Written by Johannie Dufour and Sarah Beauregard
Translated by Cyan Caruso-Comas
Mistral the penguin is very excited when he arrives at the North Pole Animal Daycare. He quickly says hello to his teacher, Rudolpha the reindeer, and then runs to see his friends, holding a bag.
“I found the magic blanket!” he announces, jumping up and down.
The other children look confused. They’ve never heard of a magic blanket before.
“The one from the legend?” asks Rudolpha.
Mistral is amazed. “You know penguin legends?”
“What’s the legend?” asks Storm the fox impatiently.
Rudolpha invites the children to gather in a circle around her and tells them the tale.
“Many years ago, the Enchanted Penguin wove a magic blanket for his wife who was very sick. This special blanket had the power to keep the wearer perfectly comfortable; not too hot and not too cold, no matter the weather.
“After his wife got better, the other penguins tried to claim the blanket for themselves and conflict overtook the community. So, to put an end to the matter, the Enchanted Penguin hid the blanket somewhere in the North Pole. No one knows where he hid it and it hasn’t been seen for many years”
“But I found it,” declares Mistral, “and I’m going to give it to my Grandpa Gale for Christmas. He’s old and can’t flap his wings and walk in place to stay warm anymore, so he can never take me fishing, even when I lend him my warmest hat.”
“Where was it?” asks Frost, the snowy owl.
“In Floe Creek?” guesses Storm.
“No,” says Mistral.
“On the Windy Plains?” proposes Bianca the rabbit.
“Nope.”
“I know!” declares Frost, “on Mystery Beach!”
Mistral shakes his head. “I went to the source of One Thousand Waterfalls with my cousin Pampero and we searched for hours. We turned over huge boulders, swam in the pools of each waterfall —”
“Of all 1,000 waterfalls?” interrupts Snowflake, incredulous.
“You know, there aren’t actually that many waterfalls, the area is just called that because there are many small falls in the area,” explains Rudolpha.
“Anyway, it took us forever,” continues Mistral, “but finally, behind the highest waterfall, we discovered a cave. The blanket was there, inside a chest.” He pulled out his treasure from his backpack.
“Wow,” intone his friends as they gaze at the shimmering blanket.
“Your grandpa is going to love his gift, Mistral. You should be very proud of yourself,” Rudolpha tells him.
The little penguin smiles, thinking about how happy Grandpa Gale will be when he opens his gift on Christmas morning — and about the next time they go fishing at Floe Creek.
