Iceberg!

[[Chapter One]]

"I'm so glad we came out here camping, grandpa." said Michael. "It's so peaceful. And the world seems so... clean, up here in the mountains."

"It sure does! " Dana and Linda agreed. "Grandpa, can you tell us a story from when you were a kid? You tell such awesome stories!"

"Sure I can! What would you like to hear about?" said Grandpa.

"WAY BACK WHEN!!!!" shouted the kids happily.

"Shhhhh... you're going to wake up the whole neighborhood..." Grandpa laughed, "And Rusty the raccoon gets grumpy when you wake him up; and believe me… you don't want to see him grumpy!"

"Let's see..." he went on, “way back when, huh? Ok, here's a story that my grandad told me when I was your age. It starts out...

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Once upon a time long, long ago there were three friends. Their names were PenGu, Kjokje and Pjokje. PenGu was an Emperor penguin and Kjokje and Pjokje were Polar Bears. They lived on ice flows many, many miles from here. What's so strange about these friends? Well... Penguins and Polar bears come from the opposite ends of the world."

Linda piped up... "How did they get on the same ice flow then, grandpa?"

"That's a very good question Linda", answered Grandpa, "and that is what this story is about... and how they got home".

The three youngsters sat up straighter and listened eagerly.

"One day... PenGu went out fishing for his favorite meal - fish. He had done quite well for himself. Being tired out from all of that work, he decided to take a nap.

Well, while he slept, the iceberg he was resting on slowly moved out to sea. By the time he awoke he was many miles away from where he had started!

"Oh, Oh, Oh... what happened? Where am I? Oh, what am I going to do?" he thought. "I have no idea where I am or how I am going to get off this iceberg! There is no other land around!"

He sat back down, closed his eyes and did nothing.

"Why did he do nothing?" asked Dana.

"Well, there really wasn't anything he could do except wait until the iceberg came to a stop somewhere."

And that's just what he did... just sat there. For days.

And fished... for days.

In the meantime, on the other end of the world, the two polar bear brothers Kjokje (pronounced Cokey) and Pjokje (pronounced Pokey) were frolicking in the cold Arctic sunshine.

"You can't catch me..." growled Pjokje, the younger of the two.

"Oh yeah? Just watch me!" and Kjokje came running over, tumbling head over heels... bowling Pjokje over.

"Ouch! That hurt," laughed Pjokje.

"Awww... boo hoo..." said Kjokje

They played on like this for hours... never noticing that the iceberg that they had been playing on had slowly drifted away from where they had started. By the time they noticed, they could no longer see any land.

Pjokje sobbed, "Where are we? What do we do?"

Kjokje said "I have no idea... I guess we just stay put until the iceberg stops somewhere. Then we can figure something out. At least we won't starve, there seems to be plenty of fish and other food here that we can eat."

And that's just what they did... just sat there. For days. And fished... for days.

One morning, they awoke to see another iceberg in the distance.

"Look Kjokje! Another iceberg! Does this mean that there is more land near?"

"Could be... but, let's see what happens."

It got closer and closer, but no other icebergs appeared. Inevitably, the two masses smashed into each other. BAM!

The collision rocked what was left of the two icebergs, causing them to throw their passengers into the water.

"Pjokje! Where are you?" called Kjokje.

"Help, Kjokje!" screamed Pjokje.

Pjokje swam over to where Kjokje was, climbed onto his back and looked around. "Hey, there's some islands over there! Let's head that way!" He yelled.

The two brothers reached the islands and climbed out of the water onto the beach. Suddenly, they noticed a strange creature a few feet away.

Frightened, they ran and hid in the underbrush.

It was PenGu. After having been thrown from the iceberg, PenGu had seen the islands and gotten there ahead of them.

Startled by the sudden thrashing noises, PenGu also ran and hid.

The two groups peeked out at each other from their hiding spots.

They were having a hard time figuring out who and what these other creatures were... I mean, penguins and polar bears don't exactly hang out together… in fact, they don't even live on the same continent.

"W, wh, who are you? Wh, wha, WHAT are you?" PenGu nervously stammered. He wasn't too sure about these big furry creatures. They looked like they could eat him in one bite. "Don't eat me... please?"

"Oh... don't worry. We won't eat you. Besides, we were wondering the same thing about you." said Kjokje. "We're polar bears. Where do YOU come from? I've never seen anyone like you in the North Pole."

"North Pole? Wow. You're a LONG way from home. I'm a penguin. I live in the South Pole... and even though I know that we're not there anymore, I know I haven't been drifting quite that long."

"Oh no!" cried Pjokje. "Look!"

He pointed towards the spot that the icebergs were last seen at. They were almost gone.

Helplessly, the three watched as their ice “boats” disappeared slowly into the warm waters of the Pacific Ocean.

"Well, I guess we're stuck here for a while." sighed PenGu.

[[ Chapter Two ]]]

"Grandpa, what islands did they find?" asked Dana.

"They found the Galapagos Islands off of the west coast of South America, Dana." he answered.

"You mean they floated all that way on two little icebergs? Wouldn't they have melted? I thought the equator was somewhere around there." said Linda.

"Well Linda, that's the problem we're having today. We humans are wrecking the environment... causing what is called "global warming". This causes the ice caps in the polar regions of the North and South poles to melt and break huge chunks of ice off. These ice chunks are slowly melting and causing all sorts of changes in our climate and our geography.

If we don't do something soon, it's going to be too late and the changes will be catastrophic."

"What CAN we do, Grandpa? " She asked.

"Well, that's the problem. ONE person can't do enough, and there aren't enough people who know about, or CARE about, the problem to really make any difference. So, let's get back to our friends and see what they have been up to, shall we? And while I'm telling the story, maybe YOU can come up with some things that WE can do to save the planet."

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Back on the island, the three friends were in kind of a pickle...

There was no way they could swim home since they had no idea where 'home' was from where they were; they were hot (remember, they're polar animals); and they were hungry!

So, they decided to look for shelter. That is where their first adventure begins.

They started by scanning their surroundings. Trees, rocks, sand and off in the distance, mountains. It was to the mountains they decided to head.

"Why are we going this way, Kjokje?” Asked Pjokje.

"There will be caves in those mountains where it is cooler, or rather... there SHOULD be caves up there..." Kjokje replied.

"Shouldn't we stay closer to the water? I mean, it IS hot here... and the water will also be cooler." said PenGu.

"Hmmm... I never thought of that. Good point. Ok, we'll stay around here. We can explore the mountains later. Let's start getting settled in. I'll head West down the shoreline and see if there's a spot that looks good. Pjokje and PenGu, you head east and see if there's anywhere down there."

"Ok, let's meet back here in a little while. Then we can decide where we want to go."

They split up and started exploring their new surroundings.

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Kjokje decided to head west down the shoreline. He saw trees, sandy beaches and other strange foliage but nowhere that looked like a place where they could set up a comfortable camp. Frustrated, he decided to go back and find out what the others had found.

Suddenly, he heard a rustling behind a rock. Now, because he was a curious creature, he headed towards it.

He found what looked to be some sort of cave. Something was coming out of it.

Kjokje stopped and stared. Curious, he sniffed at the strange looking animal that appeared.

This one was even more strange than PenGu.

"Where in the world was he?" he wondered to himself.

"Hisssssssssssssssssssss." The creature said. "Thisssss is my cave, what are you doing here?"

"Oh, I'm so sorry.”, he apologized. “A penguin, my brother and I were stranded here when our icebergs melted. We have nowhere to go. I was just looking for a quiet place to set up a camp for us."

"Well... not here. Like I sssssaid. This is MY cave. There are more cavessssss farther down. There may be a couple of open onessssss."

"Great! Thanks!" said Kjokje "By the way, my name is Kjokje. I am a Polar Bear."

"My name is Tina and I'm a Lava Lizard. I hope you are able to get home again... but in the meantime, you are welcome to sssssstay on this isssssland. It might be kinda nice having some new facesssss around here."

"I have to head back now. The others are probably wondering what happened to me. Did you want to come with me and meet the others?" asked Kjokje.

"I'd love to... ", Tina said.

The two started back.

[[ Chapter Three ]]

In the meantime, back in the offices of the USAF, there was a blip on the satellite map. The Air Force had been tracking the icebergs for some time.

"Admiral... we've got a lock on ICENP and ICESP." said Rose. "It looks like they've finally collided. We haven't gotten any satellite imagery yet, but it should be online in a couple of hours."

"Good. Let me know when it comes online. I want to be able to report back to headquarters – In the meantime, i'm sending out a plane to check it out." Admiral Omega said. "I'm afraid that perhaps this is the beginning of the climatic change that we've all been worried about."

"AF59 and AF98, I've got a mission for you. Go to the following coordinates and report back on the status of ICENP and ICESP." radioed Rose.

"Roger that, boss. We should be within visual range in about 2 hours." returned AF59.

"We should have visual in approximately 40 minutes." reported AF98.

"Good. I want to know what happened and what the current situation is as soon as possible. I want NO surprises on this. We can't afford to mess up on this one." barked Admiral Omega.

"Well, so far it looks like the icebergs broke off of the poles due to the Global warming. If something isn't done about this, more will break off and the oceans will rise. This will be very detrimental to the future of our coastal cities. San Francisco, Seattle, New York... they'll all end up under water. And this is NOT too far in the future. Especially if it is starting already." He said to Rose.

"We've been warned for years about the dangers of Global warming. Looks like those warnings may have been true. I'm not sure what to do. Contact Dr. Amet at Harvard, would you? Maybe he has an idea of something to do. This condition is critical!"

42 minutes later, AF98 radioed back to base. "We have visual on ICENP and ICESP. Looks like they HAVE collided and are melting in the Pacific Ocean just west of the Galapagos Islands.

There's also something strange, sir... looks like a Penguin and a Polar bear wandering around down there. Seems they've mingled with some of the native animal life. I see a Lava Lizard running around with them."

"Keep monitoring them and report back with any other unusual activity."

"Roger that..." radioed back AF59.

[[ Chapter Four ]]

The excitement of the day had taken its toll on Kjokje.

"I'm going to take a nap." he said. "I'm beat. It's been such a long and eventful day."

"Ok, Kjokje... you get your rest. We'll wake you if there is anything we need you for.", said Pjokje.

With that said, Kjokje drifted off to sleep.

Pjokje and PenGu sat in the dugout and told each other of the lives they had left behind.

PenGu told of his wife and 10-month-old son... who had been resting not too far from him when the ice broke.

"I pray that they are ok. I don't know what I would do if anything happened to either of them."

Pjokje wondered what his mother and father were thinking. "If I could talk to them right now, I would tell them not to worry about me. I'm a big bear now... I can take care of myself. Besides, I have Kjokje to help me if I get into a jam that I can't get out of."

"You're lucky. You've got your brother. Me? I'm on my own... It's all up to me to get back home."

"NO..." said Pjokje emphatically. "We will be here to help you... After all, you are a friend. We don't leave friends behind."

Suddenly, Pjokje heard something in the night sky. It sounded like a seal beating his flippers on the ice pack. Really fast!

"What is that?" gasped Pjokje.

The noise woke Kjokje. It took a few minutes, but he recognized the sound. It was the sound of a helicopter overhead.

"It's a helicopter! If they see us, we're saved!" yelled Kjokje.

Kjokje ran out onto the beach... rising up onto his back feet and pounding his chest. "Hey! Down here! Help!" He cried.

However, Tina was not very happy about the invasion. And that is exactly what she thought of the extraction. She felt as if they were being invaded.

The four friends had been doing fine. What was to happen to them now? Would they ever see each other again?

Tina decided she was not going to wait around to see what was going to happen. As the "invaders" grew closer, she started quickly gathering rocks and boulders together. "We've got to defend ourselves", she said, "We can't let them take you!".

PenGu, Kjokje and Pjokje were confused. Didn't Tina want them to be rescued?

Kjokje questioned her about this.

"Thessse are not ressscuersss", she said, "They want to take you and make you part of their collection! If you go with them, your lives will basssically be over! No more doing what you want. Ssso, no... I am not happy about thisss. I do NOT want you to be "ressscued" by these humansss!"

After hearing her reasons behind her actions, Kjokje decided that he and Pjokje and PenGu were also going to defend themselves. They joined Tina in quickly gathering up rocks and other items that they could use.

[[ Chapter Five ]]

The helicopter landed, and 4 figures got out. They were dressed in heavy gear and carrying tranquilizer guns to use in order to immobilize the creatures for easier transport.

"Ok, men..." said one of them, "Let's get these animals ready for transport. Just be sure not to hurt them, they will be taken to the Minnesota Zoo in St. Paul, MN to be checked over."

"Yes, sir!"

However, when the men approached the area where Kjokje, Pjokje, PenGu and Tina were, rocks and boulders suddenly began raining down on them! Led by Tina, the Lava Lizard, the animals all started defending themselves!

"What the...?" yelled the leader of AF98. "We're being assaulted by animals!". "What do you want us to do now, sir?", the team leader radioed back.

"What do you mean, what do I want you to do?" radioed back the Admiral. "You have your orders! Capture those animals!"

Just then, AF59 flew overhead. The animal friends became even more frightened and began to run. Down the hillside they began to slide.

"Hurry, let'sss all hide in here" said Tina. She motioned towards a cave that had opened up near them. "They won't find usss in here!".

So, in they went.

Just then, the men got to the top of the hill. "They went down here, sir." said one. "Do you want us to go down after them?"

"No", said the leader. "We'll just tell the Admiral that they got away. I'm not so sure that taking them to the zoo was a very good idea in the first place. Animals are meant to be free, not locked up. Just let them go." With that, AF98 and AF59 went back to their helicopters and flew away.

"Whoo Hoo!" said Pjokje happily. "They left!", said PenGu.

"Yay!" shouted Kjokje.

"Phew!" said Tina. "We were lucky! However, next time we may not be ssso lucky. We need to get sssomewhere that no one can find usss!" Having said that, she began to walk toward the mountain. Motioning towards it, “We can hide up there”, she said.

So, with that, the four friends started up the mountain.

[[ Chapter Six ]]

Back at headquarters, Admiral Omega was not very happy. “I had told you to pick up those animals and take them to the Minnesota Zoo,” he said in an exasperated voice. “Why did you disobey my direct orders?”

“Well, sir…” the leader began, “They were pelting us with rocks and boulders. We did not want to hurt them, so I decided that it would be best to just let them go.”

“They will die out there,” the Admiral said. “They are not in their natural habitats – there will be no food for them. They are from the North and South Poles. It is too warm for them in the Galapagos. We need to get them back to their natural homes.”

“Get back out there and capture them! Once you have them, take them to St. Paul so that they can be checked over and then returned to their respective homes”.

[[ Chapter Seven ]]

By the time AF98 and AF59 were able to get back to where they had left the animals, they were nowhere to be seen. However, by using their tracking skills, the teams were able to follow them to where they were hiding out.

“Sir!”, yelled one of the team members, “I’ve found something!”

Sure enough, he had found the spot where Pjokje had taken a nap.

Following the young polar bear’s footsteps, soon the team came upon the dugout. It was empty.

“What should we do now?” one of them whispered.

“Let’s just sit here until they come back”, the leader said. So, they waited.

After about an hour and a half, Pjokje and Kjokje came back. PenGu and Tina were still out looking for food.

“Kjokje, “sobbed Pjokje, “I am so hungry! There is nothing to eat on this island! I want to get off and go home! Maybe we should have let those humans take us.”

Kjokje looked at his brother. “Perhaps you are right, Pjokje. Maybe they would have taken us home.”

All of a sudden, PenGu and Tina came crashing through the brush. “Run!”, Tina yelled, “They’re back! They are going to take you!”

Kjokje looked at Tina and said, “Tina, this is your home. You are adapted to this habitat. We are not. We need a cooler climate and different types of food.

I think that we would be better off if we went with the humans. It has been really great meeting you, but we need to get back to our homes and our families.”.

Right then, AF59 and AF98 showed themselves and easily captured the Polar bears and the penguin. After taking them to the Minnesota Zoo to be checked out, the animals WERE returned to their homes.

“Good job, men”, said Admiral Omega. “You really did a great service today.”

---------------------------------

“And that’s the end of the story”, said Grandpa. “How’d you like it?”

“It was really good!” said Michael. “I’m just wondering, is global warming real?”

“It sure is!” Grandpa said. “The North and South pole ARE melting, and fast! Soon, our cities that are on the coasts, like Los Angeles, Miami, New York and Seattle will all be under water. People will have to move. And this isn’t just happening in the United States, either. Cities such as Amsterdam, in the Netherlands, and Barcelona, Spain will also be flooded.”

Dana asked, “Well, what can we do?”

“Well, we can start by reducing our use of fossil fuels, which release carbon into the atmosphere, where it acts like a blanket, causing the Earth to warm up. We can also reduce our carbon footprint by increasing our use of solar energy, using less plastic – i.e. use glass bottles instead, we can drive less – which will put less greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere which in turn help to warm the Earth, if we use more reusable items, such as cloth bags – we will be putting less plastic into our landfills. These landfills, in turn, will then release less of the greenhouse gasses that I said earlier help to warm the Earth.”, replied Grandpa.

“Well, is there anything that us kids can do right now to help?” asked Linda.

“There sure is!” said Grandpa. “In fact, once we get home, I will help you! We can plant trees! Lots of trees! You do remember from school that trees produce oxygen and use carbon dioxide, right? Well, the more trees that are planted, the more oxygen that will be put back into the atmosphere. In fact, simply by planting trees, we can do more to help reduce global warming than any other method”.

“Let’s do that!”, exclaimed Linda. “Let’s plant an entire field of trees! Let’s save the Earth!”

“Sounds like a plan to me,” said grandpa. “But first we need to go to sleep. We’ll get started as soon as we get home tomorrow, ok kids?”

“Ok Grandpa!”, the three kids said at once. “Good night! We love you!”

“Goodnight, kids!” And with that, Grandpa gave them all a kiss and put out the campfire.

“We’re going to help save the Earth!” whispered Dana, smiling.

The End.

About The Author

Michelle Hoffmann is the owner/editor and publisher of The 24KaratMarketer Ezine. She is a student of nature, photographer, website designer, writer, and internet marketer, has a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and a master’s degree in Homeland Security & Emergency Management.

When not working, she loves to travel as well as study things as magick, computers, kids, being outdoors, music, Egyptology, archaeology, the paranormal, astronomy, astrology, tarot, palm reading, etc.…

In 1988, Michelle was involved in a major automobile accident, sustaining a Traumatic Brain Injury and having to undergo a tracheotomy, which ended her dream of becoming a singer - therefore, she has begun to take up writing and hemp candle making.