THE DANCING DOG AND THE PERKY PENGUIN Long ago there was a small dog who wanted to do nothing but dance. Whenever he went to his family he danced "the dog dance" or "the dancing doggy" moves.Soon, his family got so annoyed, they sent him off to a faraway land, thinking that they would have some peace! This place was ANTARCTICA, the cold place where penguins live. Shivering, Buster ( that was his name ) walked across the snow, barefoot. Later, he came across a penguin, who was sitting alone on an iceberg looking very miserable. "What is the matter, why are you here alone?" Buster asked the penguin. The penguin jumped for joy and started to do a boogie when it saw Buster. "Company" it breathed "I've got company, woohoo!" "All right, all right, you've got company, will you tell me your story of why you're alone or shall I tell you how I got here?" Buster enquired. "I'll tell mine" "Sure" "So, me and my family lived happily, until one day my family cried "help there's a giant rock... Ruun!" They ran but the rock was too big. It picked them up and they rolled off to some place. I hope they're still alive" the penguin added " so since then I have lived by myself". A tear rolled down the penguin's white face. "Oh, that's sad!" cried Buster "I know, now you tell me why you are here in Antarctica?" Buster told her. "Wow. what a story!" the penguin blurted "I also have a habit, it is that I'm a perky penguin. Even the smallest things get ME excited, but my family didn't mind. They were also very perky. I am learning not to be perky, so if we be friends you will notice a change in me". "Lucky!" "I know" laughed the penguin "by the way, what's your name? My name is Sally, I'm a girl and I'm 10." "I'm Buster, that's so cool I'm also 10!" "Would you like a snow cone Buster? They're delicious, don't look nervous...TRY ONE!" "Scrumptious!" Buster yelled, eating one. Soon the two became fast friends and didn't they chat! They talked about life, shared stories and more! But then a problem had settled itself down in Antartica. The weather became SUPER cold that even Sally was freezing! The next day when she went to Buster's iceberg (they had built one iceberg for him together),she found her friend had become a block of ice! He wouldn't move, his eyes were closed and there was ice all around him. He was bare-armed, Sally looked around and saw a coat she had lent him on the other side of the land! A dog's fur coat is thick but not thick enough to protect him from the bitter cold sub zero temperature. 2 Sally blinked back her tears and vowed to find out what was causing this bad weather. She squinted her eyes to look but saw nothing. Little did she know that Antarctica's enemy, the powerful Zach was causing this trouble with his fan that sends out ice blocks and super cold wind! "What a heart to like a DOG so much" Zach cackled with an evil grin. Zach was a monster, he had horns like a bull, body like a human, hands, toes and tail like a cat. His face was a horrible green colour, like the colour of mushed 10-day-old rotten peas. He repeated what he said much louder this time. "WHAT A HEART TO LIKE A DOG SO MUCH" "What, who said that?" spluttered Sally. Zach stepped out from his hiding place, an iceberg. "Zach!" Sally gasped "are you causing this weather?" "Well, well, well, I wonder if that is true" and Zach turned Sally into an ice block "Oops, sorry!" he muttered. Zach was only pretending to be sorry, he thought ‘a person like me, saying sorry? Think again Zach, think again'" There was one member of the penguin family left, who was watching these strange happenings wide eyed. Somehow he wasn't cold OR hadn't turned into an ice block! It was Sally's dad, Rob. He knew something HAD to be done. So he thought a lot and eventually came up with a plan that might work, so he predicted. He went to Zach and before Zach could do anything, he said "Please may I have shelter here?" Zach gave Rob a nasty look, and said "Why? And I'm your enemy... Zach" "It is because I lost my friend and he meant SO much to me and because he's gone I've become weak. Are you Antarctica's enemy? You look really kind! Please may I have shelter? Maybe we could be friends?" "Wait. wait, wait, FRIENDS, MEAN SOMETHING TO YOU?" Zach screamed "Y-y-yes" Rob cried "they m-m-mean a l-l-lot" "Oh, ​YOU AND I, FRIENDS?"​ Zach shouted in confusion "Well y-y-yes" said Rob "I am R-r-rob p-p-penguin" So Rob and Zach started talking. Rob desperately wanted Zach to like him. That was his plan,to make him understand the meaning of friendship. Slowly slowly Zach saw Rob was becoming stronger and not weak anymore, maybe ‘friendship' was good? A few days later, when the two were walking together, Rob froze (he was just acting) when he saw Sally and Buster as an ice block. "What is this?" cried Rob "I did this, it was because then I thought friendship was no use...but now I think differently" sighed Zach "Change the spell! I suppose these two were best friends?" Rob cried "OK" So Zach reversed the spell and then Buster and Sally both came free! "Daddy!" squealed Sally "it's you, you saved us!" 3 "Thank you" breathed Buster " You lied to me!" roared Zach to Rob "I certainly did, but it turned out for the best. Now you understand friendship, I did this because I wanted you to be good" Rob replied calmly "Oh" said Zach, Sally and Buster together "I understand, I am no longer Zach the bad...I am Zach the good!" "Yay" cheered everyone "Let's go home" Buster sang "but my family banished me!" "It's fine" Sally whispered "shall we send a mail? I'm sure their heart will soften" Buster and Sally hardly thought that Buster's family would miss Buster, but they did! Normally, Buster would keep them entertained, now they couldn't find anything to entertain themselves! "Why did we send Buster away?" they would moan Imagine their surprise when they received a letter from him! This is what it said: Dear Mummy, Daddy, Beatrice, Sam, I hope you're still not mad at me I REALLY MISS YOU! Would you mind if I come back? I have made three friends already Two penguins and a human-cat-bull Even if you don't like me, I love you! Forever yours, Dancing dog ( Buster ) P.S I love snow cones P.P.S If you want me to come back, when is the next animal train Buster's family replied: Dear Buster, We are SO not mad at you We really miss you too! We made a terrible mistake! Of course you can come It's wonderful to hear that you have friends We love you, don't think we don't Keep smiling, Mummy, Daddy, Beatrice, Sam P.S How do snow cones taste? P.P.S We do want you to come back, the train is at 04:45​ ​pm Buster rushed to the station and took the 04:45pm animal train back home, this was a long journey. When Buster came back to England to his home, there was a big celebration dance. 4 "Who is this" Buster's mum asked when she saw Zach, Sally and Rob "This is Zach, the human-cat-bull, this is Sally, my penguin BFF and this is Rob, Sally's dad and he's my penguin friend. Sally has a sad story" Buster told his family. Then he told Sally's story about how she lost her family. "Very sad!" cried Buster's father "Well, yesterday a huge rock came to England covered with two penguins on it. Do you think they could be your family? Oh and I am Sam by the way" Sam said. "Yes,it must have been them, mum and sis were on there so they rolled here!" Sally cried. "Where are they?" Rob and Sally exclaimed. Buster, Sally and Rob were unaware that Buster's family had put the penguin family in their fridge to get the feeling that they were in Antarctica. Beatrice, Buster's sister walked to a fridge that seemed to have appeared from nowhere, she opened the fridge door and out popped two penguins alive and well! Sally and Rob rushed to them "Mummy, Alice" cried Sally, her eyes shining with delight and Rob said "Percy, Alice, it's actually you!" There was lots of hugging and kissing, eventually it stopped. Percy (Alice and Sally's Mother) embraced everyone and said hello to everyone. She wondered how she was feeling normal and warm, even though she wasn't in Antarctica. But Percy was much too excited to think about that. She introduced herself to everyone. "My name is Percy, Sally and Alice's mother and this is Alice, my second daughter " Percy said, pointing to Alice. Suddenly Alice and Percy's eyes fell upon Zach, they screamed so loud that the ground rumbled like an earthquake! "Zach! Run for your lives everybody, he's going to get us! AARGH!" Zach's face turned purple in rage, choked it down and said "I've become good and I understand the meaning of friendship, do you understand?" "Oh, OK" laughed Alice and Percy. So they started to chat and talk until it was time for Sally, Rob, Percy and Alice to go back to Antarctica and before they went back, Sally cried "Where's Zach?" "Zach had to go back to America, his hometown, he told me to tell you a goodbye instead of him. He was really desperate to get back, that was what he said. He also said he would find a friend" Buster sighed. Everyone raised their eyebrows as if to say ‘he's become kind...YAY!' When the penguin family was about to leave, Buster cried "Bye Sally and family! I'll miss you!" "Bye" Sally cried back. She gave the sad Buster a hug and left on the England to Antarctica penguin jet. After they left, Buster became happy and shouted with glee "North, South, East, West, my family is the best!" To which his parents laughed "Yes, yes, Buster you, Sam and Beatrice are the best!" The end 5 This is a story about a dog who finds a new friend in Antarctica and how he and his friends are able to learn the meaning of friendship. And in the process they all undergo a roller coaster ride of emotions and adventure. Know your author - Anaisha Sarangi is an 8 year old who dreams to be an author, teacher or doctor. Anaisha loves to spend time with her family and friends and is a voracious reader. She hopes you would enjoy her little story of friendship. Illustrations by Nikita Sarangi. Review - Here is a friendship story to get you spinning - Spencers Wood Times From England to Antactica to England... - News from Antarctica ©Anaisha Publications 2020