Chapter 3 a penguin's sanctuary
Three days have passed since the protest. I was released with no charge, because I haven't committed a crime before the incident and I am of good character. So, a slap on the wrist so to speak. I am trying my best not to dwell on the situation, as it gets me down. Jim Gordon warned me to stay away from demonstrations and protests for a while because I could get caught up in the moment again. He seems like a nice person trying to do the right thing, but so am I.
To cheer me up my best friend is coming over soon, we're going to the penguin sanctuary. She knows penguins are my favourite and always make me smile and she knows how down I have been down over the past few days so she's taking me. The word penguin also sends shivers down my spine. I know that there are criminals and gangsters in this city. I have heard the word penguin many a time used for a notorious law breaker. Apparently, he runs the slums of Gotham, and has killed hundreds of people in the process. Obviously, he has no heart or soul. It's unfair that something so cute and innocent shares the same name as something so cruel and devious.
'Awh, they're really cute up close, aren't they?' Jen stated as she tapped on the glass. My heart sank when I realised the conditions they were living in. One penguin was sat on his own with a puddle and a background which was painted to look like the arctic. He stood on a rock, with his head and beak looking down into the water at his pitiful existence. My heart broke for him. Looking through another glass window, I realised the conditions were just as grim. Three penguins huddled into one corner, as one was lying down in the middle of the room. The penguin that was lying down looked as if he was dying. All of them looked undernourished and unloved. Fury built up inside me. 'You okay Ann?' Jen asked looking concerned. 'You know what's wrong.' Maybe I sounded too stern, I didn't mean to take it out on her, I was just so fed up of seeing animals like this. 'some kind of fucking sanctuary hey?' As we carried on looking through the glass at the mournful scene she suggested we complain to a member of staff about the conditions. I could see through the other side a member of staff, but looked like they were busy as someone was speaking to them. 'That's penguin!' gasped Jen. 'I know they're penguins.' I replied looking at her as she stated the plain obvious. 'No, the man over there talking to the member of staff, that's penguin, the gangster!' It can't be, she had it wrong. Looking through the glass made it difficult to see through the other side. How does she know that's him from a blurred vison and the back of someone's head? 'How the fuck would you know that?', 'I know that limp anywhere, and he's pretty short and he's like the only one with that hairstyle in the city. Just trust me, it is.'
Sneaking around the wall of the enclosure, I peered my head around the corner. Jen was underneath me poking her head around too, it was like a scene out of a movie. Now I could see him in plain sight. An unwelcome chill embraced my spine. I couldn't see the front of him, I could only make out his silhouette and that he was shouting. 'Can't you see they're living miserable lives?! One of them is dead. If you don't sort this place out and make sure they have the most luxurious lives anyone could ever wish for, I will kill you and everyone that works here myself. That is a promise.'
Me and Jen swiftly moved to the position we were in before, looking at the poor creatures through the glass. 'Oh, fuck, that actually just happened' Jen shakily mumbled. As I was about to give her an answer, his face appeared on the other side of the glass. As soon as we realised it was him, we ducked down quickly. My heart was pounding. Then, I felt something strange, something was telling me to look. Slowly adjusting my head so I could just about see, Jen tugged at me. 'What the fuck are you doing?!' truth be told, I didn't know. A warm chill embraced my entire body, but this time it was different. He was so beautiful, stunning even. He was like nothing or no one I have ever seen before. Spikes of jet black hair hung closely to his forehead, they stood out against his pale, paper white skin. His eyes filled with sadness and brimmed with tears as he looked at the penguin standing closest to the glass. As he wept, I couldn't believe what I saw before me. He wasn't a monster. He was a beautiful, compassionate man. His pale hand delicately graced the window, as his strikingly long, thin fingers stroked the glass. I wanted this moment to last forever. 'Fucking scary, isn't he?' I barely took notice of what she said. 'No Jen, he's...'
Shit, he saw me. His eyes met mine. Immediately he wiped his tears away from his cheek. Never in my life have I felt so scared, why wouldn't my body move? My instinct screamed at me to look away and get down, but I couldn't, my eyes would not budge from his gaze. To my surprise, he smiled at me. Just a small one, then he turned around and walked away.