Water 02.27.15
“Here we are, Private!” Uncle Nigel announced as he and Private arrived at the shoreline of Antarctica.
“Oh, what are we doing here?” Private asked looking at his reflection in the water.
“You’ve just grown in your first set of waterproof feathers, my boy! It’s time I taught you how to swim,” Nigel said with a smile.
Private backed away from the water and wrapped his flippers around himself. “Are you sure I’m ready?”
“Aye! Of course I’m sure,” Nigel said kneeling next to him and putting a flipper on his shoulders. “This is an important milestone, my boy. You’re growing up so fast.” He smiled with pride.
Private shifted nervously on his feet. “Okay. Promise you won’t let me go?” he asked sheepishly.
Nigel smiled. “I promise. Come now, there’s nothing to be afraid of,” he said walking to the water’s edge and diving in. He emerged a second later and held his flippers out to Private. “Hop in, Private! I’ve got you!”
Private skeptically stepped forward. “You’ll catch me?” he asked weakly.
Nigel nodded. “I won’t let you drown! Jump!”
Private took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Then he jumped into the water into his Uncle’s embrace. He shivered from the cold pinching his feet.
“It’s cold!” Private cried clinging to him.
Nigel chuckled. “Private, it’s no colder than the snow you just came from. You’ll get used to it. Now, take a deep breath and follow Uncle, okay?” he said pulling him further from the shoreline. Then he pulled him under.
Private closed his eyes and gripped his Uncle’s feather’s in fear. Nigel pulled his flippers away and tipped his chin. Private hesitantly opened his eyes to see Nigel smiling down at him. He held one of his flippers and slowly swam through the water. Private tried to mimic his movements. Nigel smiled encouragingly and urged him forward.
After a couple minutes, Private started kicking his feet a little harder and flapped his flippers as if trying to fly through the water. He smiled up at Nigel as he started getting the hang of it. Nigel subtlely slowed down so Private would swim faster than him and he let go. Private glided forward through the water until he realized Nigel wasn’t next to him anymore. He stopped and looked back. Uncle Nigel threw his flippers up in triumph.
Private smiled back. He swam! That wasn’t so hard after all. He frowned when Uncle Nigel frantically started swimming toward him, gesturing for him to come to him in a frenzy. Private turned around and flailed his flippers in a panic as a leopard seal closed in on them, but that only slowed him down.
Nigel tried to call out to him under the water, but only bubbles spewed from his beak. He thought he’d brought Private to a more safe area of the ocean. Finally, he reached Private and scooped him into his flippers, gliding back in the direction whence he came with the leopard seal right at his feet. He made it to the shore and threw Private onto the ice just as the leopard seal grabbed his feet in its teeth and pulled him back under.
“Uncle Nigel!” Private cried coming to the water’s edge. He couldn’t see them through the deep blue water.
The leopard seal thrashed in the water and Nigel broke free from its jaws. The beast prepared to advance, but Nigel was ready. It propelled forward and Nigel glided to the side to use the massive creature’s weight against him as it moved past, unable to stop.
The leopard seal turned around and Nigel braced himself. With Private topside, he wouldn’t have to worry about him seeing what took place here and thus owing him an explanation. The leopard seal thrust forward and Nigel ducked under him and pushed upward with all his strength, sending the beast into a loose block of ice that broke off and rapidly sunk down, taking the leopard seal with it.
Nigel watched for a moment to ensure the beast wouldn’t break free. When it didn’t, he nodded in satisfaction as if to say, That’s what you get for threatening my nephew. He swam to the surface, where Private was sitting on the ice, crying into his flippers.
“Private?” he called softly as he pulled himself from the water.
Private looked up in shock. “Uncle Nigel!” he cried getting to his feet and running to him. He threw his flippers around his belly. “I thought you were gone forever! I didn’t know what to do! I was so scared!”
Nigel patted his back. “Everything is fine, Private. No one can hurt you now,” he assured him in a soothing tone.
Private sniffed and buried his face into his Uncle’s feathers. “How did you get away?” he said in a muffled voice.
“Don’t you fret about that, Private,” Nigel replied. He knelt down and made Private look him in the eye. “I am so sorry that happened. I thought we were safe here, and I was wrong. Maybe we’ll wait a little longer before swimming again, just until I find somewhere safer.”
Private looked down. “Oh, okay then,” he said softly, trying to hide his disappointment.
Nigel furrowed his brow. “What’s the matter, my boy?”
Private shrugged awkwardly. “Well, it’s just that—I actually kind of liked swimming with you. I was hoping that we could—do it again soon,” he admitted.
Nigel’s expression softened and he nodded apologetically. “You’re such a brave boy. Things have been difficult since your parents passed. And here I am not even around most of the time. I’m sorry, Private. How about we go again tomorrow, hm?” he said with a smile.
Private smiled back and nodded excitedly. “Okay! I’ll do even better than today!”
Nigel chuckled. “That you will.” He hugged his nephew and looked back at the ocean over his shoulder. “I’ll teach you everything you need to know.”
“Here we are, Private!” Uncle Nigel announced as he and Private arrived at the shoreline of Antarctica.
“Oh, what are we doing here?” Private asked looking at his reflection in the water.
“You’ve just grown in your first set of waterproof feathers, my boy! It’s time I taught you how to swim,” Nigel said with a smile.
Private backed away from the water and wrapped his flippers around himself. “Are you sure I’m ready?”
“Aye! Of course I’m sure,” Nigel said kneeling next to him and putting a flipper on his shoulders. “This is an important milestone, my boy. You’re growing up so fast.” He smiled with pride.
Private shifted nervously on his feet. “Okay. Promise you won’t let me go?” he asked sheepishly.
Nigel smiled. “I promise. Come now, there’s nothing to be afraid of,” he said walking to the water’s edge and diving in. He emerged a second later and held his flippers out to Private. “Hop in, Private! I’ve got you!”
Private skeptically stepped forward. “You’ll catch me?” he asked weakly.
Nigel nodded. “I won’t let you drown! Jump!”
Private took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Then he jumped into the water into his Uncle’s embrace. He shivered from the cold pinching his feet.
“It’s cold!” Private cried clinging to him.
Nigel chuckled. “Private, it’s no colder than the snow you just came from. You’ll get used to it. Now, take a deep breath and follow Uncle, okay?” he said pulling him further from the shoreline. Then he pulled him under.
Private closed his eyes and gripped his Uncle’s feather’s in fear. Nigel pulled his flippers away and tipped his chin. Private hesitantly opened his eyes to see Nigel smiling down at him. He held one of his flippers and slowly swam through the water. Private tried to mimic his movements. Nigel smiled encouragingly and urged him forward.
After a couple minutes, Private started kicking his feet a little harder and flapped his flippers as if trying to fly through the water. He smiled up at Nigel as he started getting the hang of it. Nigel subtlely slowed down so Private would swim faster than him and he let go. Private glided forward through the water until he realized Nigel wasn’t next to him anymore. He stopped and looked back. Uncle Nigel threw his flippers up in triumph.
Private smiled back. He swam! That wasn’t so hard after all. He frowned when Uncle Nigel frantically started swimming toward him, gesturing for him to come to him in a frenzy. Private turned around and flailed his flippers in a panic as a leopard seal closed in on them, but that only slowed him down.
Nigel tried to call out to him under the water, but only bubbles spewed from his beak. He thought he’d brought Private to a more safe area of the ocean. Finally, he reached Private and scooped him into his flippers, gliding back in the direction whence he came with the leopard seal right at his feet. He made it to the shore and threw Private onto the ice just as the leopard seal grabbed his feet in its teeth and pulled him back under.
“Uncle Nigel!” Private cried coming to the water’s edge. He couldn’t see them through the deep blue water.
The leopard seal thrashed in the water and Nigel broke free from its jaws. The beast prepared to advance, but Nigel was ready. It propelled forward and Nigel glided to the side to use the massive creature’s weight against him as it moved past, unable to stop.
The leopard seal turned around and Nigel braced himself. With Private topside, he wouldn’t have to worry about him seeing what took place here and thus owing him an explanation. The leopard seal thrust forward and Nigel ducked under him and pushed upward with all his strength, sending the beast into a loose block of ice that broke off and rapidly sunk down, taking the leopard seal with it.
Nigel watched for a moment to ensure the beast wouldn’t break free. When it didn’t, he nodded in satisfaction as if to say, That’s what you get for threatening my nephew. He swam to the surface, where Private was sitting on the ice, crying into his flippers.
“Private?” he called softly as he pulled himself from the water.
Private looked up in shock. “Uncle Nigel!” he cried getting to his feet and running to him. He threw his flippers around his belly. “I thought you were gone forever! I didn’t know what to do! I was so scared!”
Nigel patted his back. “Everything is fine, Private. No one can hurt you now,” he assured him in a soothing tone.
Private sniffed and buried his face into his Uncle’s feathers. “How did you get away?” he said in a muffled voice.
“Don’t you fret about that, Private,” Nigel replied. He knelt down and made Private look him in the eye. “I am so sorry that happened. I thought we were safe here, and I was wrong. Maybe we’ll wait a little longer before swimming again, just until I find somewhere safer.”
Private looked down. “Oh, okay then,” he said softly, trying to hide his disappointment.
Nigel furrowed his brow. “What’s the matter, my boy?”
Private shrugged awkwardly. “Well, it’s just that—I actually kind of liked swimming with you. I was hoping that we could—do it again soon,” he admitted.
Nigel’s expression softened and he nodded apologetically. “You’re such a brave boy. Things have been difficult since your parents passed. And here I am not even around most of the time. I’m sorry, Private. How about we go again tomorrow, hm?” he said with a smile.
Private smiled back and nodded excitedly. “Okay! I’ll do even better than today!”
Nigel chuckled. “That you will.” He hugged his nephew and looked back at the ocean over his shoulder. “I’ll teach you everything you need to know.”
