CHAPTER SEVEN: Carrie

Skipper woke up at six a.m next day, his body all weak and sore. He scrambled out of the box and jumped on the ground. He then spotted a small, penguin girl, sitting in one of the street corners and crying her eyes out.

He immediately waddled up towards the child end crouched down to check on her.

"Why are you crying, dollface?" he asked.

The girl rested her teary eyes at the leader penguin and let out a painful moan:

"I've lost my Mom".

Skipper automatically stroked her delicate cheek to comfort her.

"Don't cry, sweetheart" he asked, wiping her tears away. "I will help you find her."

"You… you will?" uttered the penguin girl between the sobs.

"Sure" .

Skipper forced himself to smile brightly but deep inside his heart he felt like bursting out crying again. He would dream of his own mother again. She was delicate, warm and loving as always but there was something in her expression that made him feel anxious about her. Just as if some kind of a nasty disease was just about to take her down. She was a lot paler than usual, and there was that strange, greenish tinge on her cheeks. "What could it mean?"

He picked up the girl from the ground and took her in his arms. The girl immediately wrapped her fragile flippers around his neck and snuggled against Skipper's chest. They made their way towards the street nook. They would wander from one street nook to another for they were still too afraid of walking out to the open town. Skipper rocked little Carrie(that's how she was called) in his arms just as Nashami used to do rock him, when he was in the hospital.

"I'm hungry" confessed little Carrie after a while. Skipper took a desperate look around. Thankfully, he spotted a large box with some rests of fresh catfish meat, lying in the nearest corner. He ate only few pieces and gave the rest to Carrie.

"Feeling better, dollface?" he asked, after Carrie had finished the last piece of catfish.

"Much better. I'm full now" said Carrie and smiled for the first time. They made themselves comfortable between the texture boxes and decided to take a rest. The district they've found themselves in right now, was quiet and calm enough. Skipper found a piece of green, shabby cloth, lying hereabouts on the ground. He cleaned it from the dust and covered little Carrie with it to keep the girl warm.

"You have a good heart, Skipper" said Carrie, snuggling against his chest. " I can feel it."

Skipper already felt tears forming in his eyes. He wiped them quickly away with his free flipper.

"I wish I could have you for my Dad" continued Carrie, as he rocked her in his arms. "My Daddy passed away two years ago… you're so good to me.." she let out a quiet sob.

Skipper said some soothing words to the girl. He promised her, that they would continue to look for her Mother the very next day. Right now, the girl was way too tired – she need to rest for a couple of hours. But she appeared to have serious troubles with falling asleep, despite the whole fatigue. So Skipper started to hum his favorite lullaby from his earliest childhood. Lullaby his Mom would always sing to him.

"Sleep my precious, sleep still..

your angel is watching over you from the snowy hill..

there's no more fear,

you're safe now my dear..

His love for you shall never cease..

sleep still, my precious, sleep in peace…"

As he sang the lullaby, he would see his Mother's bright smile in his mind, her green eyes full of warmth and motherly love.. Two, big tears escaped his eyes and streamed down his swollen cheeks, pain and sorrow tearing his heart apart.