Just Married

High on a snowy hilltop in the icy Antarctic, two little penguins stood side-by-side. One of them held a shiny, smooth pebble in its beak—the prettiest pebble in the whole colony.

It had spent weeks searching through the snow, peering into icy pools, and hopping over slippery rocks until it found the perfect one.

With a low bow, it rolled the pebble gently across the snow. The other penguin nudged it right back with a happy tap of its beak. That was penguin language for, "Yes, I choose you!"

"Hooray!" cheered all their friends. The sea squawked, the wind whistled a cheerful tune, and the entire colony gathered in a giant, cozy circle.

Today was their happiest day. They were finally married.

To celebrate, the two penguins walked flipper-in-flipper down to the sparkling ocean.

Splish! Splash!

They dove into the cool, blue water, gliding like little feathers through the waves. They did underwater loop-de-loops, caught silver fish to share, and popped back up onto the ice with a big pop!

As the sun began to dip, painting the sky in soft shades of pink, purple, and gold, the cold polar wind began to blow.

The two penguins waddled close together, tucking their toes under each other's warm feathers. They leaned their heads together until their beaks touched, forming a tiny heart shape in the snow.

It had been a long wait, but as they watched the gentle winter stars come out, the penguin couple knew their happy forever was just beginning.