It was the biggest egg the penguins had ever seen. It was so big it was almost impossible to fit it beneath their bodies to keep it warm. But keep it warm they did as their excitement grew in anticipation of quite what sort of glorious penguin was going to emerge.
When the day came, the whole colony gathered round struggling to catch a view of the egg as it hatched. Suddenly the first noise of a shell being cracked echoed into the icy air. Then a second, then a third and then the frantic sound of a small beak chipping away to break through into the daylight.
The penguins collectively held their breath for what, they were sure, was going to be the King or Queen of their huddle. Their eyeline looked up to focus on the top of the egg as the sounds got louder and they anticipated the young penguin’s arrival. Their stare was so high they missed the final crack and the tiny penguin with the giant head emerge from the bottom of the egg.
It was only when one of the youngest penguins started giggling that they all saw the baby penguin, smaller than any one of them, and with the largest head they had ever seen. It was at this very point that the newest penguin of the colony tried to stand upright but the weight of his head caused him to fall forward his beak wedging into the ice below.
This was how Brian, the Disappointing Penguin, emerged into the world.
