Northern_Lights_2017

50 Monty Katie Johnson “Daddy, Daddy, look! It’s the penguins!” The young boy’s chubby hands grasped the man’s larger ones and pulled him towards the Plexiglas case full of black and white flightless birds. The boy ducked under the bars and pressed his nose against the glass. His breath created small puffs of condensation on the window. Awe seemed to overtake his small, blue eyes as he took in the goings on of the penguins. Some waddled. Some swam. Some ate. Some even slept standing up. But before the boy knew it, the man had scooped him up and took him behind the bars where spectators were supposed to stand. “Daddy! Daddy no! I want to see them up close! I can’t see them from way back heeere,” he whined. He stamped his small foot and his bottom lip jutted out in a firm pout. His father repressed a smile and replaced it with a stern frown. “Son, we aren’t allowed to get that close. You’re going to scare them.” “But, Daddy, they’re my favorite am-i-nal!” his head sunk and his chin tucked into his chest. Tears started to form and roll down his cheeks and onto the floor. The man knelt down and looked kindly into his son’s bleary, blue eyes. “Well, bud, I have a better idea. How about I get you one of your own?” The boy’s head snapped up and nodded eagerly. “How are you gonna do that?” The man laughed. “Well, come with me and I’ll show you.” He took his son’s hand in his once again and led him to the gift shop located inside the zoo. He led the boy over to the rows of stuffed penguins that were all shapes and sizes. “Pick one out, buddy,” he gestured. The boy looked up to his father and gave him a puzzled look. “But…but these aren’t real.” He continued to look at his father and the stuffed birds confusedly. “Oh, but that’s where you’re wrong, sport.” The man looked down at the boy with kind and earnest eyes. “If you believe it hard enough, whichever penguin you choose will be your realest and best penguin friend.” “So go ahead.” He gave the boy an encouraging nudge. “Pick one out. Who will be your lifelong penguin friend?” The boy slowly shuffled past the rows of friendly black and white faces, with his hand thoughtfully placed in his mouth. He eventually stopped in front of a small, spotted African penguin. The boy looked at his father and pointed at the chosen merchandise. “That one?” the man inquired. The boy nodded emphatically. “What a good choice,” the man said as he smiled down at his son. After the man paid for his son’s new toy, they decided to head home. “What are you going to call your penguin, buddy?” The boy studied the soft stuffed animal for a moment. “Monty.” “Well, okay, then. Monty the penguin it is. You both are going to go on grand adventures together. I can’t wait to see them, sport,” he said as he tousled the boy’s hair. With Monty in one hand and his dad in the other, the boy walked home from the zoo that day as happy and content as any little boy could be. From that moment on, Monty was there for his friend. When the boy had a bad dream, his father brought Monty to tell him that everything was safe and okay. When the boy had a difficult time making friends at school, his father would bring Monty to his side as a comforting companion. The boy had many exciting adventures with Monty in his backyard. If the boy was a jungle explorer, Monty was the tour guide. If the boy was a pirate, Monty was his first mate. And throughout all of Monty’s and the boy’s adventures, the boy’s father was always there to cheer him on. Together, he and Monty made sure the boy had good memories to cherish. As the boy grew older, Monty did as well. Signs of love and wear started to appear. The boy’s father tried his best to make sure that Monty didn’t fall apart, but his eyes eventually fell off and wouldn’t stay no matter howmuch super glue was applied. Fluff started to stick out through various holes in the stitching. Layers and layers of patches had to be lovingly placed by the boy’s father. But even through the falling apart, Monty was a source of comfort for bad dreams and bad days to the boy. Before the father knew it, the boy was a young man headed off to college. The two men stood facing each other outside the car as the father prepared to leave the young man at his new home. Neither of them knew what to say. This was the first time the two of them were going to be separated for such a long period of time. It took all of the father’s self-control to choke back tears. “Son, I am so proud of all your hard work. I know this road has not been easy for you. Learning and school have not always come naturally to you, but I am so glad you’ve decided to stick it out and better yourself. I…I…” he had to take a few deep