A police officer was patrolling the streets when he noticed a banana peel on the ground. Curious, he bent down to pick it up. Suddenly, a car swerved in front of him, nearly running him over. "Careful there," the officer yelled, "you almost ran me over!"
The driver rolled down his window, and the officer was shocked to see a talking penguin in the passenger seat. "How did you teach that penguin to talk?" he asked.
"That penguin? I didn't teach him anything," the driver replied. "I'm taking him to the zoo so they can study him."

As the officer stared in bemused silence, the penguin in the passenger seat seemed to give him a thumbs up.
"I'm not crazy," the officer said aloud, "That penguin just gave me a thumbs up!"
The driver laughed. "Maybe you should take the penguin back to the zoo yourself, officer. They must be missing him by now."
The officer slowly walked back to his vehicle, scratching his head in confusion. "I'm getting tired of all these talking animals," he muttered.

As the penguin and driver rode away, the penguin turned to the driver and asked, "How did he know I can talk?"
The driver stared at the penguin, his eyes twinkling in surprise. "You can talk?" he asked.
"Of course I can talk," the penguin replied, his beak turning upward in a wry smile.
The driver laughed, his mind reeling. The fact that this penguin could talk was beyond comprehension. "Well, this is certainly a strange turn of events," he said.

The next day, the police officer spotted the driver's car once again, this time with the penguin sitting in the back seat. "You again," the officer groaned, "Didn't you say you were taking this penguin to the zoo yesterday?"
The driver nodded, then glanced nervously in the rearview mirror. "Um, officer." he said. "It seems like the penguin has something to tell you himself."
The officer stared at the penguin, who was sitting in the backseat with an intent expression on his beak, his small eyes full of a strange intelligence. "We don't have much time," he said. "The zoo is full of secrets, officer. Secrets that can't be told."
The officer sighed, rubbing his forehead. "I was afraid of that," he said. "You know, it's no secret that all this talking animal thing is a bit unusual."
The penguin nodded solemnly. "These secrets extend far beyond just me and the zoo," he said. "They extend beyond even this world itself."

A tense silence filled the air as the officer stared at the penguin, his face filled with uncertainty and confusion. Suddenly, a low rumbling sound could be heard in the distance, growing louder and louder. The officer looked up, a sense of dread filling his chest.
"What is that?" he asked the penguin.
The penguin's eyes widened, his fur standing on end. "We don't have much time," he said, "It's coming."
The rumbling grew louder and louder, and the officer, the driver and the penguin watched in horror as the ground itself began to shake.
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