Breathe Again 04.10.16
“Thanks for this, guys. I really appreciate it,” Max said as the penguins prepared to leave.
“No problem, Moon Cat,” Skipper replied. “We hope your new home works for you. You know where to find us if you need anything.”
“Just across town,” Max replied affirmatively. “Got it.”
“Let’s head home, boys,” Skipper said as the four of them climbed into their pink car. Rico pressed on the gas but had to brake suddenly when a van zipped by, heading east.
“Whoa, they’re in a hurry,” Private observed.
“Wasn’t that a news van, Skipper?” Kowalski inquired.
“I believe you’re right,” Skipper replied. “Rico, tail that van.”
Rico obeyed and floored the gas, taking off in the direction the van had gone. After turning a couple of corners, the penguins gasped at the sight ahead at the end of the street. There was a building on fire, and the wind was causing it to catch the nearby establishments. The fire department was already on the scene, trying to extinguish the flames as soon as possible.
The penguins parked off to the side where they couldn’t be seen and looked over the scene. Suddenly, a woman ran by in a panic.
“Symphony!” she screamed. “Symphony, where are you!” She grabbed a passing fireman. “Have you seen my daughter? She’s only three years old!” The fireman shook his head and told her to check with the paramedics. The woman ran off, continuing to scream her child’s name.
“Skipper, you don’t suppose Symphony is inside the burning building, do you?” Private asked, putting his flippers over his beak.
“But why wouldn’t the firemen have found her yet?” Kowalski asked.
“I don’t know,” Skipper said, “but we need to find out.”
“But, Skipper, the building is unstable! It could collapse any minute!” Private said. “We don’t even know if she’s in there!”
“All the more reason to take action,” Skipper insisted. “I couldn’t live with myself if that little girl died today because we were to chicken to do anything. My gut says she’s in there. We have to help.”
“I agree,” Rico grunted.
“Let’s move out,” Skipper ordered.
The penguins stealthily made their way past the onlookers and rescue workers. They scaled the building next to the burning one.
“Rico, give us some protection,” Skipper ordered once they reached the roof.
Rico regurgitated masks for all of them.
“All right,” Skipper said. “Rico and I will go in and you two wait out here in case we need backup.”
With that, Rico and Skipper leapt onto the roof of the burning building, careful to watch where they stepped. They dropped into the first floor and looked around, flames lapping at the walls and making the floors creek.
“Any sign of her, Rico?” Skipper asked over the sound of the roaring fire.
Rico shook his head and they ventured deeper into the building, their hearts pounding for fear that the building would collapse any minute, but they pressed on.
They dropped through a hole in the floor to the lower level, where the flames were even worse. Listening carefully through the roar of the fire, they heard coughing. They followed the sound to a closet, where a little girl was hiding in a dark corner, coughing from the smoke and sobbing in fear. Rico and Skipper approached her and she eyed them curiously.
Rico regurgitated a fireproof blanket and the two of them pulled the little girl to her feet and wrapped it around her. They then walked back into the room, where a piece of the ceiling fell and crashed through the floor. The girl screamed.
“We need to get out of here, now!” Skipper said.
The two of them quickly navigated around the room, trying to avoid the flames and debris, Symphony in toe. They brought her to a window, where there was a fire escape just outside. Skipper went out first and Rico pushed Symphony through the window as Skipper helped guide her out. They rushed down the stairs as the building started to cave in, causing the fire escape to lurch. Symphony screamed again as she lost her footing and grabbed onto the railing. Private and Kowalski noticed them from above and dropped down to help.
“We have to hurry!” Private said as the four of them rushed her down the rest of the stairs. They all hid under the fireproof blanket as the building finally collapsed. They could feel the heat and debris hitting the other side of the blanket, but they didn’t move until the vibrations stopped.
Skipper peaked under the blanket. There were flames approaching them, so they started pulling Symphony forward, away from the building. Once they were a safe distance away, they slipped away and hid under a nearby stationary vehicle. They watched as the girl stood and looked around, wondering where they’d gone.
“Symphony!” the woman from earlier called. She fell to her knees at her daughter’s side and hugged her tightly, crying out profusely in fear and relief. “I thought I’d lost you!”
“Mommy, you’re hurting me!” Symphony complained.
The woman loosened her grip on her daughter and looked at her face, cupping her hands over her cheeks. “Are you okay, baby? Are you hurt?”
“No, Mommy,” Symphony replied. “The penguins saved me!”
The woman’s brow pinched in confusion. “Who?”
“These penguins came and saved me!” Symphony repeated.
The woman picked up her daughter. “Maybe we should get you some oxygen, darling,” she said, turning toward the paramedics. She froze as she noticed something in the distance. Four penguins were standing at the corner of a building across the street, watching her. After a moment, they saluted her and disappeared around the block.
The woman thought for a moment. “Maybe we both need some oxygen.”
[Words: 961]
“Thanks for this, guys. I really appreciate it,” Max said as the penguins prepared to leave.
“No problem, Moon Cat,” Skipper replied. “We hope your new home works for you. You know where to find us if you need anything.”
“Just across town,” Max replied affirmatively. “Got it.”
“Let’s head home, boys,” Skipper said as the four of them climbed into their pink car. Rico pressed on the gas but had to brake suddenly when a van zipped by, heading east.
“Whoa, they’re in a hurry,” Private observed.
“Wasn’t that a news van, Skipper?” Kowalski inquired.
“I believe you’re right,” Skipper replied. “Rico, tail that van.”
Rico obeyed and floored the gas, taking off in the direction the van had gone. After turning a couple of corners, the penguins gasped at the sight ahead at the end of the street. There was a building on fire, and the wind was causing it to catch the nearby establishments. The fire department was already on the scene, trying to extinguish the flames as soon as possible.
The penguins parked off to the side where they couldn’t be seen and looked over the scene. Suddenly, a woman ran by in a panic.
“Symphony!” she screamed. “Symphony, where are you!” She grabbed a passing fireman. “Have you seen my daughter? She’s only three years old!” The fireman shook his head and told her to check with the paramedics. The woman ran off, continuing to scream her child’s name.
“Skipper, you don’t suppose Symphony is inside the burning building, do you?” Private asked, putting his flippers over his beak.
“But why wouldn’t the firemen have found her yet?” Kowalski asked.
“I don’t know,” Skipper said, “but we need to find out.”
“But, Skipper, the building is unstable! It could collapse any minute!” Private said. “We don’t even know if she’s in there!”
“All the more reason to take action,” Skipper insisted. “I couldn’t live with myself if that little girl died today because we were to chicken to do anything. My gut says she’s in there. We have to help.”
“I agree,” Rico grunted.
“Let’s move out,” Skipper ordered.
The penguins stealthily made their way past the onlookers and rescue workers. They scaled the building next to the burning one.
“Rico, give us some protection,” Skipper ordered once they reached the roof.
Rico regurgitated masks for all of them.
“All right,” Skipper said. “Rico and I will go in and you two wait out here in case we need backup.”
With that, Rico and Skipper leapt onto the roof of the burning building, careful to watch where they stepped. They dropped into the first floor and looked around, flames lapping at the walls and making the floors creek.
“Any sign of her, Rico?” Skipper asked over the sound of the roaring fire.
Rico shook his head and they ventured deeper into the building, their hearts pounding for fear that the building would collapse any minute, but they pressed on.
They dropped through a hole in the floor to the lower level, where the flames were even worse. Listening carefully through the roar of the fire, they heard coughing. They followed the sound to a closet, where a little girl was hiding in a dark corner, coughing from the smoke and sobbing in fear. Rico and Skipper approached her and she eyed them curiously.
Rico regurgitated a fireproof blanket and the two of them pulled the little girl to her feet and wrapped it around her. They then walked back into the room, where a piece of the ceiling fell and crashed through the floor. The girl screamed.
“We need to get out of here, now!” Skipper said.
The two of them quickly navigated around the room, trying to avoid the flames and debris, Symphony in toe. They brought her to a window, where there was a fire escape just outside. Skipper went out first and Rico pushed Symphony through the window as Skipper helped guide her out. They rushed down the stairs as the building started to cave in, causing the fire escape to lurch. Symphony screamed again as she lost her footing and grabbed onto the railing. Private and Kowalski noticed them from above and dropped down to help.
“We have to hurry!” Private said as the four of them rushed her down the rest of the stairs. They all hid under the fireproof blanket as the building finally collapsed. They could feel the heat and debris hitting the other side of the blanket, but they didn’t move until the vibrations stopped.
Skipper peaked under the blanket. There were flames approaching them, so they started pulling Symphony forward, away from the building. Once they were a safe distance away, they slipped away and hid under a nearby stationary vehicle. They watched as the girl stood and looked around, wondering where they’d gone.
“Symphony!” the woman from earlier called. She fell to her knees at her daughter’s side and hugged her tightly, crying out profusely in fear and relief. “I thought I’d lost you!”
“Mommy, you’re hurting me!” Symphony complained.
The woman loosened her grip on her daughter and looked at her face, cupping her hands over her cheeks. “Are you okay, baby? Are you hurt?”
“No, Mommy,” Symphony replied. “The penguins saved me!”
The woman’s brow pinched in confusion. “Who?”
“These penguins came and saved me!” Symphony repeated.
The woman picked up her daughter. “Maybe we should get you some oxygen, darling,” she said, turning toward the paramedics. She froze as she noticed something in the distance. Four penguins were standing at the corner of a building across the street, watching her. After a moment, they saluted her and disappeared around the block.
The woman thought for a moment. “Maybe we both need some oxygen.”
[Words: 961]
