6. THE DESERT

It was a good thing they were well rested and didn't know what was coming yet.
The landscape grew drier and the sun shone exuberantly. Sometimes a bit too exuberant.
Fortunately, they had brought enough food and drink from their home in the forest.
The flat landscape became hilly and the hard surface turned into sand.
The penguins did not know what they saw! They were happy and troubled at the same time.
Happy because this landscape was very similar to the South Pole. A soft surface for their feet, hills, very light colours.
But worried because the sun was always shining and the sand was so hot.

But the bachelors and the adolescent loved it!
Like a bunch of small children, they rolled off the mountains while they were shouting loudly. What an energy!
They rolled down one mountain after another.
Sweat dripped from them and they started to smell awful again.

Suddenly a bachelor said, "Hey, where's your other mitten?" The adolescent looked at his hands and yes, he only had 1 mitten. He was very shocked by that.
"We have to go back," he said, "I have lost a mitten."
"Where did you lose it?"
"I don't know," said the adolescent.
"No," said the leader, "no way. We have to go on. ”
The adolescent got tears in his eyes and thought of his grandmother.

The group sadly set off again.
All the fun was gone. It was so hot and they were so thirsty.
If only they had been more economical  with their drinks.
They walked like a silent row through the blistering landscape.

The adolescent was sad about his mitten , the young couple argued over the egg that kept rolling too far and the widow became more and more tired.
Her knees and back hurt so much.
Walking through the loose sandbecame too much for her.
At first she had been so happy with her sun hat but now the thought of the hat could not cheer her up anymore.
She couldn't go on. She fell on the ground.

  

"You walk on and leave me behind," she whispered theatrically, "I am old anyway and I am one foot on your leg. Go on now, I'll die. Good luck". But of course they didn't want to leave her. “We all rest and stand in a circle around the widow. Then she is in the shade. ” That was a wise decision by the leader.

 The serious penguin looked around, thought for a while, then he said, “I know where to go. We have to go through that gap. I remember that when I studied the trip. I never thought we would go that far ”.

The young couple's wife looked anxiously at her egg and whispered something in her husband's ear. Then she walked over to the leader. They had a serious conversation and the leader shouted, “We are rested, we walk again. Through the gap ”.

 Actually they weren't very rested but they went anyway. Now they had a plan! The serious penguin led the way and radiated confidence. But unfortunately he had a bit of a stomach ache because he was not so sure that this was the right way.
Fortunately, it was the right way.

 The landscape changed again. The ground became harder and the sun was not shining so bright anymore.

They found a well and everyone quenched their thirst.

The leader looked anxiously at the egg and shouted, "We're going to find a place to rest because we're all tired."