Tindra Meets a Penguin

 

It was a clear day in Nyksund, and Tindra was on her way to visit her friend Hellen, the Huldra. But suddenly, she heard loud squawking from behind a hill.

"Goodness! Not again! What is this? Where am I?" came a frustrated voice from the other side.

Curious, Tindra climbed over the hill and discovered a small, gray-black goose complaining loudly.

"Hello, who are you?" Tindra asked kindly.

The goose looked up and sighed. "I’m Karin, a Brent Goose, but I might as well be the clumsiest bird around!"

"What happened?" asked Tindra.

Karin raised her wing, which looked slightly bent. "I hurt my wing and lost my group. We were on our way to Svalbard to nest. Now I’m stranded here."

"Svalbard?" Tindra asked, intrigued. "What’s that?"

"It’s an island way up north in the Arctic Ocean. On our long flight, we always stop here on the Vesterålen islands to refuel and regain energy," explained Karin.

"That sounds fascinating! Can I come with you?" Tindra asked excitedly.

Karin thought for a moment, then smiled. "Why not? I’d be glad to have some company."

 
It was a long flight over the endless sea, with Tindra holding tightly onto Karin’s back. The wind was cold, but the sight of the shimmering water below was breathtaking. After many hours, they finally saw the jagged mountains of Svalbard.

"We made it!" Karin exclaimed with relief.

"Where are the other geese?" Tindra asked.

"I don’t know," Karin replied, shaking her head. "First, we need to rest."

After a sharp left turn, they discovered a small, snowy valley surrounded by towering mountains.

"This is going to be a crash landing!" shouted Karin.

"I wouldn’t expect anything less from you," laughed Tindra.

With a "bang, bang, roll, tumble!" they landed ungracefully in the snow.

"Welcome to Svalbard," Karin panted.

"Wow, this place is gigantic!" Tindra exclaimed, her eyes wide. "Do people live here too?"

"Yes," said Karin. "We’re on Svalbard, and the other island you saw during the approach was Amsterdamøya, home to the whaling station Smeerenburg."

"That doesn’t sound very Norwegian," Tindra noted.

"That’s because it isn’t," explained Karin. "In 1596, the Dutch explorer Willem Barentsz discovered this archipelago. That’s why many places here have Dutch names. Svalbard became Norwegian only in 1920."

 
"But where exactly are we now?" Karin asked, looking around in confusion.

Suddenly, a voice echoed from somewhere under the ice. "You’re in the Forgotten Valley."

"Who’s speaking?" Tindra called out.

"It’s me," the voice replied. "My name is Lukas."

Tindra and Karin looked around until a black-and-white bird emerged from an icy cave.

"A penguin?" Tindra asked in amazement.

"Not quite," said the bird. "I’m Lukas, a Great Auk. In scientific terms, we’re called Pinguinus impennis, or colloquially, penguins."

"I thought penguins only lived in Antarctica," Karin interjected.

Lukas chuckled softly. "The birds in Antarctica aren’t even distant relatives of mine. In fact, humans simply borrowed our name for them."

"Tell us more," Tindra urged.

"Long ago, Great Auks were plentiful in the northern hemisphere," Lukas began. "We’re the largest flightless birds of the north, standing a proud 85 cm tall and weighing 5 kg. But humans hunted us for our feathers and eggs until we were nearly extinct. In 1844, the last of my kind were thought to have vanished – or so humans believe. Since then, I’ve been hiding here, far from their reach."

"That’s awful," Tindra said quietly. "You must feel so lonely."

"Not really," Lukas replied. "I’ve learned to appreciate the solitude. And I’d rather stay hidden than let humans find me again."

 
"Sorry for disturbing your peace," Tindra said. "But we’re stranded here. Karin can’t fly anymore, and the mountains are so high. How will we get out?"

Lukas nodded. "I’ll help you, but you must promise not to tell anyone about me."

"We promise!" Tindra and Karin said in unison.

Lukas led them to an icy slide that snaked between the mountains. "At the end of the slide, you’ll drop a few meters, but you’ll land right among the other geese."

"Thank you, Lukas," said Tindra. "You’re an incredible bird."

"Safe travels," Lukas said before disappearing back into his icy cave.

 
With a cheer, Tindra and Karin slid down the icy chute, tumbling through the snow before landing amidst the other geese, who had already set up their summer quarters.

"Finally!" Karin sighed with relief.

Tindra built herself a small nest out of moss and lay down to rest. As she drifted off to sleep, she thought about Lukas. "Sometimes it’s better to stay hidden," she whispered. "Perhaps we humans and trolls should protect nature more often instead of destroying it."

With a gentle smile, Tindra slipped into a dream, while the geese chattered happily, celebrating their reunion.