I found myself very much enjoying the assignment for this week, and ended up roping in family, friends and coworkers into listening to my highly edited re-telling of why it is important to be careful with stories, tall tales, and all other manner of words. Words carry a danger that is very easy to forget, until it is too late.

Without further ado, here is my story!

The Rise and Fall of Eudyptes Azureus

Have you ever heard of a species of penguin labeled as E. Azureus? No? There is a reason for that.

E. Azureus lived, as many penguins do, in the unforgiving climate of Antarctica. Surrounded by cold and darkness for long periods of the time penguins in this climate turned inwards, and became very fond of stories, dreams, and traditions. One of the most important traditions to E. Azureus was the spirit guide that appeared to each penguin when they reached their maturity. This guide would often give the penguin it spoke to advice, tasks to accomplish, or even new songs or poems to share. If this guide does not appear then the penguin is judged to not yet be mature enough, and must wait another year.

The fall of E. Azureus was put into play by one young penguin, whose name is not known. This penguin waited anxiously for his guide upon his arrival at the age of maturity, but one did not appear. The following year he waited again, and again was disappointed. He listened jealously to the stories of those younger than him, and envied their experiences. Following the third year of his spirit guide not materializing, his resolve broke.

The penguin approached his kin the next morning and acted joyous, telling all whom would listen that his guide had appeared! All the penguins were pleased for him and crowded around to listen to what he had been told. Not wanting to be caught in a lie, the still immature penguin almost faltered, but quickly gathered himself and told them that what his guide had told him was verrrrrry important. The penguins demanded to be told what it was; they were hoping it was information that could make their bleak and difficult existence easier.

“We have to move,” the penguin stated, “my guide told me that we must make our way to great water and go beyond it. There we will find our paradise.”

The crowd of penguins was horrified. They had vowed to never go back to the great water, there were too many dangers, and it was too far! Comments sprang up from the crowd, who had turned from happy and eager to hear to scared and uncomfortable.

“How will we get there?” cried one young penguin.

“Where will we find food?” yelped another.

“What about the eaters?” asked one grizzled elder.

The leader of the penguin colony cried out for silence and looked thoughtful. He stared at the lying penguin for a long while, and then simply nodded.

“We will do as his guide told us”, the penguin stated, “Guides have never led us astray before. We must trust in them.”

With that it was decided, and the lying penguin was congratulated by all. The colony made preparations for the long journey, and made plans to set out the next morning.

The last night in the land he had grown in was hard on the lying penguin. He slept fitfully, and during the night his long awaited spirit guide came to him, even though it was not the correct time of year. He had waited so long for this moment, and when it came all he felt was shame. His guide avoided looking at him for a long while before speaking.

“You,” the guide cried, “will be forced to live with the consequences of the story you told. Not all words can be taken back.”

With that simple statement, the guide vanished, leaving the penguin to wake up and begin the long trek with the rest of his kin.

Many died on the journey, primarily due to lack of food or exhaustion. So strong was their belief in the truth of the guide’s words that the penguins pushed themselves to the limit day after day. After weeks of hard travel they caught a glimpse of the great water from the top of a cliff. Below the cliff lay a large barren beach.

“We’ve arrived!” the penguins rejoiced, “Now we must enter the great water and keep going until we cannot anymore.”

The lying penguin had been quiet for much of the journey. He felt each and every death weigh on his conscience, but he had never found the strength to tell the penguins that he had lied, to make them turn back. He called for their attention then, on top of that cliff, staring out over the great water.

“I have wronged you”, he began, “I lied and I am sorry. No guide spoke to me, not until the night after I told all of you. I was scared to tell you before, but I’m not anymore. Don’t go.”

The crowd of penguins shuffled uneasily, had they really lost so many for nothing? What would they do now? They could not survive the same long trek back to their unforgiving homeland.

Unsteadily the colony leader turned to face the lying penguin.

“You’re lying.” He stated, blandly. “This journey has taken much out of you, and I do not blame you. We have all come a long way, and we must keep going just a little longer.”

With that, the leader launched himself down the cliff side, sliding towards the water. The crowd of penguins followed him, all but the lying penguin. He watched from the top of the cliff, unable to join them, yet also unable to look away. His eyes closed as the final member of his kin entered the water, and did not open for a long time. In his mind he heard the words of his late guide and realized that although he had told the truth in the end, it didn’t matter.

Not all words can be taken back, and not all words can be un-listened to. Once they are out in the world they remain in it, no matter how much we wish it wasn’t so.

——-

Now, the reactions to this story were widely varied, which I did not actually expect.

My mother found it incredibly depressing, especially how the ‘lying penguin’ never received a proper name. I explained that I didn’t think he needed one, none of the penguins got one, but for some reason it really seemed to bother her.

A friend of mine insisted that I censor it so that the penguins did not all enter the water in the end, that some saw the truth in the lying penguins final statement and turned back, but I felt like that would go against the point a bit, so I refused.

My coworker seemed very hung up on my choice of penguins as the species with which this occurred, and my only real answer to this is that I watched a documentary on them a few weeks ago and it must have been stuck in my head, waiting for a chance like this!

Overall I found this assignment very different from what I am used to, and it was nice to be able to stretch my creative writing muscles a bit. It certainly turned out longer than I thought it would, but I think the point echoes fairly strongly throughout the story.

Although I haven’t run into this exact problem in my life so far, the idea of telling a lie and then having to admit to that lie has come up before, so I sympathize with the lying penguin, as I assume most would. As the youngest of three I think my feeling of being younger, more immature, not as ‘ready for the world’ as my siblings definitely came through in this piece, and I certainly remember lying to seem more mature. It is interesting to see how much of myself is reflected in this story, actually. I was unaware of it until I had read it over multiple times, but as much as I dislike the character of the lying penguin it is too easy to see myself, and anyone else who has felt belittled or not good enough, in him.

Thank you for reading, and don’t be the lying penguin! 🙂

 

– Christie