Penguins Can Be Deadly

Untitled Part 1

It was a bright Tuesday morning in March, and Schmeeple Zoo was packed with fans of all the different animals.

Peter Meebob climbed out of the grey Vauxhall, and took in his surroundings carefully. Turning around, he paid the taxi driver and walked up to the gates of the famous Schmeeple Zoo. He took out his wallet and politely addressed the lady inside the Ticket Office.

"Good morning, Madam." He spoke in a soft but dignified voice as he straightened his collar and smiled thinly.

"One ticket for Mr Meebob, please." Handing a note to the young lady, he took the ticket and slipped it into his waistcoat pocket. The barrier rose, and he walked quickly through.

The raucous noise hit him like a wall. Birds screeching, monkeys chattering and a distant splashing from the water enclosures were all mingled with the gentle hum of people talking. Peter took the same route as always, turning right and walking steadily through the lizard enclosure. He glanced at the magnificent Komodo dragon, before walking onwards towards the butterfly area. Fighting through the deep crowds, he came out into the sunlight soon afterwards. Mr Meebob trotted down the monkey aisle. His polished boots made a sharp clicking noise as he turned the corner up the path towards the birds. He stopped to feed the friendly parrot, Ricky, and soon was on his way to the penguin lake. As he approached, he could feel the refrigerated air blowing at his fur coat. The water was almost empty, but two Emperors were standing on the diving board. As the man watched, his old lips crinkled into a smile as he watched the foremost penguin leap off the stretch of rock. It landed in the water with barely a splash. As Peter watched, he felt a hand push him forwards. He staggered, before falling over the fence. The man flopped into the pool with hardly a sound, before going limp and being washed up onto an iceberg.

There was a frenzied storm of feathers on the floating island, but it was half an hour before a young woman noticed the limp body lying amidst the crashing waves.

She hurried to the Welcome desk in a panic, and babbled out everything she had seen to the lady behind the counter.

Mrs Hyde had worked at Schmeeple Zoo for thirty years, but she still went pale.

"Call Doctor Grimheart," she whispered, and fainted promptly.

The telephone rang in Dr Grimheart's office. He picked it up. Listening carefully, he picked up his briefcase and walked purposefully towards the door. Outside, he climbed into an emergency Jaguar. The doctor revved the engine, and wrestled the car out of the busy car park. The Jaguar leapt through the crossroads and sped onto the motorway. The siren blared all around the car as it breached the hundred-mile-an-hour limit. In five minutes, he had reached the required exit. He accelerated up the slip road. Cars pulled over and stopped as the vehicle screeched around the roundabout, jumping slightly as it shot through a pair of traffic lights and out onto the country road, heading for Schmeeple Zoo. There were few cars now, so the doctor increased his speed. Everything went past at a terrific speed. The doctor didn't see the hump in the road until it was too late. The car flew through the air with a few seconds of exhilaration before the car landed with a thump.

The doctor saw another car immediately behind him, so that was the only time he had realised just how fast he was going. The car was slowing down now, and the speedo crept back below the ninety mark.

The zoo was in sight now, so the doctor pulled into the car park. The Jaguar stopped smoothly in the parking lot, and the doctor jumped out of the car without hesitating. His boots clumped rhythmically into the zoo, and walked straight through the bird aisle to the penguins. He climbed over the fence and felt the old man's pulse. That was when he remembered the envelope in his pocket. He opened it.

He will not die if you stab him twice,

And fill the wounds with dried-up rice

He stopped reading. The map on the back of the letter was useless too. The man was dead.