A Little Mistake On Christmas (They had a very cute chick, Jincho…….)

Once upon a time, there lived a penguin in a very cold region, with his wife. His name was Lala and the name of his wife was Poni. Poni laid the egg. Both penguins became very happy. They took care of the egg by providing warmth and protection. After two months, a beautiful chick hatched.

They had a very cute chick, Jincho.

They built a very safe nesting site and adorned it with sticks and stones. Jincho wanted to play outside but his parents never allowed him to do so.

His mother used to say:

“Please Jincho, don’t annoy me. I want to make you understand that there are huge birds like Seagulls, petrels and Skuas that hunt small penguin chicks. If you want to enjoy the outdoors, please go with your father.”

“No, I will never go with my father. He is always in a hurry. He has to collect seafood for both of us but I have other needs also. I want to go alone.”

His mother tried to convince him but the chick always dreamed to wander lonely outside, watching the seashore, breathing in the cold and frigid weather and tobogganing on the icy surface.

It was a very calm and freezing day. Lala came home empty-handed, without any food like fish, squid or krill. Seafood was their primary mode of nutrition. Poni asked:

“Why didn’t you bring food today? You know we are hungry. Are we going to starve today? In such cold weather?”

“Ok, please let me explain. I was followed by a big leopard seal who wanted to eat me. I made a narrow escape and thank god, I saved you from becoming a widow”.

Poni replied:

“Oh ok, but I have an idea. I think we both should go, so we will be able to dodge the seal. I will confuse the seal by diving fastly and you’ll have to collect seafood. You know I am also an expert marine bird, so please let’s go. Jincho is safe here, we have built a strong shelter, indeed.”

Then Lala and Poni decided to go for a hunt together. They warned the Jincho:

“Stay at home! Don’t try to go outside. We will be back in a very short time and bring delicious fish for you. Take care of the home. ”

They both left. Now Jincho was thinking of doing something adventurous. Simultaneously, he was thinking of his parents’ anger, and he was also feeling very hungry.

He went out of the nest. What a splendid feeling it was! Jincho started running here and there blindly. He had forgotten his hunger as well. Meanwhile, an old neighbour penguin came out of his nest and asked:

“Hello Jincho, why are you wandering around alone? Where are your parents today? They never leave you alone. I know they are very concerned about you. What’s the matter?”

Jincho became a bit confused but soon he overcame his fear. He gathered all his hi-strength to tell a lie:

“My parents have gone to bring food for me and they allowed me to enjoy it till their arrival. They love me and permit me to enjoy such a healthy atmosphere. Please don’t worry.”

“Ok, but it means you must be very hungry. Please come in, I will give you a fish”

And he gave small pieces of fish to Jincho. Jincho ate it and gratified his hunger. Then, he left the nest of the old penguin and started moving ahead. He could see small chicks with their parents on his way. He didn’t care and kept on moving ahead. At last, he reached near the big exalted piece of ice.

He slowly climbed it and reached the top. He could see a lot of beautiful scenes and the people celebrating Christmas. It was a wonderful experience. He could see the city where people were celebrating Christmas. There were gifts, decorations, flowers, and people were eating the best food, praying to god, and designing their houses with Christmas trees.

He forgot everything and kept on watching.

Evening came. Suddenly, he saw very big birds roaming over his head. He became terrified. He thought:

“Surely, these are skuas. Oh God, I was so safe at home, even though I don’t know what Skuas look like. Mom, father, please come from somewhere. I will never disobey you.”

It was a time of great danger and sorrow for Jincho. He was feeling highly regretful. Suddenly, he saw Skuas approaching him. He started crying. Tears rolled over his soft and fluffy skin. He was also feeling very cold as he was at the top of the glacier and could see death everywhere. No one was there to save him. What a poor and unlucky chick he was! He closed his eyes and said goodbye to his parents in his mind. He was thinking:

“Please god! Give me a chance. I will never disobey my parents again. Please, mom and father! Try to forgive me after my death.”

After some time, Jincho opened his eyes and was surprised to see that Skuas were eating small abandoned, sick chicks.

Jesus had saved him from dying earlier.

On the other hand, when Jincho’s parents came back home, they were shocked. Juancho was absent. They had brought a lot of fish, squid and krill for their only child on Christmas Eve.

They started crying and rushed towards neighbours to ask about Jincho. An old penguin neighbour told them the whole situation. But he also didn’t know where Jincho had gone. Both parents starved. It is a fact that parents of every creature are always very concerned and caring for their children.

Lala and Poni spent the whole night searching and weeping for their chick. But it was so dark that they couldn’t see properly. They came home and had almost become hopeless because they knew there were a lot of dangers outside the nests like cold weather, food shortage, predators etc… They were praying:

“Please Jesus! Save our cute child. We will forgive him and never leave him alone”.

They went out in search of their child. After going through a lot of difficulties and hard circumstances, they eventually found him and advised:

“My dear child! Parents always love their children and do everything for their betterment. Your mother never went out of home after your birth, except that day. We were preparing for Christmas and bringing the best food for you. I hope you will never make such a mistake again”.

Juancho was sad and promised that he will never disobey his parents again.

Every Christmas reminds them of this happening, especially when they go out to see the lights that approach some nests on Christmas Eve.