Mine Mayhem

Being a tour guide seemed like an easy job to me. For a good 250 coins every month, you led penguins around town, teaching them about the island and helping them learn their way around. I liked it a lot- it made me feel important. Like I was a big part of the island.

That morning, I was at my post, early as usual. The Ski Village was already bustling with penguins.
I held up my sign- and like magic, penguins began to appear. The tricks of a tour guide- always seem excited, happy, and interesting, never bored, and penguins will come your way.

I started my tour at the Plaza and led them around the island. I told them about the history of places, how to play the games, fun activities to do, and everything else I could think of. I hardly even looked at the group as I led them around.
Finally, we had a rest stop at the Coffee Shop. I was teaching them how to play Mancala when I had the urge to look back. None of the penguins seemed interested.

All right. This tour was officially more boring than a math class. I needed to make it more exciting. But how? I racked my mind for a part of the island that I usually didn't tour. The answer came to me in a flash- the Mine!

"Come on, everyone, we're going to get some adventure!" I exclaimed eagerly. "We're going to... the Mine!" I bounced out of the Coffee Shop. The penguins were surprised at my sudden excitement, but they followed me out and to the Mine.
"This is the Mine Shack," I said. "It can be... a little dangerous sometimes." Right now, it wasn't so safe, too. Earth Day supplies were strewn around, and hammers and nails and screwdrivers were all over the place. "Watch your step."
"Can we go inside?" a boy asked curiously.
I racked my brains. I wasn't supposed to take penguins inside the Mine Shack, expecially during part preparations. But this group deserved it. And after all, what could happen? "Sure," I said, and led them in. "Welcome to the Mine..."

We went inside. The group looked around, interested. The deep, dark cave walls loomed overhead, and stalactites and stalagmites were scattered over the ceiling and floor. Lanterns cast small shadows on all of the penguins.
"This is deep, man," a hippie said, grinning. "I mean, groovy. Peace out, sista!"
"Too dry in here," said a Water-Suit Sprayer. "Time for WATER!" He started to spray water into the Mine.
"Hey, I don't think that's a good idea," I said. "Please stop."
The guy hit the stop button, but it didn't work. It had jammed up! The water kept on pouring out- and it showed no signs of ending. Penguins started to scream and yell as the water reached up to their elbows.

"Stop!" I cried, choking on the water, which was now above my head. "STOP IT!" The current rocked through the tunnels, swirling us all around in a gigantic whirlpool. We swirled around the Mine, all desperately trying to stay above the water.
Rocks from the walls began to dislodge themselves and fly our way. I screamed as one narrowly missed me, and lodged itself in the opening. My eyes opened wide with horror. The opening had been blocked out! We couldn't escape!

Suddenly, the water began to go down. The penguin had finally turned his water-sprayer off, and we all sank to the ground, choking and sputtering on the water we had accidentally swallowed. It was dark- too dark. Much, much too dark.

"What's going on?" someone cried.

"We're trapped," I said. "A rock got stuck in the passageway, and we can't get out!"
"We'll just have to wait and be rescued," someone else said calmly.

I felt a jolt of fear in my stomach. "We can't," I said slowly. "Because... our air supply has been blocked off. We have an hour... and that's it. If our time runs out..." I couldn't finish my sentence. It was too terrible to think about.

"Quick, into the next room," I said. We all rushed in- but it was just as dark.
The Hidden Lake was just as bad.
I sat down and began to shiver. Before I knew it, I was feeling scared and unhappy, and on the verge of tears. I doubted I would see another day- or my puffles, or my friends, or...
"Wait!" a scuba diver cried. "Wait a second... I have an idea!" We all looked up at him, but I didn't have high hopes.

"We can swim to land," he said, slowly. "I've got my scuba suit, and a few extras. Let's go!"

I could hardly believe it. We were going to make it through alive! Slowly we all headed into the Underwater and started swimming. It was a long way. Even though we were tired, even though we thought we couldn't do it, we kept on swimming.
Finally, we broke the surface, and all crowded onto the beach. "We did it!" I cheered.

The crowd looked at each other ruefully. "I'm tired," one penguin said. "I'm going home," another said. They all left, one by one, until it was just me. I was just as exhausted... but happy. I went to the Ski Lodge to relax. What a day it had been!
There you go, Lemon2608! I hoped you liked how I made your story idea. Thanks for the suggestion, and I look forwards to the next story contest!

Love it? Hate it? Comments? Questions? Suggestions? Ideas for future stories? COMMENT!

-Peggie Quin

Polar Plans- Part #3

Hi everyone! Well, this is the last part of the "Polar Peril" series. If you forget what last happened... Peggie and Cafina had managed to steal Herbert's evil plans, and they found out that he wanted to blow up the island! *gasp* WARNING: This story is the longest one yet! Only read it if you have some extra time on your hands!

Here goes...

A few days had passed since we had last come across Herbert's evil to-do list. I had been feeling jittery ever since- jumping at the slightest sound in the darkness and keeping away from any electrical appliance for fear it would blow up. I spent most of my days in solitude, but I did begin to wonder.

"There must be a way to stop Herbert," I said to myself one day.
"How can you blow up a whole island, anyway?" I asked, staring off into the ocean. The huge expanse of water stretched on and on forever, but it could be easily frozen by ice. The only thing it could beat was... fire.

That was it. FIRE!
I rushed the the place where I knew was the most fire in the island- the Fire Dojo! Sure enough, there were bottles of hot sauce, torches, lanterns, and flames burning all over. It was on a volcano, for Pete's sake!
Slowly, I pulled out my Spy Phone. I hadn't seen G in a while, but I was sure he wanted to see me. He wanted to know what was going on, right? Slowly I hit the button and made my way to the Secret Agent Headquarters. G was there, sipping his coffee casually, but his eyes lit up when they saw me.

"Agent Quin?" he gasped. "How did the mission go? Did you retrieve the data? And where's Agent Cafina? Are- are you all right?"


I slowly reached into my pocket and pulled out the list. Gary's eyes widened bit by bit as he read the blasphemous things Herbert had planned for the island. "Wh- what?" he gasped.

"I think he's going to use fire to blow it up," I said quietly.

Gary looked shaken as he tucked the list into his lab-coat pocket. "This can't be good..." he murmured. "...we have to evacuate the island to save all the penguins..." He turned to a nearby Agent. "Someone call Rockhopper!" he yelled. "Wait... if Herbert is stopped in time, we won't have to resort to extremes..."

"Gary, I'm going to investigate this right away," I said.

"I'm going to start inventing right away. There has got to be something to quench all of that fire! Lucky for us we live on an island and the fire can't go past the water... anyway, good work, Agent."
His eyes weren't frightened now- they were fiery, and I could tell that ideas were already starting to bubble up behind his glasses.

"Thanks, Gary," I murmured, and headed off to the Fire Dojo again.

A flash of orange amidst the flames wouldn't have seemed unusual- if it weren't for a strange clicking noise. I knew that sound- and who it came from- by second nature. I whipped around. "STOP IT RIGHT THERE, KLUTZY!"
His eyes bugged out and he tried to scuttle away, but I lunged forwards and grabbed him. Slashes from sharp pincers stabbed at my coat, but it was thick enough to protect me. Struggling, I managed to teleport to the Headquarters.

"Gary!" I gasped. "I've got... Klutzy!" In a few quick seconds, the mischievous crab had been stuffed into a strong wire cage.
"That's one thing checked off my to-do list," Gary said, looking at his clipboard.
"Amazing work, Agent!" Gary said, looking up with a grin. "You've put one of our top fugitives behind bars in only a day's work." Suddenly he turned an embarrassed red. "Er... I hope he doesn't escape again."
I ambled on over to the Forest, feeling a little relieved that at least Klutzy was out of the big picture. "Now, where would an evil, thieving polar bear go?" That was an easy enough question. Somewhere deserted. Like... the Iceberg!
I was right, for once. For once, my plans hadn't gone haywire. Herbert was there, all right, and talking to himself like a madman!

"The time has come," he cackled. A shiver ran down my spine. On our last encounter, Herbert had chased me all over the island, no doubt with the most dastardly intentions.

"For Christmas..." he began, "the island will burn."
"Now, to the Forest," he muttered to himself, and vanished from sight. I stared ahead, not seeing the vast expanse of the Iceberg, but instead seeing an island going up in flames. I had time, but not too much. Quickly I changed into a tree costume, ready to go to the Forest. But something was stopping me...

I hurried to the Book Room and rifled through all of the books on the shelves. Nothing was there. Nothing! "I NEED ANSWERS!" I yelled.
I turned back to the shelf and sighed. "Please," I whispered. "Please." I reached into the darkest nook of the enormous shelf and felt a cover. I pulled it out. It was covered in a thick layer of dust and grime. Blowing on the cover, I realized it was A Christmas Carol.
It was a famous classic- written by Charles Dickens. Slowly I pulled it onto my lap and began to read, letting the words pour into my head.
The book wasn't too long, and I finished it after one hour of steady reading. That was all I needed. I tucked it under my arm. I had... another idea!
I ripped a sticky note out and scribbled Top secret: DO NOT READ on it, then sticking it into the book's front cover. Reverse psychology would work on Herbert. If you asked him not to do something, of course he would do it!
Fortunately, he was at the Forest, and my tree disguise blended in perfectly. I threw it on the ground and hid myself amongst the other snow-covered pines. Herbert strode up to it in good time, and his eyes narrowed as he read the note. "What is this?"
Slowly he picked it up in his enormous paws and began to read. Quick as a flash, I teleported to the Agent HQ yet again. G was there.

"Agent Quin!" he cried. "You're here early... I was just about to make a phone call. Any progress?"
I explained my ridiculous plan. "I put out a copy of A Christmas Carol. Maybe if he reads it... he'll learn the true meaning of Christmas... and he won't try to hurt us anymore."

G smiled offhandedly. "A Christmas Carol? Really? That's interesting... Maybe he'll learn his lesson, but if not... I'll send in Jet Pack Guy." He made the call and then hung up a few minutes later. "To the Beach, Agent!"

I teleported to the Beach and explained my situation to Jet Pack Guy.

"That's surprising, Agent," he said slowly. "I'll jet over..."
A MONTH LATER..

Every agent needs a plan. I usually had one- but not now. For now I was just waiting until the perfect moment to strike and ruin Herbert's plans- and that was in the beginning of the Christmas party. I had an idea of what to do- but no plans on how to carry it out.

I had arranged to meet up with a fellow agent friend in the Coffee Shop. Agent Owen1075 and I met discreetly over a cup of coffee. "Agent Owen, I need your help," I said carefully, making sure that no civilian heard.

His eyes brightened with excitement. "Is this about that Herbert case?" he asked eagerly.
My eyes widened with surprise. "How do you know about that?"
He grinned. "Gary lets some things slip. Actually, a lot of agents know about it."
I rolled my eyes and groaned. "Great, just great."

"Oh, come on, Quin, spit it out. What do you need me for?"
I looked around and lowered my voice. "Do you have access to Santa's Workshop?"
"Yes," he said, grinning. "I sure do."

He managed to sneak me some elf clothes, and he changed his own appearance slightly before we headed into the workshop. Fortunately, it was busy with hardworking elves assembling, painting, and wrapping presents, and we went unnoticed.

I had a hunch that Herbert would try to ruin Christmas for his own enjoyment before setting the island alight. If it was true, we could easily capture him. I kept my eyes peeled.

"Now we infiltrate Santa's Workshop," I whispered.
"Check," he said, pretending to examine a passing gift.
I stared at a teddy bear until a nearby elf poked me. "Hey, lazy, get to work!" he snapped. "We only have a DAY left and you're just sitting around?"
"Er... sorry, I just-" I stammered.
"Start wrapping," he ordered, and I obeyed him. It was hard, fast work, so I was too preoccupied with my work to look out for the polar bear.

Fortunately, Agent Owen was quick enough to spot him. "BEAR!" he hissed. Startled, I jumped. "Forest!" I gasped, knowing that was where he went to seek solitude.
We zapped over to the Forest, but it was empty. The enormous Christmas tree stood stock-still, glistening in the light of Christmas Eve's moon, presents hiding underneath precariously. "He's not here," I whispered, disappointed.
"He'll come," Owen said tersely. "You know, Quin... er..."
"What?"
"That bear stole my family," he said quietly. "And I am going to steal his future from him, just like he did from me."
I felt a pang of sadness. The misery in Owen's heart was unimaginable for me. "I'm sorry to hear that."

CRACK!
Suddenly, a flash of white popped up amongst the presents, his eyes twinkling evilly. A few teddy bears were stuffed into his overlarge paws. It was... at last... Herbert P. Bear!

"YOU ARE UNDER ARREST, HERBERT!" I yelled.
From his pocket Owen pulled out a tranquilizer dart and aimed it at Herbert. Into his paw it went, and the great beast slumped to the ground. He had simply fainted, that was all. In a matter of seconds, the whole matter was done with. I grabbed Herbert's heavy paws, and Owen grabbed his feet. We teleported to the HQ.

G was inside, headphones strapped to his head and gadgets everywhere. "G... we did it," I gasped, straining underneath the polar bear's weight.

G's eyes bugged out beneath his glasses. "You've done it?" he cried, leaping to his feet. "You and Agent Owen have captured HERBERT P. BEAR? Amazing!" In his excitement, he knocked a few gadgets off the table. "I commend your outstanding work! Congratulations, agents!"
I "It's not over yet," I hissed. "We've got to find out why he's doing this. Why he wants to ruin Christmas, too!"

"Head into the Sports Shop," G ordered eagerly. "Agent Owen and I will interrogate him."
"Sounds good to me," Owen said. He was happy to have captured Herbert, I could tell.

I waddled impatiently into the Sports Shop and listened to the goings-on as Herbert awoke from his deep, muggy sleep.
Soon they had Herbert awake, and forced him to speak. I could hear the polar bear's voice, hoarse, rough, and slightly British.

"Why did I want to ruin Christmas for you foul fowls? Easy! What would I have to get out of your miserable little holiday? No presents, no holiday cheer, nothing. Who would spread joy to me? I was all alone after you captured Klutzy. And if I couldn't celebrate Christmas, why should everyone else be able to?"

I stopped breathing. There was some unethical justice in his words, but it was true. Why should Herbert celebrate the holidays if he had no one to celebrate with? He probably had gotten no presents, either...

In a sudden urge of ridiculousness, I sprang to my feet and jumped into the Headquarters. Out of my pockets I fished out what I had- a spare Candy Cane hat. I stuffed it into Herbert's paw. I could feel two confused gazes of Owen and Gary upon me, but all I said was "Merry Christmas, Herbert."

Herbert stared at it for a second. "What the... I mean, what is this?" It seemed stupid now. The hat was much too small for his huge head.
Click, click, CLICK! CRASH!
In a flash of red, Klutzy leapt in front of us. He was holding a mangled padlock between his claws. Clicking furiously, he squealed. Herbert nodded and grinned.

"Thank you, penguin," he said, sneering. "But I have a better gift... freedom!" With a last evil laugh, he and Klutzy vanished into the darkness.
"Here we go again," I said, slapping my forehead.

Love it? Hate it? Comments? Questions? Suggestions? Ideas for future stories? COMMENT!
-Peggie Quin