small smile. “I bet he does,” she replied, feeling the yarn over with her thumb. “Someone special to me gave me this keychain.” 

“I see,” I said, pretending as though I didn’t hear the whole story from the penguin himself. 

“Even after that person…left, I still kept the keychain. It reminded me of many sad memories, but also many happy ones. Most importantly though, it was the only place left where hope still lived.” May casted her eyes down to the stuffed penguin in her palm, a look of sorrow etched across her face. “But,” she continued, “one thing led to another, which led me to realize that as much as I loved this little penguin, I had to give it away. I loved it too much to throw it out, so I decided to leave it outside in hopes that someone would see it and take care of it. And it seems like Mister Penguin has found a new home.” 

That was when it struck me. May already knew. 

“Oh- Mister Penguin was the name I gave it. I know it’s silly, so you can change it if you want-”

“No, that’s okay. I like that name. It’s very fitting.” 

May breathed a sigh of relief. “Well,” she handed the keychain back to me, “I believe this is yours now.” 

I wanted to ask her one last time, just for good measure, if she was sure she didn’t want to keep it; but when I looked into her eyes, the question died in my throat. She had love- a lot of love, but she was ready. 

Soon after, I picked myself up to leave. As May walked me to the door, a piece of clothing hung over the table caught my eye. “That skirt is really cute,” I noted.

“Hm?” May turned to where I was looking. “Oh. Thank you. I actually sewed that,” she replied. I gave May a look of shock, to which she laughed. “Sewing has always been a passion of mine. My dream is to become a fashion designer.” 

We head over to the entrance. Before I stepped out, May spoke.

“It was really nice meeting you, um…what was your name?”

“Oh, oops. I never introduced myself. My name’s Lilliana. You can just call me Lily.” 

“Lily. It was nice meeting you, Lily.” 

As I made my way to the bottom of the steps, I paused in my tracks. Before May shut the door, I turned around.

“Hey, May?” I called out.

May stopped and creaked the door back open, tilting her head at me. “Yes?”

“I’ll take good care of Mister Penguin.” 

May gave me a heavy smile. I thought I saw her eyes glimmer against the sun. “Thank you,” she said. 

As I made my way to my next destination, I glanced down at the gray stuffed penguin, just as quiet and still as it was when I found it. While it no longer carried the life it had just this morning, I could still feel its vitality, thriving with all the love, hope, and ardor that May left it with. 

What a magical penguin it was.