In a chilly corner of the world where icy winds blew across the waves, lived a little flying penguin named Peppy. He wasn’t quite like your regular penguin—his small wings allowed him to flutter above the water, making his swimming skills truly remarkable. Most days, Peppy would bask in the sun and play with his friends, but one day, an extraordinary thing happened.
While splashing around on a piece of floating ice, he caught sight of something glimmering beneath the surface. With a determined wiggle, Peppy dove down and pulled a remarkable object onto the ice—a beautiful bottle! With excitement bubbling within him, Peppy tried to uncork it. With a final effort, the cork popped off, and to his astonishment, a yellowed piece of paper floated out.
He opened it instantly, revealing a treasure map with a large red ‘X’ marking a spot beneath an island. “Treasure! Treasure!” Peppy trilled with delight, “I shall be the richest penguin in the cold sea!” Yet as he peered closer at the map, dismay washed over him. “Oh dear! I don’t understand these shapes! I can’t read the map alone. I must find someone to help me.”
Just then, his friend Sandy the Seal swam by. Sandy was friendly and very clever. Peppy called out, “Sandy! Come here, please! Look what I’ve found!” Sandy clapped her flippers, excited to see what treasure Peppy had unearthed. Peppy proudly displayed the map. “Would you mind helping me read it?” he asked.
Sandy looked at the map. “Let me see, let me see!” she exclaimed, as she rolled the paper around and inspected it from every angle. “There’s one way to find out if our treasure is real! Let us put on our hats and coats, for the air is chilly, and go find the place where the marks of the map meet.”
Without a moment’s hesitation, they donned their winter attire: ‘Hats’ made from seaweed and the warmest ‘coats’ fashioned from bits of soft coral. Together, they set off in the direction that Sandy judged best.
“Here’s a little mountain,” said Sandy, pointing her flipper westward. “Let us climb over it, or we may miss the treasure.” So up they went, and after a little toil, down, down they went into a lovely green valley dotted with brightly-colored flowers and sweet trees.
“What an extraordinary place!” cried Peppy. “I have passed overhead just here, but never saw this beautiful valley below.” Sandy winked and smiled. “Because you were flying overhead, Peppy! I, being in the water, could see on top as well as beneath!”
The next thing they did was to happily clamber over a second little hill and down into the second valley. Sandy scratched her head. “Oh dear! The whole place looks a piece of patchwork!” she said. “Now I must observe closely our treasure-map!”
“What’s the matter?” asked Peppy.
“There are four patches, you see,” said Sandy, “and this, that, and the other seem—but stop,” she cried in delight, “yes, I do see! Go we now to the patch of ‘sea’ first. That seems marked with ‘waves,’ but I can’t see just now how to get in.”
“Oh! I can dive there!” said Peppy; and in he went. With one huge plunge he ducked, and then, opening his wings, let the swift current carry him until, getting breath, he glanced up and shouted, “Oh! Do hurry, come quick!” and, just as Sandy did hurry, Peppy caught sight of something shining below them—a huge pearl!
Up they both rose, kicking and flapping. “Wasn’t that lucky?” said Sandy, as she dropped the uncommonly large pearl into a pocket. “That’s one-fourth of the treasure!”
Then, glancing, they saw the next patch—the ‘forest’—which looked just as if they were at home in winter. Sandy and Peppy swam instantly toward it. Just at the bank they spied a small green acorn lying under a tree. Sandy picked it up as she said, “This is the second parcel of the treasure.”
Then, diving again, they each plucked some daisies, which had their white flowers powdered with frost, from the ‘meadow’ patch near the bank. And here is a large piece of honeycomb which was all the treasure from the last patch—a huge ‘crocus’!
So, four pieces of treasure we have found from patch and place; and wondering much who could be in so great haste to hide them all, they each nibbled some honey. Sandy then put on a spurt and was much pleased to find Peppy was quite capable of keeping up with her where the waves run swiftest.
“So am I—but I am in too much of a hurry to dive.” Then they both managed it and appeared under the water, then over it, and all at once, until at last they reached Sandy’s hole in the cliff.
When Sandy bobbed her head up at the door, she said, “I am glad we have found the treasure, Peppy; but I am even more delighted we have had the adventure together.” “True,” answered Peppy, “that is the best part!”
Though on the way they had laughed and chatted much, they now sat for some time silent in good honest thought. Making observations about certain4 fish which they had never seen before—but looking up sometimes at the sun, little clouds, and bright bits of blue sky above reminded them they were in a journey altogether outside.
“Peppy! That is very stirring,” Sandy said suddenly, “far, far more so than our old rocking-chair adventures by the kitchen fire!” Then both said, “How much, how much we have enjoyed our wee adventure with the treasure!” “Yes, yes,” nodded Peppy, still in thought. “Sandy, yes, two heads are truer than one.”