Author's Note/Disclaimer: After more than two years, I'm finally going back to revising my stories about one of my favorite all-time movies, "Happy Feet." I wrote this first story during the summer of 2008 and posted it as one of my first fan fictions here. It had little success, but I added more stories to the collection to try gaining more reviews. Over time my interest in writing "Happy Feet" stories diminished, as I began to write more "Little Shop of Horrors," "Rent," and eventually "9" fan fiction, so work was slow. Nevertheless, I kept punching out short by short, and the string of stories were finally completed in 2010. Looking back on the reviews I received though (one I actually made to myself), I could have done better. So, I'm re-posting my oneshots in their final, revised versions, starting with this one.
This story uses the song "Everything's Alright" from the rock opera "Jesus Christ Superstar." If you've never heard of it, just imagine a soothing lullaby-type song. "Everything's Alright" is owned by Andrew Lloyd Webber. I do not own "Happy Feet," Mumble, Gloria, Memphis or Norma Jean.
*S. Snowflake
Everything's Alright, Mumble Happyfeet
After a long day of fishing the great Antarctic sea, the Emperor Penguin parents returned to their colony to feed their babies. Among the penguins was the lovely Norma Jean, waddling back to the breeding grounds after she had searched for fish for two days to be with her husband Memphis and her young son Mumble.
She approached a snow bank not too far offshore as the sun began setting behind her peacefully. Then a little sound ahead began to break the quiet: Tap, tap, tappity, tap!
Norma smiled, for she knew that sound of tapping penguin feet all too well. "Mumble!" she said as her son hippity-hopped over the snow bank to meet her.
"Mama! Mama!" her fluffy chick Mumble cried as he raced to her side and hugged her leg. "Oh, Mama…"
"Mumble boy, you get back here!" a male penguin's voice called from behind. It was the voice of Mumble's father and Norma's mate Memphis, desperately trying to keep up with their energetic chick. He reached Mumble and his mate shortly after, breathing heavily. "What'd I tell you 'bout them feet boy?" he asked, half out of breath.
"-Sorry, Pa," Mumble answered, ashamed. "I just missed my Mama."
"Oh that's okay, my little Mumble," Norma cooed. "You know how much I love those happy feet of yours." She smiled, basking in loving maternal instinct.
Memphis sighed and shook his head. He didn't like the way his son was acting at all.
"Momma, do you have any food with you?" Mumble asked, looking up at his mother sweetly.
Norma's smile changed to a frown. "No sweetie, fish are so hard to find right now. But maybe tomorrow will be better."
Mumble's stomach growled. He hadn't eaten for more than a day now, and the poor little 'guin was very hungry indeed.
"Tell you what," Norma Jean whispered in her son's ear, "you can ride on my feet for the way back, how 'bout that?"
"Okay," Mumble replied, trying to sound happy for her. He snuggled inside his mother's warm brood pouch and sat on her feet with his head poking out slightly, contented.
Memphis, however, was not happy. He looked at the icy ground beneath his feet and stomped angrily as they walked. "When I was a kid, you could catch ten fish every day. No problem. Now you can't catch a single one! How are we supposed to feed Mumble here?"
"I don't know, Memphis," Norma replied, lost in thought, "-but there's always tomorrow, right suga'?"
Err… yeah," he grumbled bitterly.
It took Memphis, Norma and Mumble about ten minutes to get back to the nesting area where most of the other Emperor Penguins were. A full moon was starting to rise over the southern mountains as the mothers and fathers returned (many of them empty-stomached) to their babies. Norma and Memphis rested at last near their friends Maurice and Michelle and their daughter Gloria. She ran over excitedly when she saw Mumble.
"Hiya Mumble!" she greeted him as he came off his mother's feet. "Boy, singing class sure was hard today, huh?"
"I guess so, but Miss Viola told me not to sing with the main chorus until my voice gets better," Mumble replied. The sad fact was that Mumble was the only Emperor Penguin in the colony who couldn't sing, and that day, like most others, he sat in the back of the class daydreaming instead of singing with the other penguin chicks. Gloria knew this, but was still trying to include her friend in her life.
"Don't be sad, Mumble," Gloria said, patting him with her flipper. "I know you'll get better. Besides, you can always dance instead."
"Gloria," Michelle called her daughter, "it's time for bed!"
"Comin', Momma!" Gloria answered. "Gotta' go Mumble, bye-bye."
"Bye," Mumble whispered with sadness in his eyes. If only I could sing like her, he thought, and then his stomach rumbled again. Oh, I'm hungry…
I think it's time you get some sleep too, Mumble," Norma Jean said to her son. "-C'mon sweetheart. –On Mommy's feet."
"But Mama, I'm so hungry," Mumble whined as he turned to his mother
"Oh Mumble, it'll be okay tomorrow. Sleep well tonight. Everything's all right," she answered with a motherly smile.
As if on cue, a chorus of mother penguins began crooning a song that gradually became louder as more and more voices joined in. Mumble's feet tapped experimentally to the rhythm, but he stopped out of sadness and fatigue. Norma's voice joined the great magnitude with her own soft tone, and then she led the song:
"Try not to get worried,
Try not to turn onto
Problems that upset you.
Don't you know
Everything's alright,
Everything's fine.
And we want you to
Sleep well tonight.
Let the world turn
Without you tonight.
If we try
We'll get by,
So forget all about us
tonight…"
The other moms sang to their own chicks in a great backup:
"Everything's all right,
Yes
Everything's all right,
Yes…"
Norma continued to sing softly crooning the lullaby:
"Close your eyes,
Close your eyes,
Just forget all about it
Tonight."
Mumble felt overjoyed at the musical number meant just for him (being the little freak he was) and tapped his little feet. He yawned with the mellow joy in his heart that conquered the hunger pains, and then giggled as he let his own heartsong out in his feet. Tap, tap, flap, tap-tap. Tap, tap, flap, tap-tap, his happy feet sang.
But then an adult male penguin stepped forward watching his antics in disgust. He too sang along, but his lyrics were insulting to the young penguin chick.
"What good does your song do
For a little freak who
Can't even sing with the rest?
Look at him tapping!
He's a penguin
Better left out of the nest!"
Mumble stopped dancing and stared at this attacker. Every word that came out of his beak was so hurtful to him, but this penguin didn't even care. He just wanted to kick the little guy down because he couldn't tolerate his differences. Mumble wanted to cry as he finished his bit.
"Penguins who are singers,
Penguins who have futures
Matter more than
Tapping feet, like his!"
Norma waddled to her son's side and continued to coax her son with her song.
"Try not to get worried,
Try not to turn onto
Problems that upset you.
Don't you know
Everything's alright, yes,
Eeverything's fine.
We're cool and
The night is sweet
For the fire in those
Happy feet.
Close your eyes,
Close your eyes,
C'mon, forget all about it
Tonight."
Memphis was angry at this male penguin who insulted his son. He walked up to him in a huff and sang back in retaliation.
"Surely you're not sayin'
He can help he's different.
Who cares if it may be true?
How can he help it?
Look how sad you made him,
Think about if he were you.
Leave while he's still dancing
Move wile you're still thinking.
Get out!
Get away
From my son!"
The penguin turned away, hushed by Memphis' words. Norma Jean smiled at her husband. Even if he sometimes didn't show it, he loved his son very much. She now sang for both Mumble and her husband as they huddled near each other for warmth. Mumble nestled into her brood pouch as she continued the song.
"Try not to get worried,
Try not to turn onto
Problems that upset you.
Don't you know
Everything's alright,
Yes,
Everything's fine.
And we want you
To sleep well
Tonight.
Let the world turn without you
Tonight.
Close your eyes,
Close your eyes,
And forget all about it
Tonight…"
Memphis hummed along in his own heart-stopping, bluesy voice. Mumble and a thousand other Emperor Penguin babies began to shut their eyes as the song continued long into the night, until at last they were all asleep with only the stars to serenade their dreams.
Everything's all right
Yes
Everything's all right.
Close your eyes,
Close your eyes
And relax.
Yes,
Everything's all right,
Yes,
Close your eyes,
Close your eyes
And relax…tonight
THE END.