Chapter 14: The Fall
As we were walking back to Emporer Land, Atticus, Bo, Glimmer, and Rue were playing together while I was walking next to Mumble and Erik. Katniss, Gale, and Cato were walking next to me also.
"Son... Erik." Mumble said. "You know when things go wrong, running away is not the answer. Okay?" Mumble said. "The same thing goes for you as well, Lana. You can't just run away." Mumble said. "I just didn't want Erik to get embarrassed again, daddy," I said. "I know, I know sweetie. I think we can all learn from this though." Mumble said. "Yeah, I agree. You know, Peeta and Gloria were really worried about you when you left." Katniss said. "So was I," Cato said.
"Yeah. And you have to find within yourself a way to handle it. Okay?" Mumble said. "Yeah," Erik said. "Yeah. And, and we're all different. It's part of the job of life. To find out who you are and what you got. It may not be dancing or flying. But when you find it, it will be all yours. You know what I'm saying?" Mumble said. "Yeah. Okeydoke." Erik said. "Okay, daddy," I said. "Right," Mumble said. "This is what we've been working on in therapy as well," Katniss said.
"I know, mom," I said. "Alright. Let's head back before Peeta starts to worry." Katniss said. I nodded and we kept walking.
"What do you think my thing will be, mommy?" Erik asked me. "I don't know, you'll find out one day though, I promised," I assured my son. "Okay," Erik said. We then felt the ground rumbling as we saw some snow falling in the distance.
"Woah!" Atticus cried. "What was that?" Glimmer asked. "Something somewhere just took a big bump," Atticus said. "Yeah," Mumble said. "Sounded awfully close to Emporer Land," Bo said. "Come on guys. Let's pick up the pace." Mumble said. We kept walking until we came across a steep hill that had a big drop.
"I don't remember this," Bo said. "Well, you know, things always look different on the way back," Atticus said. "Well, I guess we'll just have to go all the way around," Mumble said. "But Emporer Land is straight ahead," Bo said. "Yeah," Atticus said. "So why not go over that?" Bo asks. "That way would be too long anyway." Glimmer said. "No, no, this way is better," Mumble said. "But shortcuts are shorter," Bo argues. "They're not always. Now come on, it's not that far." Mumble said.
"And this way is safer too," Gale said. I followed the kids as we walked up the hill above the deep fall. Rue and Glimmer also followed us.
"Guys, stop!" Mumble shouted. "Erik, I said stop!" Mumble shouted again. "Lana, Rue, stop!" Cato shouted. We did as they said and we stopped. Rue held onto my hand as we were inches away from the edge. Mumble, Cato, Katniss, and Gale raced over to us.
"All right. We'll keep going but take it nice and slow." Mumble said. We did as he said and took it slow. Erik was the first one to get off of the steep hill. Glimmer was the second one to get off the hill. "And let's say we don't look down, okay?" Mumble said. Atticus almost fell as he looked down. "Atticus, what did I just say?" Mumble said. I gasped when I slipped and almost fell down. Cato quickly caught me, grabbing me tightly by the arm. As we were getting off the hill, we ran into a big elephant seal.
"Woah," Mumble said. Mumble pushed Erik close to him. "Wow," Erik said. "G'day, sport." The elephant seal said. "Hi," Mumble said nervously. "Where you heading?" The elephant seal asked us. "Home," Mumble answered. "Oh, yeah? So am I." The elephant seal said. "If you don't mind backing up a bit. We'll just squeeze past." Mumble said. "That's the one thing I can't do, matey." The elephant seal said. "Huh?" Mumble said. "Back up. The beach master backs up for nobody." The elephant seal said. "Then maybe you can move sideways," Bo suggests. "Don't do sideways." The elephant seal said. "But we came all the way across," Mumble said.
"Then you'll have to go all the way back, won't ya?" The elephant seal said. "I've got the kids. It's kind of dangerous." Mumble said. "Of course." The elephant seal said. "And we're kind of anxious to get home," Mumble said. "I see. Fair enough. But see it my way, sport. One day, I'll be protecting my beach, and some pumped-up mongirl wants to take it from me. We're nose to nose. The whole world's watching. And in the back of me mind, there's this niggling doubt: I onced backed up for a penguin He'll see it in my eyes and I'm gone. Goodbye ladies, hello lovely beach. You with me?" The elephant seal said.
"Yeah, but-" Mumble started. "Then get out of my way." The elephant seal said. "My mother says 'every obstacle is an opportunity.'" Bo said. "What? Bo! Bo!" Mumble cried as Bo walked up to the elephant seal and climbed up his nose. The elephant seal pushed Bo back with his nose. Bo fell back and hit the wall.
"Yo dawg, you be apologizing. Or I'm gonna tear you a new nostril." Atticus said. Atticus hit the elephant seal on the nose.
"You know he didn't mean that," Mumble said. "That's okay." The elephant seal said and pushed Atticus with his nose. "Hey! I didn't mean that!" Atticus cried. Mumble and I panicked when we saw our son too close to the elephant seal.
"SvenTHINK. SvenTHINK." Erik said. "Erik, no!" Mumble cried as the elephant seal lifted Erik up with his nose. The elephant seal threw Erik backward. "Erik!" I cried. "You fat mother of all bullies!" Mumble yelled. Mumble hit the elephant seal and this caused the elephant seal to fall down.
"Oh no!" The elephant seal said as the ice split apart. When the ice split apart, we saw two baby elephant seals and Erik on the other side.
"Daddy, daddy, where are you daddy?" The babies called. "Where's he going?" The other baby said. "Uh-oh." Said the first baby when he saw the elephant seal hanging on the edge of some snow. "That's not healthy." The other baby said. "Are you okay?" Mumble asked. "Not exactly." The elephant seal said. "Daddy, what are you doing down there?" The first baby said. "Get back up here." The second baby said. "Not sure...I can." The elephant seal said.
"There is a way. But you won't like it." Mumble said. "You want me to back up, don't ya?" The elephant seal said. "Come on, dad. You can do it." The second baby said. "We won't think less of you, daddy." The first baby said. "Well, I...I suppose technically it's just reversing. I guess I could, you know, just a smidge." The elephant seal said. I was surprised when he was backing up. "That's it, dad." The first baby said. "That's the spirit. Yeah. Back. That's it." Mumble encoraged.
"In no way does this feel natural. "Now, see if you can turn yourself around. All right. Use your flippers." Mumble said. As the elephant seal was reversing, the ice broke and he fell down.
"Woah, stop!" The elephant seal cried. "Dad!" The babies cried. "Come on, daddy. You can do it." The first baby said. "Oh, geez!" The elephant seal cried as he was slipping. The ice broke completely and the elephant seal fell down into the big black hole.
"Daddy?! Can you hear me, daddy?!" The first baby called. "Shane? Darren?" The elephant seal called. "Daddy!" Shane shouted. "I need you to stay strong. I know you will, 'cause you've never let me down. Penguin, you still there?" The elephant seal called. "Yeah, right here," Mumble called back. "Would you see that me boys get home safe to their mother?" The elephant seal said. "Daddy, what are you saying?" Shane asked worriedly.
"Sorry boys. They're callin' full time on your old man's career." The elephant seal said. "No, dad! No! No, dad, no!" The babies cried.
"Come on. Take a look around. Can you see any way out?" Mumble asked. "Yeah. I could grow a pair of wings." The elephant seal said. "Can you move at all?" Mumble asks. "I'm stuck, mate." The elephant seal said. "Okay, everyone back from the edge. Come on, get back from the edge. All right. Now, don't move till I get back." Mumble said. Everyone backed up from the edge.
"Where are you going?" Atticus asked him. "To see what I can do for their daddy," Mumble told him. "Good luck, daddy," I said. "Thanks, Lana. I'll be back as soon as I can, just stay here and don't go too close to the edge." Mumble said. "Okay," I said. With that, Mumble left.
"What can he do? He's just an ordinary penguin." Shane said. The babies looked at Erik as he was doing the SvenThink.
Now, all we had to do was wait for Mumble to return.
A/N: Please review!