The little auk

Emma lives in Germany on the banks of a big river. Ships from many parts of the world sail up and down all day long. One winter, when it was very cold, thick blocks of ice collected on the banks of the river. After school, Emma and her friends Julia, Lukas, and Friedrich went out to climb around on the ice. Friedrich's dog, Leo, came along, too. The wind blew hard in their faces. So they pulled their hats over their ears and tied their hoods up tight.

That's why they could hardly hear Leo, who was suddenly barking a short distance away. Lukas and Julia rushed over to him first. Emma and Friedrich followed. Lukas was pulling Leo's collar to keep him away from something. Emma couldn't see m why he was barking. Julia was waving and shouting for her to hurry up.

Emma almost knocked over Friedrich, trying to push him aside. And then she saw it. Sitting on the ice, frightened and covered with oil, was a black and white sea bird. It was barely moving.

Emma and her friends stared at it, wondering what to do. None of them had ever seen such a bird. It looked a little like a penguin to them with its white tummy and short, black wings.

“It must be lost,” Lukas said. Julia agreed. “Its home is probably far away,“ Friedrich said.

Emma knew the bird needed help right away. She picked it up and wrapped it in her scarf. Julia and Lukas helped her, while Friedrich finally got Leo to stop barking.

“I'm going to pray for you,” Emma said to the bird as she held it in her arms. And she started praying right away.

That meant that she would talk with God about it. She knew that God was good. And that God would prepare a safe place for this little creature, just like He had done for all the animals in Noah's ark.

“Let's go take him to Captain Jorjan's house,” Lukas suggested. “Maybe he can help.” Captain Jorjan was a retired sea captain. He had built a real ship's cabin in the back of his yard and collected lots of curious objects in it. Emma and her friends liked to visit Captain Jorjan. He would let them climb into his cabin and tell them stories about his trips across the seas. And there was always a little twinkle in his eyes when he did that.

But Captain Jorjan didn't think he could help. Emma prayed again.

She thought about how much God loved this little bird. It belonged where other birds like itself lived. Emma remembered a verse from the Bible that said no bird falls on the ground without God caring for it. That is why she was sure God would provide a safe place for the bird.

Next, they stopped at Julia's house. Julia's mom knew the name of this kind of bird. She said it was called an “auk.” She told them that auks live on steep, rocky coasts, and build their nests high above the roaring waves.

“He must have come a long way to our river,” Emma said, “because there are no high cliffs here.”

Although Julia's mom didn't know how to take care of the auk, she did know of a bird shelter close by. That was a place that cared for homeless, injured sea birds. And that's where they took the little auk. The people in the shelter cleaned the oil off the auk's feathers and gave it good food. Soon it became strong again.

Spring came, and the sun had long since melted away all the ice along the river.

One day, when Emma walked by Captain Jorjan's house on her way home from school, he stepped out of his cabin and shouted: “I've got good news for you, Emma.” He had heard from the shelter about the little auk. It was put on a boat leaving for England, and the sailors had dropped the bird off by a rocky island where there was a colony of auks.

Emma knew that God had answered her prayers. She couldn't wait to tell Julia, Lukas, and Friedrich that the little auk was home.