Last two chapters. :D
Kowalski watched his son curiously. It hurt him every day, to see his son… and the way his son looked at him. Kowalski felt a literal pain in his chest, and sighed, continuing to stare. Kona was trying to perform some sort of magic trick, becoming frustrated as he messed up again and again. Kowalski walked up to him, and Kona frowned.
"Would you like some help?" Kowalski asked quietly. Kona shook his head. "Trust me, it's easy once you know how, any trick is. Watch." Kowalski picked up a rock. He moved his flipper over the front of him, and suddenly the rock was gone. Kona looked at him in wonder.
"How did you do that?" He whispered. Kowalski smiled. "It's easy, make
penguins, once they have eggs to take care of they actually develop a layer of fat, almost like a kangaroo's pouch. If you use a simple slight of hand you can easily hide anything there." Kowalski said. He quickly snatched up the rock again, seemingly out of nowhere. "And because we as penguins naturally have a layer of fat for insulation, it's almost undetectable." Kona stared at him in awe, and Kowalski smiled. After a second, Kowalski knelt beside Kona.
"Kona, can I ask you something?" Kowalski said hesitantly. Kona nodded, as Kowalski handed him the rock.
"How come you're so interested in these tricks?" Kowalski asked. He was curious, because Kona had never expressed any interest in them until recently. Actually, until recently, Kona had always had a love for science, just like Kowalski. Kona looked up at Kowalski, suddenly angry. Kowalski stared back, startled.
"I need to fix it." Kona said.
"…Fix what, Kona?" Kowalski asked. Kona seemed to get angrier.
"Your mistake, I need to fix your mistake." He said. Kowalski stood up.
"My mistake- " Kona interrupted him, throwing the stone down.
"Yes, it's your mistake, it's your fault." He said loudly. Kowalski swallowed.
"I… don't understand." He mumbled. Kona started shouting now, and Kowalski was taken back by how quickly he had become so hostile.
"I was having a perfectly good time, then you came over here, why do you always ruin everything! It's your fault Mama and Kida are dead!" He yelled. Kowalski's eyes widened. "It's your fault, you're the dad, you're supposed to help them, but you didn't!" Kona yelled. This hit Kowalski hard.
"Wha- Kona- Kona I did everything… I did everything I could!" Kowalski said, startled.
"No! No you didn't, you were supposed to save them! That's what dads do!" Kona yelled.
"But, Kona I tried!" Kowalski said, pleadingly.
"No! You're a horrible dad, you-" That was the last straw.
"I did everything I could Kona! I'm your dad but I'm not perfect! Do you think I wanted them to die! Do you!" Kowalski shouted, angrily.
Kona stepped back, eyes wide. Never had he seen or heard his dad this angry. Kowalski stopped suddenly, realizing what he'd done.
"Kona- Kona, I'm sorry…" Kona shook his head, tears forming in his eyes. Suddenly he turned and took off for the colony. "Kona wait!" Kowalski shouted, going after him. Unfortunately Kona got to the crowd of penguins before Kowalski could reach him, and his small stature made it easier to slip in between the others. "Kona! Kona!" Kowalski called out, but his son had long disappeared from sight.
Kowalski trudged back to his home, exhausted. He had spent all day, and half the night looking for Kona, with no luck. Kowalski entered their home that had been dug in the snow, to find Kona sitting there. Kona looked up at Kowalski, startled when he entered.
"Kona wait!" Kowalski started talking, before Kona could say anything. "Kona, I'm sorry I yelled, it's just, I was upset. Kona I tried my best… I truly did, there's just only so much one penguin can do…" Kowalski tried to swallow the lump that was forming in his throat. "Kona, I don't care if you hate me for the rest of your life, you're my son, and I will love you no matter what, and I swear, I'll put myself out there before I ever let anything or anyone come close to you, I-" Kowalski stopped, when Kona interrupted him.
"Dad…" He said, Kowalski looked at him, his eyes burning. Suddenly Kona jumped up and ran to Kowalski.
"I'm sorry, Dad!" He said sobbing, his cries muffled as he buried his head in Kowalski's feathers. "I'm so sorry!" Kowalski felt his tears, hot compared to the arctic wind, running along his feathers. He leaned down, embracing Kona.
"I'm sorry too…"
Kowalski wipe his eyes again. He had started drawing again as he told the rest of his story.
"After that, things started to get better… He… wasn't so angry with me anymore, we were close, like a father and a son were supposed to be. Things were looking up. I started to teach him how to draw. We didn't have paper, of course, but we drew in the snow. Things were… good. We were happy again." Kowalski sniffed, and swallowed again.
"I guess that explains the clipboard…" He mumbled, his pencil arching across the page.
"What… what happened?" Marlene asked quietly. Kowalski was silent for a long moment, trying to regain his composure.
"It was Kona's fifth birthday… when he returned."