A story called "Scuffy and Me".

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Here is a story I've written called "Scuffy and Me". I put up the first two chapters a while ago and two people wanted to see the rest of it, so I've put it up! Enjoy!

Chapter 1
“I hated it here.”

There was an island, with nothing but short trees and shrubs and hardly any ice for a penguin. Hardly anyone was different, except me. My name is Conrad. I was one of the few penguins here who was different. Even though I ate the same fish and waddled the same, I thought differently. I did not like to be different from everyone.
So, without thinking, I paddled away from home.
I looked up at the stars and knew that I would see them again, no
matter where I was. “The same stars will always be there,” my mum whispered back to me in my heart.
I went down to the beach and found a stable piece of rotten old wood and quite a long stick. I started paddling away from my home on the calm waves, using the stars I knew to guide me across the ocean.
As I went farther, I kept remembering my mum and Nana. Apart from them, I didn’t have any friends.
After two days of paddling and catching fish as they came closer to the surface, I saw an island in the distance. On this island, were the tallest trees I had ever seen. I could see enormous chunks of ice on each side. Homeward bound!

Chapter 2
Scuffy

A penguin about the same age as me, played on the ice.
“Hello!” he cried and waved.
I paddled my way, fumbilly towards him. As I got closer, I saw he was an adelie penguin, just like me. I parked my plank of wood and stick on the sand as I walked onto land.
“Welcome stranger,” smiled the penguin.
“I am Conrad,” I replied gleefully, walking in circles, looking at the sand beneath my feet.
“Where do you come from?” asked the penguin.
“From another boring island far away,” I replied.
“My name’s Scuffy, at your service,” he replied and bowed. I bowed slightly as well. “I will show you around, I’m sure you’ll be very keen to see this place.”
I nodded slowly.
I followed Scuffy over the island, often staring up to the clouds. I had never seen such tall and fabulous trees like the ones here. They stretched into the sky and seemed to go up into space.
We went on for not too long, skipping on stones over a little stream and squelching through dark brown mud.
Scuffy and I came to a bed of leaves at the foot of a tallish tree.
“You can sleep here,” Scuffy told me. “Then in the morning we can go and play.”



Chapter 3
The Wise One

When I woke up that morning, I at first thought about where I was. When I remembered, I jumped for joy, leaping into the air. Just then, a familiar voice called and I landed, breathless on the ground.
Scuffy had brought me a breakfast of tuna. “Mornin’ to you,” he smiled. “I got you breakfast.”
“Thanks,” I replied. He gave me the fish and I started eating. “How come the trees here are so tall and beautiful?” I asked him.
“Beats me, but you could go to ask the wise one.”
“Who’s he?”
“He is the wisest penguin in the world. Let’s go and meet him.”
“Ok,” I agreed. “As long as we play hide and seek first.”
After a fun game of hide and seek, Scuffy took me to an old oak tree. I heard some breathing and then a throat-clearing.
“He always does that,” whispered Scuffy.
“Come ‘ere!” called a voice. Scuffy and I went round the back. There, sitting in the tree, was a very bedraggled penguin, staring at us.
“How can I help you?” he asked me.
“Please,” I replied. “Why are the trees here so big?”
He cleared his throat and told me. “Long ago, this island was part of a land called America. This part we are on now, was beautiful, with the world’s tallest trees (the tallest ones are called Redwoods). Then, in a big storm, this piece of land broke off and floated out here. We penguins swam here in the year 501. My grandfather was one of them.”
“That doesn’t make any sense,” I replied. How could a penguin from the year 501 still be living?
“Why that’s how old I am,” the wise one told me and fell asleep. I gasped. I had never known anyone so old.
“You don’t know all of it,” Scuffy told me. I turned the words around my head like waves on the sea.
You don’t know all of it, they repeated, like a reflection. You don’t know all of it, You don’t know all of it…

Chapter 4
Getting to know you, getting to feel free and easy.

As the days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months, I got to know the island. One of my happiest memories is tripping over a pine cone on my second morning and wondering what on earth it was. Scuffy’s mum, who was nearby, told me of course.
I saw Redwoods, pine trees and endless others. There were lots of young penguins. I got to know Fish (girl), Sky (girl) and Sea (boy) best. Fish was bouncy, fun, but shy. Sky was friendly and calm. Sea was always panicking, but clever and kind.
There were lots of blue jays and bluebirds on the island too. I also liked the cuckoos who woke us up every morning. I soon forgot about Nana and Mum. I forgot about the ugly, overgrown trees back home. Scuffy and I were also now the best of friends.

***

One beautiful summer’s day, I was playing with Fish, Sea and Sky as well as a newer friend called Akkie.
“Hello Conrad!” Scuffy called as he came past. “Isn’t it a beautiful day?”
“Aha,” I answered.
“What i-i-if it r-r-r-rains?” shivered Sea.
“Nonsense!” shouted Fish gleefully, who didn’t worry as much as Sea.
“After all, it is the summer,” added Sky.
“Akkie, lunch!” called a voice.
“Comin’ mum!” called Akkie and waddled off. Fish, Sea and Sky kept up.
“It’s our lunch too,” admitted Scuffy.
“Okay,” I replied and followed him.

Chapter 5
Swimming Practice

Conrad’s twenty-ninth week to the day

“Hey, what’re you doing?” Scuffy called to me.
I poked my head out of the little pool. “Swimming practice,” I replied and went back underwater. Scuffy dived after me. “Hi,” I called and swam up to him.
Scuffy looked gloomily at me. “What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Conrad,” Scuffy told me, tears in his eyes, “I have bad new to tell you. The wise one has died.”
I wept with Scuffy. This news was shocking, very shocking.
“How about a swim?” Scuffy finally asked. I slowly nodded. So, we swam down together into the clear, cool water, shedding a tear now and then.
As I spotted some movement quite near to me, I dived further after it and as it came out from behind a rock, I grabbed it and soon it was alive no more.
I had caught a young halibut!
“Well done,” smiled Scuffy. “Your first fish. Now you can come fishing with me much more.”
“Yeah, but maybe some other time,” I suggested. “And thanks for the compliment. I gulped the fish down and jumped out of the water, then waddled over to Scuffy. We rolled on our tummies and
PLOP!
Landed in the water and laughed.
“What about swimming in leopard seal waters?” asked Scuffy.
I shook my head quickly. “Ooh no, thank you very much.”

Chapter 6
Leopard Seal attack.

Conrad’s thirtieth week to the day.

It was two weeks since I had caught my first fish and since then, I had caught many more.
It was the time of year, when some rare fish, named June Suckers, came to the shores of the island, to lay their eggs. They come in their thousands. It was the day that they had all come and we were going to have a feast.
“Alright!” called a leader penguin named Archimedes. “Every penguin must catch at least twenty fish. Those who are going to catch them, must save fish for others, by flinging them into the local pile here!” He pointed to a large rock with his flipper.
It was like a competition. Nobody won or lost though, so it was like a challenge of fish catching. I stood on a piece of ice at the side, with many other penguins. The contest would start in a few minutes.
It was then that I spotted three very young penguins, paddling around in the sea.
When their mother called them, only two swam back to shore. The other, whom I knew was called Dobby, was going further and further into the water.
“The contest will begin in five minutes!” shouted Archimedes and many penguins cheered. I watched for a few seconds and then I looked back at Dobby.
“Mum, I’m swimming deeper!” called Dobby.
“Come back now!” shouted his mum.
Suddenly, I spotted a dark shape moving, further out to sea. It was coming closer and closer and I started to panic. It was a leopard seal and I realised it was coming right for Dobby!
When Dobby spotted it, it was almost too late. “Help!” he cried and swam to shore, but fear made him slow down. “Help!!”
Without thinking, I dived into the water and swam to Dobby.
As the leopard seal came closer, I whacked it with my flipper, hard, about two times and, offended, it grrrd and swam back to sea.
Everyone cheered and I smiled, as I realised I had saved Dobby.
“Well done Conrad,” smiled Archimedes. “How do you feel?”
“Fine thanks, a little shocked, but all right,” I replied.
Suddenly, Dobby’s mum ran over. “Thank you for saving my baby!” she cried and took Dobby in her arms. Just then, Scuffy came down the hill towards me.
“Conrad, you did a fantastic job!” he cried, patting my back. “I’m proud of you, Conrad.”
My cheeks went red and I was lost amongst a crowd of other penguins.

Chapter 6
The Big Thunderstorm

Conrad’s thirty-second week to the day.

One night, there was a horrifying thunderstorm. Scuffy and a lot of other penguins hid for cover, but because of my bravery in saving Dobby a while before, two other penguins and I stood by the beach.
We were watching to see if any waves would come beyond the sandy beach. Lightening flashed, but surprisingly, there was no rain. I closed my eyes, I don’t know why, but I remember them feeling cold.
“It’s ok,” one penguin smiled.
“Yeah Conrad,” beamed another penguin. “Thunderstorms at this time of year can get pretty noisy.”
I kept guard. Foamy waves covered the beach and nearly touched my feet. Just then, there was another clash of thunder and it began to spit rain. I didn’t notice the other two slip away.
Suddenly, a big wave came up to me, higher than the others and swept me into the ocean. I was being rocked strongly about.
Something nearly snapped my flipper but I never knew what it was. I closed my eyes and let the sea carry me away. I was too tired to do anything. “Conrad!” I heard a voice call. I knew I was dreaming all this, but then again, it sounded so real. I smelt the air. It smelt like boring shrubs and ugly trees…

Chapter 8
A familiar face

It was a beautiful morning and I woke up happily. I gazed out at the sea. Just then I heard some crows caw.
“Huh?” I asked out loud. “There are no crows here,” I thought. “Are you ok young man?” a feeble voice asked. “You were washed ashore here last night, poor soul.”
It was an old penguin. She had friendly brown eyes just like I do.
“Thanks for telling me,” I smiled, then I looked at her again. “You look familiar to me.”
“Do I?” she asked. “Because I don’t know you.”
“You remind me of my mum, but she was young and bouncy,” I told her.
“I was young and bouncy when I was younger, but I’m too old for bouncing now.” I gasped. She smiled and continued, “My son went missing a while . . . .”
“MOTHER!”
I cried and flung into her flippers.
“You’ve grown Conrad, and I missed you so much,” she sobbed.
I knew she was crying happy tears. I looked at my reflection in the water. I was amazed at what I saw there. “I’ve turned adult without realising!” And we both laughed.
“I thought I would never see you again,” sighed mum happily. I snuggled up to her again.
***
I settled back in with my mum and I had supper with her. I then became sad when she told me that Nana had died of old age some time ago. I wept a lot, but knew that she had gone in peace. I told mum about what I had done on the island and that I would stay here for a while and then go back there to mate and have eggs. I slept soundly with her that night.
The next day, more familiar faces turned up. “Scuffy, Sea, Sky. Fish, Akkie!” I cried.
“Our island was attacked by the storm last night, so we thought we’d stay here with you ‘til it was safe to go back,” smiled Scuffy.
I winked. It was great being with all of my best friends at once.

The End

Thanks mightyzebra, I really enjoyed that story. I think you have a talent. I really think you deserve your storries to be published. I won't say anything about the story on here, just in case someone happens to read this before the story

I agree... that story deserves to be puplished...

I tried to send it to agents but no-one would accept it, the folks only wished kind regards or submit to children's magazines.

I am thinking of publishing this on Lulu.

Lulu