There was still lots of snow outside, and the sun was shining. What a wonderful day to go tobogganing!
Gini, Karl, and their friends hurried outside, dragging their sleds behind them. The moment they reached the first little hill, whoosh! - down they sped, squealing and laughing. Up again, down again, again and again. For a while it was the best fun ever.
But soon the small hill wasn't enough anymore. They needed a bigger one. And when that one became too easy, they searched for an even higher one. But with height came a problem: dragging a sled uphill was getting harder and harder. Their feet sank into the snow, their breath puffed in clouds and their little flippers grew tired.
Still, there was one place left...
The big mountain. The one only the older penguins - the "big guys" - dared to slide down.
Karl gazed up at it longingly. Oh, how he wanted to zoom down that mountain! He wasn't afraid - Karl was brave, determined and perhaps just a tiny bit stubborn. But first he had to get up there.
Taking a deep breath, Karl grabbed his sled and started climbing.
Oh, the track was steep!
Oh, the snow was slippery!
And oh, the big guys rushed past him, laughing and chatting, hardly noticing him at all.
But Karl kept going. Bit by bit, step by step, he climbed higher. The air grew colder, the snow crunchier. Just when he felt proud of himself -
Whoops! Skid - slide - swoosh!
He slipped and whooshed downward several penguin-lengths.
"Oh no!" Karl groaned. "NOT AGAIN!"
But he didn't give up. Puffing and panting, he climbed a second time.
And this time - finally! - he made it to the very top.
The view was amazing.
"Wow," Karl whispered. "It's really high up here."
He felt tired, but oh-so-proud. This was going to be the best ride of his life.
He took a few tiny running steps, jumped onto his sled, and -
At first: perfect sliding! Fast! Smooth! Wind in his feathers!
But then...
Bump.
A small bump.
A sneaky bump.
A bump that had been hiding under the snow like a mischievous snow troll.
Karl flew off his sled and plopped into the snow.
His sled, however, kept going... happily... without him.
Karl blinked.
Then sniffled.
And then he cried. Big tired tears. He had worked so, so hard. But failed. No hope left to ride down the hill.
Suddenly someone touched his shoulder.
It was Sebastian, one of the big guys from his street.
Sebastian sat down beside him, put an arm around him, and said,
"Hey, little buddy. Don't worry. That hill is tough. Come on, let's go up together."
Hand in flipper, they climbed the mountain again. This time it felt easier. At the top, they sat together on Sebastian's sled.
And zoom!
What a ride! They sliced through the wind, swirled around curves and flew down the hill faster than Karl had ever imagined.
At the bottom, Gini and all their friends were cheering. They had found Karl's runaway sled and had been quite worried. When they saw him, they waved their wings happily.
Now the others wanted to try the big mountain too!
So all together they climbed again. This time Sebastian helped Karl carry his sled. When they reached the bump, Karl held on tightly - oh yes, VERY tightly! He hit the bump, flew a little (quite dramatically), but this time he landed still holding his sled.
And down he sped -
all by himself!
His heart thumped with excitement.
He felt the wind, the speed, the freedom, the victory.
He would never forget this ride.
Yes, it had been difficult.
Yes, he had slipped, cried and needed help.
Yes, he had lost all hope
But none of that mattered now.
The important thing was that he had made it.
He had lost all hope but then had found it again when Sebastian helped him.
Waddling back home together with their friends, Gini took Karl's sled as Karl was really tired now. Inside, they drank warm hot chocolate and munched the delicious Christmas cookies they had baked the day before. They huddled close to the fire, warming their flippers. Karl felt exhausted but happy.
Outside snowflakes began drifting down once more - big, soft, gentle flakes.
Karl sighed happily.
The snow would stay.
He would climb that mountain again.
He knew he could do it.
A little later their friends said good-bye, and Papa Antoin gently carried a very sleepy Karl to his warm, soft bed.
What a wonderful day it had been.
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