Mia and Her Penguin

Prologue

There are objects that keep secrets. Stuffed animals that hide mysteries. And girls who, unknowingly, become guardians of magic they don’t even suspect. This is the story of Mia, a brilliant eleven-year-old girl, and Magda Alaska, a stuffed penguin who is not what she seems.

Sometimes, the best gifts aren’t the most expensive ones, but those that choose us as much as we choose them. And sometimes, the greatest mystery isn’t in discovering a secret, but in living happily without knowing it.

Chapter 1: The Trip to Punta Arenas

Mia had just finished fifth grade with extraordinary grades. Her parents, proud of her academic excellence, decided to reward her with something special: she would accompany her father on a work trip to the beautiful city of Punta Arenas, in the southern tip of Chile.

“We’re going to Punta Arenas!” her father had announced one afternoon. “I have to attend an event for work, and I think you’ve earned the chance to see one of the most fascinating cities in the country.”

Mia couldn’t believe her good fortune. She had read about Punta Arenas in her geography books: the city at the end of the world, where the sea meets Patagonia, where penguins walk on its shores, where the wind tells stories of sailors and explorers.

The trip was long but exciting. When they arrived, they stayed at the home of her mother’s cousin, a cheerful woman named Beatriz, who lived with her three children in a cozy house near the city center.

“Welcome to the city of wind,” the cousin said, hugging them at the door. “Mia, my children are eager to meet you. I think you’re going to be great friends.”

During the first days, Mia explored the city with wonder. They visited the Strait of Magellan, walked through the main square, and her father attended his meetings while she enjoyed the company of her cousins.

One afternoon, after lunch, cousin Beatriz suggested:

“How about we go window shopping downtown? There are very nice stores we can browse.”

Mia had never heard that expression before. Her cousin explained it meant going out to look at store windows, not necessarily to buy anything, just enjoying the walk.

They walked through downtown streets, looking at clothing stores, bookstores, craft shops. Until they reached a special toy store, with a window full of colors that immediately caught Mia’s attention.

There, among dolls, toy cars, and stuffed animals of all kinds, a stuffed penguin seemed to be looking directly at her. It was soft, with its characteristic white and black plumage, small fluffy flippers, and bright eyes that seemed to contain secret stories.

“Mom,” Mia said, unable to look away, “can you buy me that stuffed animal?”

Her mother smiled tenderly.

“Ask your dad, my love. He’s the one with the wallet today.”

Mia turned to her father with pleading eyes:

“Dad, dad, can you buy me the penguin? Please.”

Her father looked at the stuffed animal and then at his daughter, whose eyes shone with an emotion he knew well: it was the same look she had when she discovered a new book at the library.

“Well, daughter,” he said finally. “But we’ll also buy something for your sisters who stayed home in Valparaíso. Does that seem fair?”

“Yes, Dad!” exclaimed Mia, hugging him tightly.

They entered the store. The salesman, an older man with gray hair, took the penguin from the window with curiosity.

“Interesting choice,” he murmured, as if talking to himself. “This penguin has been in that window longer than any other stuffed animal. I thought no one would ever choose it.”

Mia extended her hands and received the stuffed animal. The moment she touched it, she felt something strange: a small vibration, like a tiny sigh. But it was so brief that she thought she had imagined it.

“What are you going to call it?” her mother asked as they paid.

Mia looked at the penguin carefully. There was something about it that reminded her of adventure, the southern cold, the magic of that place.

“Magda Alaska,” she said confidently. “Her name will be Magda Alaska.”

Her mother smiled. It was a perfect name for a penguin from Punta Arenas.

Chapter 2: The Special Penguin

The following days at cousin Beatriz’s house were wonderful. Mia played with her cousins, they explored the yard, told stories before bed. And always, always, Magda Alaska was with her.

Mia treated her penguin with special love. She talked to it, told it her secrets, included it in all her games. At night, before sleeping, she hugged it tightly against her chest.

“While I sleep,” she would whisper, “you’ll also sleep by my side, without moving. Okay, Magda?”

What Mia didn’t know was that Magda Alaska was not an ordinary stuffed animal. She never had been.

For months, in that toy store in Punta Arenas, Magda had been the secret terror of the employees. Every morning, when they opened the store, they found the stuffed animals in the window completely disorganized: the teddy bear appeared upside down, the giraffe was on the car shelf, the dolls had their dresses switched.

“Again!” the owner would exclaim, grabbing her head with both hands. “But what’s happening here? We left everything in its place, perfectly organized.”

The employees would look at each other, without explanation. They checked the locks, the windows, searched for evidence of an intruder. But they never found anything.

And Magda Alaska, in her privileged place in the window, observed everything with an innocent expression, playing dumb.

Because Magda had a secret: she had superpowers. She could move when she wanted, could give life to other stuffed animals just by touching them, and loved to play tricks. It was her magical nature, a gift that not all stuffed animals possessed.

For months she had waited. Waited for the right person. Waited for someone who would look at her with true affection, not simple whim. Waited for someone who could truly love her.

And when she saw Mia through the window glass, she knew she had found her person.

Chapter 3: The Return Home

When the family returned to Valparaíso, Mia was happy. The trip had been wonderful, but she also missed her house, her room, her own bed.

Her younger sisters received her with enthusiasm, eager to see the gifts they had brought them from Punta Arenas.

“Look, Mom brought me this penguin!” announced Mia, showing them Magda Alaska with pride.

Her father had bought similar stuffed penguins for Mia’s sisters. They were pretty, soft, almost identical to Magda. But Mia’s sisters, after playing with them a little, left them on a shelf in their rooms, along with other forgotten toys.

The sisters’ penguins didn’t move from where they were left. They remained still, like normal stuffed animals, slowly accumulating dust.

But Magda Alaska was different.

That first night in Valparaíso, Mia prepared her room with enthusiasm. She arranged Magda on the shelf next to her other dolls and stuffed animals: a rag doll named Rosita, a brown bear named Bruno, a long-necked giraffe named Estrella.

“I’ll introduce you to my friends,” Mia told Magda. “They’re going to be your companions from now on.”

After dinner, Mia brushed her teeth, put on her pajamas, and got into bed. Her mother came to say goodnight, as every night.

“Everything in order, my love?” her mother asked, tucking her in.

“Everything’s perfect, Mom,” Mia responded, hugging Magda. “Thank you for the trip. It was the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

“You deserve it, champion. Rest well.”

Her mother turned off the light and gently closed the door.

Mia closed her eyes, feeling the day’s tiredness. In a few minutes, she was fast asleep, with Magda Alaska in her arms.

But Magda wasn’t sleeping.

Chapter 4: The First Mess

When Magda was sure that Mia was sleeping deeply, she began to move. Slowly, very carefully not to wake the girl, she slipped from Mia’s arms and quietly climbed down from the bed.

Her small stuffed paws touched the carpet without making noise. She stayed still for a few seconds, listening to Mia’s calm breathing. Perfect.

Magda looked toward the shelf where the other stuffed animals and dolls were. A mischievous smile formed on her plush face.

With surprising agility for a penguin, she climbed up the chair, then the desk, until she reached the shelf. There they all were: Rosita the doll, Bruno the bear, Estrella the giraffe, and several more that Mia had collected over the years.

Magda extended her flipper and gently touched Bruno. An almost imperceptible spark passed from the penguin to the bear. Bruno blinked.

“What… what’s happening?” Bruno mumbled, looking at his own paws in amazement. “I can move!”

“Shhhh,” Magda whispered. “Don’t wake the girl. Come, I have a really fun idea.”

One by one, Magda touched all the stuffed animals and dolls on the shelf. Rosita stretched her cloth arms, Estrella moved her long neck, and soon the entire shelf was full of animated toys, looking at each other in surprise.

“Who are you?” asked Rosita. “And how did you do this?”

“I’m Magda Alaska,” the penguin responded proudly. “And I have special powers. But there’s no time for explanations. It’s time to have fun!”

“Have fun?” asked Estrella. “How?”

Magda smiled mischievously.

“Have you ever wanted to do something completely different? Explore? Change places? Well, this is our opportunity!”

And so the chaos began.

The stuffed animals, excited by their new freedom, started moving around the entire room. Bruno decided he wanted to see what it felt like to be on the bookshelf. Rosita wanted to try on Mia’s hat. Estrella tried to reach the ceiling with her long neck.

Magda encouraged them all, jumping from one side to the other, organizing races among the stuffed animals, creating wobbly towers of toys.

The toys laughed, played, experienced the freedom of moving after years of being motionless. It was magical. It was chaotic. It was completely messy.

But when the clock struck five in the morning, Magda clapped.

“Everyone back to their places!” she ordered. “It will be dawn soon and Mia will wake up.”

The stuffed animals, tired but happy, began to return to their places. But in the excitement of the night, many got confused. Bruno ended up where Estrella used to be. Rosita ended up upside down. Mia’s books were scattered on the floor.

Magda looked at the mess and smiled satisfied. Then, carefully, she returned to the bed and curled up next to Mia, exactly in the position the girl had left her.

When the first rays of sun entered through the window, Magda closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep. No one would suspect anything.

Chapter 5: Mia’s Investigation

At seven in the morning, Mia’s mother opened the bedroom door to wake her.

“Good morning, my love, it’s time to…” she stopped short, looking at the room in amazement. “But Mia! What happened here? Everything’s upside down!”

Mia slowly opened her eyes, still drowsy. It took her a few seconds to focus her gaze. When she saw her room, she sat up abruptly in bed.

“What?” she exclaimed, looking around confused. “But Mom, I don’t know what happened. I had everything organized. You saw it last night when you came to say goodnight.”

It was true. The books were on the floor. The stuffed animals weren’t in their usual places. Rosita was upside down on the desk. Bruno was hanging from the shelf in an impossible way.

“Hmm,” her mother murmured, thoughtful. “It must have been Simona.”

Simona was the family dog, a playful golden retriever who sometimes entered the bedrooms.

“Or maybe it was Cleo?” her mother added, referring to the house cat.

Mia shook her head.

“I don’t think so, Mom. My door was closed. They couldn’t have gotten in.”

Her mother sighed.

“How strange. Well, fix it before breakfast, okay?”

When her mother left, Mia looked at Magda, who remained motionless on the bed with an innocent expression.

“Magda,” she said softly, “do you know what happened here?”

Obviously, Magda didn’t respond. She was just a stuffed animal. Or was she?

That night, Mia decided to investigate. Before sleeping, she arranged each stuffed animal and doll in specific places, memorizing exactly where each one was. She placed Magda by her side, hugged her, and closed her eyes.

But she didn’t fall asleep.

She stayed awake, with her eyes barely half-open, watching. The minutes passed slowly. Half an hour. An hour.

Sleep was beginning to overcome her when she heard a soft sound: an almost imperceptible rustling.

She barely opened one eye.

Magda was moving.

Mia held her breath. She couldn’t believe it. Her stuffed penguin was getting down from the bed, walking on her small plush paws as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“I must be dreaming,” Mia thought.

But she wasn’t dreaming.

She watched, motionless and silent, as Magda climbed to the shelf. She saw how she touched each stuffed animal and they came to life. She heard their small voices, saw how they began to play, to move, to create organized chaos.

It was impossible. It was magical. It was real.

Mia was so amazed that she forgot she should be pretending to sleep. She sat up slowly in bed, looking at the scene with wide eyes.

Magda, in the middle of organizing a stuffed animal race, felt Mia’s gaze. She turned slowly.

Their plush eyes met the girl’s surprised eyes.

For a few seconds, neither moved.

Then, Magda did something unexpected: she winked at Mia.

And with a movement of her flipper, as if asking for silence, she touched each stuffed animal again. They all instantly became motionless, becoming normal stuffed animals again.

Magda walked back to the bed, climbed with effort, and curled up next to Mia in her usual position.

Mia took her in her arms, with her heart beating strongly.

“You… you can move,” she whispered. “You have magical powers.”

Magda didn’t respond. She simply curled up closer, like any stuffed animal would.

Mia smiled in the darkness. She had a secret now. A wonderful secret that no one else knew.

“It’s okay, Magda,” she murmured. “Your secret is safe with me.”

Chapter 6: The Silent Pact

The next morning, Mia woke up and looked at Magda with different eyes. She was no longer just a stuffed animal. She was a magical friend, a special being who had entrusted her with her secret.

When her mother entered the room, she expected to find another mess. But this time, everything was perfectly in order.

“Very good, my love,” her mother said, surprised. “I see you solved the mess problem.”

Mia smiled.

“Yes, Mom. There won’t be any more problems.”

During breakfast, Mia’s sisters played with their own penguins from Punta Arenas, but soon set them aside to watch television. The sisters’ penguins remained motionless on the couch, being ordinary stuffed animals.

But Mia knew that Magda was different.

That night, when everyone was asleep, Mia didn’t pretend to be asleep. Instead, she sat up in bed and waited.

Magda looked at her. There was a moment of silence. Then, slowly, the penguin moved and stood on her paws.

“Hello, Mia,” she said with a soft voice, like wind over snow.

Mia wasn’t scared. She simply smiled.

“Hello, Magda. I already know your secret.”

“I know,” Magda responded. “I saw you awake last night. I thought you would scream or get scared.”

“Why would I be scared?” Mia asked. “You’re magical. You’re special. You’re my friend.”

Magda came closer and sat next to her.

“Not all children understand magic. Some get scared. Others want to use it for their benefit. That’s why I never moved when other children looked at me in the store. I waited for the right person.”

“And I’m the right person?” Mia asked softly.

“Yes,” Magda responded. “From the moment I saw you through the window, I knew you could understand. I knew you could keep a secret. I knew you could love without needing explanations.”

Mia hugged Magda carefully.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“Why do you make a mess? Why do you move the stuffed animals around?”

Magda laughed softly, a sound like little bells.

“Because after being still for so long in a window, I need to move. I need to play. I need to feel alive. And the other stuffed animals too. I give them life for a few hours so they can also play, explore, feel.”

Mia understood.

“So it’s not mischief,” she said. “It’s freedom.”

“Exactly,” Magda responded. “But I can be more careful if you prefer. I can keep everything organized so your mom doesn’t worry.”

Mia thought for a moment.

“How about we make a deal? You can keep playing with the stuffed animals and giving them life. But at the end of the night, help them return to their exact places. That way no one will suspect, and you all can keep having your nightly adventures.”

Magda nodded enthusiastically.

“That seems perfect to me! You’re very wise, Mia.”

“And you promise me something,” Mia added. “Promise me that you’ll always be my friend. That even though you can do magic, you’ll keep being my Magda.”

“I promise,” Magda said solemnly. “I’ll always be your friend. I’ll always be here for you.”

They sealed their pact with a hug.

From that night on, Mia and Magda shared a beautiful secret. During the day, Magda was a normal stuffed animal that Mia carried with affection. During the night, she was a magical being who gave life and joy to forgotten toys.

And although Mia knew the truth, she never told anyone. Not her sisters, not her parents, not her best friends.

Because some secrets are too magical to share.

Because some friends are too special to explain.

And because sometimes, the greatest gift isn’t understanding magic, but simply believing in it.

Epilogue

Years passed.

Mia grew up, finished school, went to university. Magda was always in her room, in a special place of honor. And although Mia no longer played with stuffed animals, every time she came home to visit, the first thing she did was greet Magda.

“Hello, old friend,” she would whisper. “Do you still make mischief at night?”

And although Magda didn’t respond during the day, Mia knew that at night, when everyone slept, her magical penguin continued giving life to toys, continued creating small adventures in the quiet room.

When Mia had her own daughter, she gave Magda Alaska to her.

“This penguin is very special,” she told her daughter, a bright-eyed girl named Elena. “Take good care of her, because she has secrets that only she can share with you.”

Elena hugged Magda, and for a moment, Mia saw something familiar: a small almost imperceptible wink in the penguin’s eyes.

She smiled.

The magic would continue. From generation to generation.

Because some secrets don’t need to be revealed.

They only need to be loved.

The Lesson

About magic in everyday things: You don’t need to see something extraordinary to believe in magic. Sometimes, true magic is in simple things: a beloved stuffed animal, an object that accompanies us, a friend who’s always there. Magic exists in the affection we put into things, not in the things themselves.

About keeping secrets: There are secrets that are personal treasures. Not all secrets should be revealed. Some secrets are like small jewels we keep in our hearts, that make us unique, that connect us with something special. Learning to keep a secret with love is learning to value trust.

About imagination: Mia never knew for certain if Magda really moved or if it was all a product of her wonderful imagination. And that uncertainty is beautiful, because it teaches us that we don’t always need logical explanations for everything. Sometimes, believing is enough.

About care and love: The way Mia cared for Magda, with genuine love and respect, was what created the special connection between them. When we love something sincerely, whether an object, an animal, or a person, that love transforms the relationship into something magical. True love always has something of magic.

About freedom and responsibility: Magda needed to move, play, feel free after being motionless in a window for so long. And Mia understood that need without judging it, only asking for responsibility. Respecting others’ freedom, while maintaining the order necessary not to worry those we love, is a wise balance.

About true friendship: The friendship between Mia and Magda didn’t need constant explanations or demonstrations. It was silent, understanding, based on mutual acceptance. The best friendships are those where you can be completely yourself, with your secrets and your magic, without fear of being judged.

To reflect: Do you have a special object that has accompanied you for a long time? Have you given it love and care? Perhaps, in its own way, it also has magic. Perhaps, when you’re not looking, it also has its own secret life. And you don’t need to know it for it to be real. You only need to keep loving it.

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Dedicated to all children who ever believed their toys came to life at night. They were right.

With love, Grandmother Hilda