Fish Food

Carlos The Penguin.

I walked through the seemingly endless walkways of the aquarium, my head spinning. I’d slapped Jonah - the only other person stuck in this place with me. What if he went insane? What if he called on his otter brethren to attack me!? He could probably do it, knowing Jonah he probably talked to animals on a regular basis.

No Adaline, don’t go crazy. You’ll be fine. I kept repeating in my head, but still I found myself searching for some kind of cover, and when I finally came upon the children’s play area I was hoping to god this was the place.

The children’s play area had a big area with touch pools in it, where you could play in the water and touch the sea life, as well as a room for the smaller children with pillows shaped like fish. I grinned at the room, remembering how much I’d always wanted to go inside when I’d come here as a kid. 

The children’s area was also connected to the penguin exhibit, the flightless birds a major display for this aquarium. I walked passed the touch pools and up to the penguins, noticing a small cubby hole type of things where the children were able to get up close to the penguins.

This was also an ideal hiding spot from a raging seventeen year old boy and his killer pack of otters. So I did the only smart thing and ducked inside the hole, sitting on the small step where the children could stand and look inside the round window at the penguins. I let out a long sigh, looking around to make sure I hadn’t been followed.

Jesus being in here was literally making me go insane. 

Now, I don’t know if it was my going insane that made me do it, or if Jonah was rubbing off on me, but I found myself opening the door that lead to the penguin’s exhibit, stepping inside, and then making myself at home among the, very smelly, birds. 

The enclosure had a lot of rocks and ice inside of it, as well as a mirrored window. From inside the mirror was probably placed to make it seem bigger for the birds, because honestly it was kind of small. It had a large body of water as well as a lot of ice and random fish shooters, probably to stimulate the penguins. 

Instantly I was greeted by a flock of birds, all making those weird penguin noises they made, and I pictured Jonah trying to make them back. A small smile formed on my face as I thought of how proud he’d be of me for coming in here, and how I was sure he’d love to be here too. He’d probably look at me with that goofy smirk on his face and say, ‘Oh Becky! Look at you! You’re not that uptight after all!’ 

A penguin brushed up against my leg, and I found myself kneeling down and petting it, “You’re a cutie,” I said in a soft voice - one you’d use to baby talk your kitten, or puppy, “I think I’ll call you Carlos.” I told it. 

“OH BECKY I KNEW YOU COULDN’T BE THAT UPTIGHT!” A certain Australian accept bellowed, and turning, I saw Jonah grinning widely at me. Jesus I knew this boy way too well.

“Jonah!” I said, standing up straight immediately, doing my best to look like I hadn’t just been talking to the bird, but I failed when I was sent falling back onto my butt, another penguin climbing into my lap. I looked down at it, and then back up at my Australian.

 Jonah gave me a sly grin, moving closer to me and stopping a few steps away before kneeling down and stroking Carlos’ feathers, a contented grin on his face. 

“Yes Carlos, Becky is very silly,” he told him, a laugh escaping his lips. A harmoniously sexy laugh that I’d yet to fully hear. 

I pushed the penguin out of my lap and stood up, brushing myself off and checking to make sure I hadn’t fallen in poop, or like, fish guts or something. God knows what could be in this enclosure.