As the winter season slowly began to show itself, all the penguins had set off on their journey. The emperor penguin and his mate, Pigu, were among them. They were searching for a place with plenty of sunshine.
After a long journey that lasted several days, they found a valley between two mountains. Recently, Mrs. Pigu had been feeling weak. She said to her husband,
– I think we are going to have a baby.
Soon after, she laid an egg. Upon seeing this, the emperor penguin joyfully waddled around, slipping on the ice. Mrs. Pigu kept the egg warm under her thick fur.
The next day, Pigu woke up early. She said to her husband,
– My body’s food reserves are running out. Once our baby hatches, we will need to feed it. I must go to the sea to find food.
The emperor penguin replied,
– You go, I will stay here and incubate the egg.
Then what happened?
With that, Pigu said,
– I’ll try to come back as quickly as I can, and bid farewell to her husband.
The emperor had a feeling that the separation would be long. He knew that finding food wasn’t easy.
A difficult time began for the emperor penguin as well. He kept the egg carefully under him and never moved. If he moved, the egg would freeze in the cold, and he wouldn’t be able to see his baby. Like all fathers, he waited for his mate, enduring hunger and the cold.
Winter had arrived in Antarctica, and fierce snowstorms had begun. To avoid freezing, the emperor penguin said,
– Friends, let’s all turn our faces toward the sun. We should gather closely in a circle. This way, we’ll stay warm, and we’ll prevent the cold from getting between us.
All the penguins formed tight circles. The older penguins stayed at the innermost circle. Those on the outer circle felt the cold more. They showed great solidarity by changing places often.
After two months of hardship, one by one, the eggs began to crack. The babies were hatching.
When the emperor penguin saw the baby emerging from the shell, he said,
– Welcome to Antarctica, my beautiful baby.
The baby penguin curled up against the warm fur at his father’s feet, pressing its head tightly. The emperor penguin looked out to sea and murmured,
– Where are you, Pigu? Our baby is waiting for you. Please come back quickly.
Then, one morning, the long-awaited moment finally arrived. The penguins’ mates began to return. Like the other mothers, Pigu came out of the water.
When the emperor penguin saw his mate, he ran to her and hugged her with longing.
– We missed you so much, he said.
– I missed you both so much too, Pigu said, bowing down to look at the baby.
– How beautiful, she said.
– Just like her mother, the emperor said.
Pigu was so happy to reunite with her family. Her eyes misted over.
– I almost forgot, she said, as she pulled out a sea shell from under her wing and handed it to her husband.
The emperor penguin said,
– Well, I didn’t prepare a gift for you.
Then, Pigu showed him their baby.
– You gave me the most beautiful gift in the world, she said, hugging her husband once more.