5. THE LADY OF THE ASC

 

Not long after that, the lady of the ASC came by. “I heard the penguins' room has become so beautiful. I would like to see it ”. The penguins proudly show her their room.

The lady frowns thoughtfully when she sees the rug. "Where is serious," she asks immediately. "He's never in these days," the widow said sharply. “Since he has been in the city, he is always away or is reading . I don't like him at all anymore ”, said adolescent sadly .
The lady wanted to say something, but she did not.

“I think your room has become really comfortable. There are now 2 sleeping cabins empty. What would you say about new residents? ” The penguins looked at each other in shock. They never thought of that.
“Well uh, we are still 7 people. That's quite a lot ” the leader said.
“And the little one is also getting bigger and needs more space. He will soon be 1 year old! And he is already complaining that he wants his own sleeping cabin ” the little one's father answered quickly. Actually, it was more because he was fed up with the little one always sleeping between him and his wife. He wanted to have his wife to himself again . That was so long ago.

“We have to celebrate the birthday; a party, a party; do we get a fish dish again? ” the penguins shouted all together.
“I will discuss it in the team,” said the lady as usual.

At that point, serious came into the room. "Oh, I didn't know there is a meeting, ," he stammered. “I was working on the computer with the grandfathers” and his face flushed again.
Then the lady quickly said she wanted to discuss something with everyone while giving serious a wink.
And because the weather was nice, all residents sat in front of the house.

“The room downstairs is going to be prepared for new residents. And before you ask, I don't know who it will be for. Honestly. It is all very mysterious. A container with furniture has arrived and stands in our garden. With a letter with instructions about the wall and the floor. We ourselves are not at all happy with this state of affairs. But we have no choice. If we do not cooperate, the subsidy will be withdrawn. From now on this room can no longer be used by you. Not to play chess, not to play hide and seek and not to relax ”.

When the lady had finished it fell silent. All animals had to process this news in their own way. Now that the bachelors are gone, it is so good in het Dierenhuis that they fear this harmony will be disturbed by newcomers. While most of the animals were still processing this news, little's mother shouted, “Don't you forget our son's birthday. Everyone is invited to the party ”.

 4.THE GREAT CLEANING
"We are going to clean", the widow said, "now that it seems that the bachelors will not come back, we have to take care of those stink cabins. Everyone is helping, ”she added. 

Everybody? No. Adolescent went for a swim with Jochem and Finn and serious is not at home either . Since serious went to the city , he is always away. Or he is reading and does not want to be disturbed . Actually, the other penguins don't like him anymore. Would he feel too good for them?

The penguins start to work and soon the room looks neat and clean again.
Unfortunately, the cabins of the bachelors are still a bit dirty.

The penguins are looking at their work with satisfaction. "How empty and boring our room is," says the widow. “Do you remember the rug we used for the circus performance? I saw that in the storage. And there is also some furniture. Come on, let's have a look, ” the leader suggests and immediately walks down the stairs. The others follow him.

 In the basement they immediately find what they are looking for.
"I like that rug so much," says the young couple's wife, "it will look beautiful."
“And we will also bring a chair. Come on assistant, let's see if we can carry it together ”. However they tried, the leader and his assistant were unsuccessful.
"I'm going to ask John. And I think Jochem, Finn and adolescent have just come home, ”said the young couple's husband.

The frogs are always ready to help and Renate came too. "What a beautiful vase with dried flowers," she exclaimed. “You should take that too. That will be beautiful. ” And she immediately picks up the vase. Renate has an eye for decorating. Nobody wonders if this was actually allowed.

Of course, the room was immediately redecorated and the transformation was great.
What a few items can do. Unbelievable.
"That rug is so soft at my feet," the widow cooed.
Adolescent immediately lay down on the rug to play with the little one.

The atmosphere, which was very minor lately, immediately became much happier.
It was like it used to be when they first lived in this house and everyone was happy with the company
They talked with excitement when they suddenly heard: "Hey, what is that?"

There stood serious and he looked dumbfounded. "Beautiful, isn't it, isn't it great," the penguins shouted.

Serious was silent for a moment and then he stuttered " mmmmm but you have a rrrrug". And he blushed. "Don't you like it?" asked the widow. " Yyyy yeah well, " stammered serious shy.
Well, since he's been to the big city he's become very strange, the widow thought. As if he no longer wants to belong to us . "What will the lady of the ASC say when she comes by," said the leader. She always talks about taking initiative and independence. And we have shown that now! She can be satisfied.

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3 . SERIOUS GOES TO THE CITY

At last the day came serious had been waiting for.
In the morning the lady of the ASC drove by on her scooter were serious was waiting for her. "Have you been to the toilet," the lady asks, "because it is a long drive." Then John comes up with a nice large bag. "This is for you, serious. I think you can use it well. If you bring leaflets of everything you are about to visit, you can show them to us when you get home ”. Serious nods. He cannot speak for a moment, he is so moved by this beautiful gift from John. How lovely! 

"Would you like a cushion?" the widow asks. “ Have a good trip, have fun, watch out with crossings, don't get lost, stay with the lady, good luck, have fun,” the others shout.
And then they drive away. Serious waves a moment but is happy that they are finally driving.

It is wonderful. It is a long journey, but that is no problem.
And when they finally arrive in the city, he is amazed. He had already seen photos, but he did not think it would be so overwhelming. So many crowds, so much noise .

But it was wonderfully quiet in the Museum of Antiquities and in the city library. So many books, so many beautiful things to see, one day was not enough. On the way back he could hardly speak of all the impressions and of fatigue.
He wanted to stay in the city for ever.

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2. THE BACHELORS

The bachelors are not doing well. Since they discovered the other pub they often leave in the evening and don't come home until early in the morning.
They try to be silent when they come home but they don't always succeed.
In the morning they are cranky and only get up very late.

John, the young couple's man and serious, have repeatedly warned them about their behaviour and asked if they could be more quiet. But they don't listen and it only gets worse. If this continues, the lady of the ASC has to be consulted.

They also have secretly hidden in a corner of the room a beer crate. Recently they often come home drunk and singing loudly. Last night one fell down the stairs, from top to bottom. But nevertheless they went out again in the evening. The kitties are very scared of them because they have started to drink during the day. Their sleeping cabin stinks, they stink and they make a huge mess. The widow says she no longer wants to live in one room with such perverts . The young couple say that the bachelors are a bad example for the little one. And it is dangerous too. There is a broken wine glass laying on the floor and there are pieces of glass everywhere. Serious will clean it up quickly before accidents happen.
This has to stop.

But it has never been as bad as today. The bachelors are very drunk and unaware that they were covered in mud. It is almost noon and they are still not approachable. John called the ASC's lady and she came. How shocked she was to see the bachelors and the condition of the penguins' room. “There must be an immediate solution to this . I will discuss this with the team right away, ”she said .

But that was not necessary.
In the evening the bachelors left as usual and they just didn't come back.
They held a short search for them but without result. 

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1. DAILY LIFE

 Life is good in het Dierenhuis. The animals meet in the spacious stairwell. There is always time for a chat. The houses are very peaceful. Especially the children love it here. They play together, they explore and swim. And the combination with de Lauwerkrans as neighbours is so much fun . The animals are allowed to use the library and they also enjoy going to the clubs. But the 1970s house and het Kantwinkeltje also play a role in their lives.

The home of the cats is the nicest. The widow is often there to help with the twins, but the other penguins also like it there. Renate can finally let go of her mother role and hang out with Daan and adolescent.

 

Then the widow and the wife of the young couple take care. They love to be in this house. The kitties are always cheerful but also naughty. Especially in the stairwell they can rage quite a bit. Then they climb up via the banister. Recently Jochem and Imke had climbed on the roof . But then John became really angry and now they don’t do it anymore.

Renate prefers to bake cakes. She does that with the grandmothers in de Lauwerkrans. And she likes to be in het Kanthuisje. She loves the beautiful laces there and finds the customers who come very interesting. But she does not dare to touch anything because she is afraid her nails will damage the lace. The other kitties are just having fun. They like to play with the little one, with Finn and with the dachshund. At de Lauwerkrans they only come to have a chat because they cannot concentrate long enough to do something nice. To be honest, the grandfathers and grandmothers are often happy when these noisy but sweet kitties go home.

 The frogs are very different but also happy. 

Father John loves to read and has many books about nature. With his sons he makes long trips where they take the binoculars. He teaches them a lot about nature . Then they take a nice dip in the water and eat their belly round with insects. They love that.
Daan likes to be at the craft club. He learns to use tools from the grandfathers and he is already very handy. He also wanted to join the train club, but he is not that suitable for that. His fingers are too clumsy for that fine work. But he can do carpentry very well!
Finn is no longer so shy. Sometimes he even forgets to bring his soft toy.
He likes to go to the grandmothers to play a game and cuddle a little. Jochem is his best friend. Jochem can climb very well but Finn can jump very far!
When the frogs sit together they look at the sculpture of their mother and ask father John to tell stories from the time the mother was still alive.
In the evening when the boys are in bed, John often stands in front of the painting. Then he thinks of the happy time he had with his wife Klara. But, he tells her, it is also nice here.

And when he goes to bed he kisses her goodnight.

With the penguins  things are a little different. They were the first residents here and were so happy with their home! But when they saw how the other animals lived, a feeling of dissatisfaction slowly crept in. Not by everyone, by the way.

The little one and the adolescent were not bothered by anything. They loved it in het Dierenhuis.
The leader and his assistant also liked this. Life was a bit boring but also very easy. Every evening the leader drank a glass of cognac and his assistant a beer.
Serious had thrown himself into chess, but the grandpas were no longer a match for him. He single-handedly played famous games from books. He had already read all the books of de Lauwerkrans . Now the lady of the ASC kept bringing new books for him from the city library. He was interested in a lot of subjects. Astronomie, geography, mathematics, chemistry, he actually wanted to know everything. Next time when the lady comes he will ask if he can go to the city too. He has never been in a museum or a church. The city has so many options.
The 2 bachelors are not so happy. They are bored to death and there is nothing to do in the local pub. And all those children who just roar around. Not very funny. They liked the little one very much, but all that other little grit ... Now they have heard of a pub in a village further down where it seems to be very different. They want to go there soon.
The young couple is satisfied. Their lives revolve around the little one and he having so much fun! Yet the young couple's wife often looks enviously at the cozy rooms of the frogs and especially of the cats.

The widow is getting a bit nagging. She has aches and is easily annoyed. Everyone avoids her a bit and she doesn't like that. Lately she has been complaining a lot about sore feet. A grandmother knitted fine pink socks for her. She was happy with that but now she has pain in her back.

During the day there is a big difference between one and the other half of the house. As soon as the penguins are awake, they get up and go somewhere. They are used to do so. But the homes of the frogs and cats are always lively. There is often someone at home and they have lovely furniture. Therefore, the penguins always go to other houses and no one comes to them. That is something that bothers the women, but they do not know how to change it. Our house is so empty, the widow thought.

They will talk about it the next time the lady of the ASC comes .

And that fourth house? It is still empty. The young couple asked if they could live there for as long as it was empty, but it was not allowed.
The lady is always very secretive when it comes to the fourth house.

 

3.CIRCUS ACTS

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Circus het Dierenhuis. This performance is in honour of the kitties! ” That's how Melvin announced the acts. He was the ringmaster and assistant to the acts. The penguins and the dachshund performed first.

   

Wow, that was a great act.
As a reward, they receive a hearty applause.
And because they don't know how to split up again, they just drop.
Not a very charming ending, but nobody mind.

Although most of the acts were not that spectacular and a lot of the acts failed, the kitties laughed a lot and found it exciting.

 Everywhere were animals that had fallen lay lazy on the ground.
Until the frogs came up with a very dangerous act.

They jumped on top of each other and then ……

Help… .. they are going to fall!

Fortunately, no one was injured, but the lady immediately said that such dangerous acts were no longer allowed.

At least this act was not that dangerous.
After a few more acts, Melvin announced the very last one.

 John stood on the rug. What was he going to do? He asked if Jochem, Imke, Hidde and Emma would come forward. The kitties looked at each other and thought it was very scary but did it anyway. What would happen?

Strong John lifted all the cats in his arms. The kitties cried and giggled. It was so exciting and funny.
Everyone thought that was a great farewell act.

 Because of the party, the grandmothers had made a delicious fish dish again. But now the penguins had to share with the kitties because they love fish too.

 "We love it here, Renate",  the cats whisper when they went to bed.

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 2. THE ENTRANCE OF THE CATS

 The penguins and the frogs were so impressed by the life story of the cats that they immediately considered giving them a cheerful welcome.
"A party in the evening is not suitable, because the kitties are still small".
"We have to do something cheerful".
"We'll bring a circus and a jumping castle and a hundred balloons"
“We are having a swimming party”
But well, one idea was not suitable, the other too expensive and cats don't swim.
What to do?
"We're going to do circus acts ourselves," said a bachelor spontaneously. He was shocked himself. Gee, what a good idea this was.

Adolescent, Daan, Finn and the other bachelor immediately thought it was fantastic. The others had to let it sink in for a while but also liked it. The following days there was a lot of whispering and training because everything had to be kept secret , of course .

 The story of the kitties had also circulated at de Lauwerkrans. They were also busy planning and tinkering.
The lady of the ASC said that she would organize the welcome of the kitties. So the tasks were divided and everyone was awfully busy.

 Then the big day had arrived.
As usual, everyone was waiting again. The members of  de Lauwerkrans had made cat shaped flags. Very cheerful.
Suddenly there was a loud ringing and honking.
Around the corner of het Dierenhuis a colourful procession collided and ran up .

 It was not fast but it was surprising and cheerful.

The youngest cats were safe in the baskets of the walkers, one cat was in front of the mobility scoot, one cat was in front of the scooter and the largest cat was on the back.

What a nice entry. All people and animals laughed and clapped.
The kittens waved to everyone.
The best parade ever.
The lady of the ASC was very satisfied.

A fine moment for a grand picture. But that turned out to be very difficult because the twins kept running away. And of course each to a different side. Oh dear, if one was finally on the place the other walked away. And the fact that all people and animals laughed heartily did not help either.
The twins felt they were successful and kept getting crazier.
But finally they were all in line and the picture could be taken .

The lady welcomed them warmly and introduced them:
Renate was the oldest, Jochem the boy, Imke the girl and the twins were Hidde and Emma.

“Go and see your new home now. We have put all your things neatly and the members of de Lauwerkrans have made presents for you. Have a rest and take a nap.
In an hour we will come to get you for the party program ” .

 What were the presents ? A pillow for Renate, soft toys for the twins and cat pastries. Hidde and Emma quickly did a little cat sleep with the new soft toys.

The others were going to prepare for their acts.

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 1.CATS

 Shortly after the frogs moved into the Animal House, the third room was being prepared.
Again it was a coming and going of workers and the lady of the ASC. The penguins and the frogs kept a close eye on everything.

Now it is evening. The workers are gone and the room is ready. “The furniture will be delivered tomorrow”, the lady of the ASC said.

"I think it's beautiful," says the young couple's wife. "And it is so romantic," says the widow, "I am so curious " The room is mainly light and pink.
"Tomorrow I am going to ask  who will live there," says the leader. "We do not want a debacle as with the frogs."

The next day the furniture is brought in and the animals are amazed.
"I would love to live here" sigh the widow and the wife of the young couple.
"How beautiful it is."
"Well, again no refugees," grumbles the leader. "Much too beautiful stuff".

Adolescent said: "hey lady of the ASC, who actually comes to live in this room?"
When the lady started to say “ my lips are sealed ” again, all penguins rebelled. "No, ma'am," said the bachelor, "you tell . And immediately ”.

 The lady of the ASC saw the reasonableness of the question and packed a thick file. It contained a picture .

These are 5 orphans. Big sister has been taking care of them all along. They are 3 girls and 2 boys. The 2 youngest, a boy and a girl, are twins.

 And then the lady read the entire report. So sad. Everything they had experienced and had happened to them was written in the file. And also that it was unclear whether they were all real brothers and sisters. Actually, the lady should not have read the entire report to them. But, whenever she has an audience, she can't be stopped.
All the animals had a lump in their throat and the widow was sobbing openly.

"Very sad," said adolescent, "but now I'm going to swim. Daan and Finn, are you coming too?

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THE DAY AFTER

The first to wake up were little one and Finn. Because everyone else was still asleep, they just went to play downstairs by the stairs.
Slowly more animals woke up.        

   

 Serious came down because the grandfathers would teach him chess. He sat on the stairs and waited. Fortunately, they soon came.

 Serious loves learning things. He pays close attention. After a while he even gives good advice. The twin grandpas have to be careful, they have never had such a good student.

 “Do you know that we have a library in de Lauwerkrans? You may come there. There are books about chess and many more.  Another grandpa can tell you a lot about the books. You should take a look ”.

“ Daddy, will you tell me again how Mommy and we lived there on the bank of the river? I wish I could remember but I was too small. ” Finn cannot get enough of this story. And certainly not since they got the painting. He sees it all before him. Father John likes to tell.

"My dear Klara, how I miss you", he thinks every time he looks at the painting.
This was the most beautiful present. I will go to  the lady of het Kanthuisje and thank her again.

Melvin thought, “once the grandpas play chess they’ll forget everything. Let me put that hook in the wall. Daan is interested to see how Melvin does it. He would also like to learn to handle
tools. "Then come to the craft club," says Melvin. "Always welcome though".

"I'm going to bake cookies at the grandma's," shouts Finn, hopping down the stairs. “Fine”, Father John thinks this is the first time that he has left home alone.
How happy he is.

" Gee, what a noise " sounds at Penguin’s room  , "do have a little quiet."
 Well, they drank too much yesterday and have a hangover.
Own fault.

And so yesterday's party was a great success in more ways than one.

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5. THE PARTY

The day has finally come. The penguins are the first to attend the party. That wonderful fishy smell, they no longer could resist it.

The others came also and it was immediately fun.
Everyone from de Lauwerkrans had come. The two men who are playing chess are twins. They argue a lot about who is the best because they are actually both equally good. The penguins , except for serious, think chess is stupid. 

 

They are only interested in the table with fish. 
But serious looks at the game and actually wants to learn that.

The main guests are of course the frogs. They sit in the centre with the stack of presents at their feet.
Especially Finn loves to unpack  but Daan does some unpacking too.

While unpacking, the family from the 1970s comes in.
“Sorry we're late. The baby was still asleep and the fruit pie needed some more time in the oven ”. They sit down quickly and the dachshund goes straight to the little one. Those 2 are good friends.

More unpacking to do. What a lot of gifts. They have already unpacked 2 embroidered cushions and a pot with a water lily. Magnificent!

They continue like this until John is to unpacks his last present, a painting. He stares at it for a long time and everyone gets uncomfortable. Wouldn't he like it? Then he looks up and says in a sobbing voice, “Here it was. My dear wife Klara was eaten here. She was sitting on a water lily and there stood the stork ”. He points to the painting.

"Look  children," he says. That's where I last saw our mother. And because he was crying a bit, Daan and Finn also started to cry. What a pitiful sight. Suddenly the party was no longer fun. It was dead quiet.

Then the lady of the ASC got up and said: "can I have your attention?"

The lady spoke fondly about the frogs. About their grief and also about their great resilience with which they had processed this grief. Father John in particular received a great compliment. Then she knew some funny anecdotes and finally she said: "let's sing our song now".

 And there it sounded together:
1,2,3,4, the frogs are ( 2x )
1,2,3,4 the frogs that are here .
Welcome John and Daan and Finn.
Are you having a good time.
1,2,3,4, the frogs that are here.

 Everyone laughed because of the terrible way the penguins sang and when the frogs started singing the chorus, it sounded horrible.
Then the lady said: "the buffet is open". The penguins ran to the table and everything was finished in an instant. The table manners of the penguins were disputable but no one said anything about it.

 What had the frog got?
2 embroidered cushions of de Lauwerkrans
2 ships in a bottle of de Lauwerkrans
1 water lily in a pot of de Lauwerkrans
1 wood painting of the 70's house (they didn't like that very much)
1 painting of the waterfront of the lady of het Kanthuisje

What beautiful gifts.
You could tell that everyone had thought carefully about the presents.
But what had they received from the penguins ? Nothing.
Nobody thought that was weird. The penguins themselves certainly not.

When the party was over, they all helped to clean up and put the presents neatly upstairs.
And look how cozy the room looks now.

“ Why do you always wear those binoculars around your neck?” grandfather asked.
"Because we don't have a place to hang them," said John softly.
"I'll hit a few hooks in the wall tomorrow, " said Grandpa. But now I'm off to bed.
The other guests also went home.
"This was the best party ever" thought the penguins and immediately fell asleep.

Daan and Finn fell asleep exhausted, but father John didn't want to sleep yet.
He went to look at the painting again and now it no longer made him sad, but rather happy.
He thought of the beautiful time he spent there on the bank with his lovely wife Klara.

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