CHAPTER 2
Private Hatches
Still in the not-too-distant past . . .
They spilled onto the deck of the ship. Rico sailed forward, his arms ready to grab hold of the egg.
“Attaboy, Rico! Don’t let those seals have it!" Skipper yelled.
Rico swept in just before the seals reached the egg.
He picked it up- and popped it into his mouse, swallowing it in his miraculous gullet.
“Okay, I guess that works," Skipper said.
Now the seals noticed the penguins. They lunged forward, snapping at their flippers.
“Get to higher ground!” cried Kowalski.
The three penguins grabbed onto a rope attached to a harpoon gun that looked like a long metal spear.
They swung themselves on top of the gun and out of the seals’ reach.
“Boo-yah!" Skipper cheered.
But the weight of the penguins caused the harpoon gun to dip, and they started to slide right to the seals.
“I’d recommend firing it now,” Kowalski said.
“Nope. Hold on," Skipper ordered.
“Uh, we really should fire it," Kowalski repeated.
“Not till we see the whites of their eyes,” Skipper insisted. That just seemed like the right thing to do.
Kowalski was starting to panic. “'They’re mostly pupil, very little white.
Almost none!"
“They got to have a little bit of white, light?" Skipper asked.
Kowalski shook his head. “None whatsoever.”
“What if they look really far to the left?" Skipper pressed.
Snap! A massive set of jaws clamped down inches away from Skipper.
“Fire in the hole!" Skipper yelled.
Rico pulled the trigger, and the long harpoon shot from the gun, carrying the three penguins with it.
They arced across the water and landed one on top of the other on the surface of an iceberg.
The egg popped out of Rico’s beak.
They had done it! They’d saved the egg!
“Kowalski, analysis?’ Skipper asked.
“We are really awesome at this!” Kowalski replied.
Skipper’s eyes got wide as l1e realized something.
“Hey! Hey! We can do our thing!” he said. “High-one!"
He held up a flipper, and they all smacked
flippers. It felt good.
Smack! Smack! Smack!
They kept doing it. In his excitement, Skipper accidentally smacked t.l1e egg, and it began to crack.
“Oops. My bad,” Skipper said.
They heard a pecking sound, and the egg cracked some more.
“Look, it’s the 1ni.racle of birth," Skipper said.
Splat! The egg cracked all the way open, spewing goo all over them.
“Ick! That’s disgusting!" Skipper wailed.
A chick popped out.
His skin was wrinkly and damp from the fluid inside the egg.
The top of t.l1e eggshell was stuck to his head. He had a goofy grin on his baby face. It was newly hatched Private!
“Auar1h!” The penguins recoiled.
But Private smiled at them, and they couldn’t help smiling back.
“Hello! Are you my fan1ily?” t.l1e little guy asked.
The three penguins looked around them.
The iceberg was floating far away from their home in Antarctica.
They were surrounded by ocean on all sides- an ocean filled with leopard seals, sharks, and other creatures that loved to eat penguins.
“You don’t have a family, and we’re all going to die,” Kowalski answered.
Private’s lip quivered. Skipper slapped Kowalski.
“Nobody’s gon.na die!" he said firmly.
He pulled the eggshell off the baby’s head.
“You know what you’ve got, kid?
You’ve got us. And we’ve got each other,” Skipper told him
“If that ain’t a family, I don’t know what is.”
He saluted Private, who adorably saluted him back. Skipper tousled the feathers on his head.
“Kowalski, what’s our trajectory?"
Kowalski held up a flipper and looked at the sun.
“Ninety-five percent certain, we’re still doomed,” he reported.
“And, uh, the other five percent?” Skipper asked.
“Adventu.re and glory like no penguins have ever seen before!" Kowalski replied.
Skipper nodded. “I’ll take that action.”
“Where a.re we going?” Private asked.
“The future, boys. The glorious future,” Skipper replied as t.l1e iceberg sailed into the sunset.
CHAPTER 2
Private Hatches
Still in the not-too-distant past . . .
They spilled onto the deck of the ship. Rico sailed forward, his arms ready to grab hold of the egg.
“Attaboy, Rico! Don’t let those seals have it!" Skipper yelled.
Rico swept in just before the seals reached the egg.
He picked it up- and popped it into his mouse, swallowing it in his miraculous gullet.
“Okay, I guess that works," Skipper said.
Now the seals noticed the penguins. They lunged forward, snapping at their flippers.
“Get to higher ground!” cried Kowalski.
The three penguins grabbed onto a rope attached to a harpoon gun that looked like a long metal spear.
They swung themselves on top of the gun and out of the seals’ reach.
“Boo-yah!" Skipper cheered.
But the weight of the penguins caused the harpoon gun to dip, and they started to slide right to the seals.
“I’d recommend firing it now,” Kowalski said.
“Nope. Hold on," Skipper ordered.
“Uh, we really should fire it," Kowalski repeated.
“Not till we see the whites of their eyes,” Skipper insisted. That just seemed like the right thing to do.
Kowalski was starting to panic. “'They’re mostly pupil, very little white.
Almost none!"
“They got to have a little bit of white, light?" Skipper asked.
Kowalski shook his head. “None whatsoever.”
“What if they look really far to the left?" Skipper pressed.
Snap! A massive set of jaws clamped down inches away from Skipper.
“Fire in the hole!" Skipper yelled.
Rico pulled the trigger, and the long harpoon shot from the gun, carrying the three penguins with it.
They arced across the water and landed one on top of the other on the surface of an iceberg.
The egg popped out of Rico’s beak.
They had done it! They’d saved the egg!
“Kowalski, analysis?’ Skipper asked.
“We are really awesome at this!” Kowalski replied.
Skipper’s eyes got wide as l1e realized something.
“Hey! Hey! We can do our thing!” he said. “High-one!"
He held up a flipper, and they all smacked
flippers. It felt good.
Smack! Smack! Smack!
They kept doing it. In his excitement, Skipper accidentally smacked t.l1e egg, and it began to crack.
“Oops. My bad,” Skipper said.
They heard a pecking sound, and the egg cracked some more.
“Look, it’s the 1ni.racle of birth," Skipper said.
Splat! The egg cracked all the way open, spewing goo all over them.
“Ick! That’s disgusting!" Skipper wailed.
A chick popped out.
His skin was wrinkly and damp from the fluid inside the egg.
The top of t.l1e eggshell was stuck to his head. He had a goofy grin on his baby face. It was newly hatched Private!
“Auar1h!” The penguins recoiled.
But Private smiled at them, and they couldn’t help smiling back.
“Hello! Are you my fan1ily?” t.l1e little guy asked.
The three penguins looked around them.
The iceberg was floating far away from their home in Antarctica.
They were surrounded by ocean on all sides- an ocean filled with leopard seals, sharks, and other creatures that loved to eat penguins.
“You don’t have a family, and we’re all going to die,” Kowalski answered.
Private’s lip quivered. Skipper slapped Kowalski.
“Nobody’s gon.na die!" he said firmly.
He pulled the eggshell off the baby’s head.
“You know what you’ve got, kid?
You’ve got us. And we’ve got each other,” Skipper told him
“If that ain’t a family, I don’t know what is.”
He saluted Private, who adorably saluted him back. Skipper tousled the feathers on his head.
“Kowalski, what’s our trajectory?"
Kowalski held up a flipper and looked at the sun.
“Ninety-five percent certain, we’re still doomed,” he reported.
“And, uh, the other five percent?” Skipper asked.
“Adventu.re and glory like no penguins have ever seen before!" Kowalski replied.
Skipper nodded. “I’ll take that action.”
“Where a.re we going?” Private asked.
“The future, boys. The glorious future,” Skipper replied as t.l1e iceberg sailed into the sunset.
翻訳されて、しばらくお待ちください..
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