The beginning and the end

Press, 30 August 1977, Page 12

The beginning and the end

Crack. 'crash. said the icebergs, as one after another they broke away from the glacier. Far out at the South Pole, a sheet of moving ice was approaching the sea; and as the waves beat against it, huge pieces broke off and became icebergs. The last Iceberg to leave was rather haughty. Before, he thought, I was nothing. Now I have high jagged sides and a mountain peak. He entered the water inportantly, and although the waves roared around his icy sides, he did not care.

“Goodbye Iceberg” called the Penguins, who were sliding on the ice on their white front feathers. The Iceberg did not. answer. He was much too proud.

He started out to the open sea and floated towards it. The sun was coming out and soon he sparkled with changing colours. "How handsome you are. Iceberg,” shouted some dolphins. "You are blue and green and white.”

“They are right,” the Iceberg thought, holding himself as stiffly as he could.

“You should come and play hide and seek with us,” a young dolphin said. “You look lonely.” “I have no time for games,” the Iceberg replied, and he floated away from the dolphins.

As he moved further north, the water and air around him became

wanner and he began to grow smaller. In fact, the Iceberg was melting. At first he did not notice. Then, as water dripped down his sides and a pool formed in a hollow, he felt uneasy and hurried on faster and faster.

For a long time no-one spoke to him, but one day he heard a cry. A grey petrel was circling above him. "Help me,” the bird cried.

“Don’t bother me” the Iceberg answered. "I am journeying across the ocean and cannot stop.” "I’m worn out” the petrel moaned. "A terrible storm battered me and I cannot fly any further.” The Iceberg looked at

the bird closely and saw, with a shock, how ill it looked. "You may stay here for a little while,” he said rather grandly. "And,” he added, “you may drink from the pool in my side.”

So the petrol flew down and drank greedily. And all that day and the next he rested on the Iceberg, for he w r as exhausted. To his own surprise the Iceberg enjoyed his new friend’s company. He forgot to be proud and listened to all the tales the petrel told him of his wanderings at sea, and then described his own adventures.

On the third afternoon the petrel was strong

enough to fly off to hunt for food. "Come back soon,” the Iceberg said. And the petrel promised he would. When he returned, however, he could not see the Iceberg. He flew round and round, searching the sea anxiously. But the Iceberg had vanished. At last a dolphin called out to him, and said: "It’s too late. While you were away, the Iceberg tilted over on his side and sank He has gone forever.” The petrel gazed into the sea sadly. "He saved my life,” he told the dol

phins. "He was a g friend." Then he lifted strong wings and flew into the skv once more