No one understood his seemingly reckless reasoning behind his unconventional desire. I mean really, he was a penguin after all, and penguins simply don’t fly. But Roger was of a different breed. Yes, he was a penguin, but from an early age, Roger would gaze up at the stars over the Arctic sky and imagine himself soaring high above the oceanic ice. By the age of 7, Roger was labeled a “weird” bird by the penguin community. He didn’t mind. In fact, in his mind, he couldn’t understand why all the other penguins didn’t want to fly.
For his 10th birthday, Roger received a brilliant gift from his uncle Cletus. You see, Cletus was once deemed a “weird” bird himself when, in his twenties, he decided to stop eating fish and became a vegan. Cletus understood Roger’s plight. So for Roger’s birthday, Cletus presented Roger with an instructional manual on how to build a penguin-sized kite, the materials for building the kite, and a pair of goggles, much to the dismay of Roger’s parents. The birthday card read: “The stars will be happy to meet you. -Love Uncle Cletus”. Roger was elated with his gift and took off straight away to running around the cave with his wings spread wide. “I’m going to fly one day and meet the stars!” Roger proclaimed with excitement.
Roger was so excited that every day after school, he would work on constructing his kite. Little by little, a piece of fabric here and a piece of thread there, slowly it would come together. It was lovely. The kite had red, blue, green, yellow, purple, and orange stripes. And came with two criss-cross ties that he could attach himself to. The kite looked like it was fit for an emperor! After diligently working on his project for three weeks, his kite was completed except for one little detail – the tail. Roger had decided to make the tail of the kite a special tribute to his beloved Uncle Cletus. Instead of using the tail that came with the kite, Roger went to find a different tail. One that would be an homage to his Uncle, who believed in his dream.
Roger hastily went outside the cave and went towards the ocean. After a few minutes, he spotted what he was looking for. A long length of seaweed was floating on the top. Without hesitation, he swam out to retrieve it. “This will do.” he said.
Even though his parents put up quite a fuss about Roger wanting to fly, they understood that there was no deterring him, but they did make him promise that he would not attempt to fly before he turned 17 years old. Roger begrudgingly obliged. So for the next 7 years, Roger would study the art of flying wherever he could. Most days, while at school, he would take his time during recess to be in the library. Sometimes he would read books written by eagles and blue jays. Sometimes he would watch videos on the internet of all sorts of birds and insects flying. Roger even watched a video once about airplanes. The more he learned about flying, the more intrigued he became.
Of course, the other penguins made fun of him. They mocked him mercilessly. The younger penguins would call him names like “Fly boy” or “Bats” while the older penguins would whisper to each other whenever he would hassle by. But Roger didn’t care. As far as he was concerned, those penguins were content sliding on their bellies across the ground, and he had ambitions to soar. Every day after school, before he did his homework, he would check out the kite to make sure there was no damage to it. Other than the occasional ice dust that would form on it, there was no major concern. Roger also began watching his diet. He knew that he could go over the weight limit for his kite to be able to carry him. So instead of eating three fish per meal, he would eat one. He also joined the track team in school because he knew he had to practice running fast to be able to get a good running start and take off in order for him to fly. For seven years, this was Roger’s routine.
On his 17th birthday, Roger took his goggles and kite and headed outside. His Uncle Cletus and his parents were waiting for him. “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” They all proclaimed when they saw him.
“This is it, kid. You ready?” Uncle Cletus asked, smiling brightly. “Yes, Uncle!” Roger replied and smiled back. Roger handed him the coil of rope attached to the kite to hold so that he could land. Roger’s parents fastened him to the kite, and they all walked towards the cliff’s edge. “We’ll be here waiting for you when you return.” his mom said weepingly. “Good luck, son.” His father said, puffing out his chest. They all stepped back to get Roger some running room.
Roger pulled his goggles down over his eyes. He shifted from side to side to ensure that the kite was tightly fixed. He took three deep breaths, then took off running. Gradually, the wind lifted Roger into the air just as he approached the edge of the cliff, and just as the ground ran out from under his feet, he dropped. But then the wind picked up and he began to soar. Roger was ecstatic! It’s working, he thought. For a few moments, Roger felt lighter than a feather. He was flying! He could hear the cheers from his parents and Uncle as he soared higher and higher. Roger was living his dream.