Bridgeforth Bear's Incredible Antarctic Adventure

By David MacGill

‘If Parjiter can do it, then so can I!’ declares Bridgeforth Bear, on his spontaneous decision to embark upon a monumental journey—all the way from the Arctic to the Antarctic—to visit his great friend, Parjiter Penguin.

Parjiter had, of course, made the reverse trip the previous year, as chronicled in Parjiter Penguin’s Amazing Arctic Adventure.

On arrival in the Antarctic, Bridgeforth discovers that Parjiter’s entire penguin colony is on the brink of starvation, due to a calamitous shortage of their vital food supply—krill.

The two friends resolve to find the cause of this crisis—but just as the polar bear and penguin are about to begin their mission, they are confronted by an imposing looking husky, named Hershel, who, unexpectedly, offers the welcome assistance of his dog sled team.

And so, the unlikeliest of companions—a polar bear, a penguin, and a team of Siberian huskies—set off on an incredible adventure together.

During the course of their travels, they will face a life-threatening disaster on the ice-shelf, and encounter unscrupulous criminals, operating in the nearby sea channel. But, will these courageous comrades be just too late to save the penguin colony; or can they overcome those perilous challenges, and prevail against all the odds?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Apr 26, 2024
• ISBN: 9781035840670

David MacGill

After spending 40 years in the finance industry, David MacGill, free from the shackles of gainful employment, sat down behind a writing desk – voluntarily it has to be said – and proceeded to delve into the animal fantasy world of children’s storytelling. The result was Parjiter Penguin’s Amazing Arctic Adventure. As the finale of that first book left the door ajar for a possible sequel, the author stepped through that door, bringing about the second book in the series, Bridgeforth Bear’s Incredible Antarctic Adventure. The writing of these stories was a satisfying and most enjoyable departure from the norm, and although the author’s past working life had its many positive moments over the years, nevertheless, by way of comparison, the old saying holds true: nostalgia ain’t what it used to be!

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After spending 40 years in the finance industry, David MacGill, free from the shackles of gainful employment, sat down behind a writing desk – voluntarily it has to be said – and proceeded to delve into the animal fantasy world of children’s storytelling.

The result was Parjiter Penguin’s Amazing Arctic Adventure. As the finale of that first book left the door ajar for a possible sequel, the author stepped through that door, bringing about the second book in the series, Bridgeforth Bear’s Incredible Antarctic Adventure.

The writing of these stories was a satisfying and most enjoyable departure from the norm, and although the author’s past working life had its many positive moments over the years, nevertheless, by way of comparison, the old saying holds true: nostalgia ain’t what it used to be!

Copyright © David MacGill 2024

The right of David MacGill to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by the author in accordance with Sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

ISBN 9781035840663 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781035840670 (ePub e-book)

www.austinmacauley.com

First Published 2024

Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd®

1 Canada Square

Canary Wharf

London

E14 5AA

For my grandsons, Corey and Noah – the inspirations for the

book series.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: The Polar Bear Nomadic Society ..........................

Chapter 2:Bridgeforth’s Big Decision...................................

Chapter 3: A Family Heritage and a Spectacular Flight........

Chapter 4: Arrival by Air, Land and Sea................................

Chapter 5: The Search for an Old Friend..............................

Chapter 6: A Grand Reunion and a Colony’s Dilemma.........

Chapter 7: The Mission Begins.............................................

Chapter 8: Introducing Hershel and the Huskies..................

Chapter 9: A Welcome Addition to the Expedition................

Chapter 10: Disaster Strikes!................................................

Chapter 11: A Moment of Light Relief...................................

Chapter 12: Journey’s End...................................................

Chapter 13: The Threat to the Colony Revealed...................

Chapter 14: A ‘Flare’ for the Dramatic..................................

Chapter 15: Mission Accomplished.......................................

Chapter 16: An ‘Ice’ Surprise................................................

Chapter 1

The Polar Bear Nomadic Society

Bridgeforth was exhausted!

Well, who wouldn’t be after a five-hundred-mile trek over ice-covered rocky terrain, with periodic blizzard conditions adding to the difficulty of this already arduous undertaking. The journey had taken him over a month but he had been prepared for that by fattening himself up on a diet of Ringed Seal blubber to keep up his strength.

He had started this mammoth walk from his home base in Nanortalik, in Southern Greenland, and was heading for Kangerlussuaq Fiord in West Central Greenland, the purpose of which was to meet up with about twenty of his fellow polar bears.

This was an annual ritual that had been arranged with his friends the previous year.

The Polar Bear Nomadic Society, as they called themselves, chose a different pre-arranged location to meet each year, then hunt for either seals or fish, and generally have a good time catching up with lifelong friends whilst chatting about their exploits over the previous twelve months.

Bridgeforth thought back. Could it really have been a full year since he met Parjiter, an Emperor Penguin who had embarked upon an incredible voyage from the Antarctic, all the way up to the Arctic, with the sole intention of seeing a real live polar bear, a species that he had only recently learned about in penguin school.

It had become such an obsession with him, that he had stowed away on a research ship bound for Greenland, as part of a pole-to-pole expedition. Bridgeforth remembered, with a warm smile on his face, his first meeting with Parjiter who had lain down for a well-earned rest against what he thought was a mound of snow, but in reality, was actually Bridgeforth himself who was having an afternoon nap. He chuckled to himself when he recalled the look of absolute horror on Parjiter’s face when he realised that he had just come face to face with a ten-foot polar bear rather sooner than he had anticipated, and at much closer quarters than he had certainly planned for.

After an uneasy initial exchange, Bridgeforth, who of course had never seen a penguin before due to the fact that polar bears and penguins inhabit opposite ends of the world, eventually struck up a unique friendship with Parjiter. The two friends had then embarked upon an adventure together, on occasion fraught with danger, which had made a huge and lasting impression on Bridgeforth, until the day that he had to bid a fond farewell to his new pal when Parjiter left for home on the expedition ship’s return voyage to the Antarctic.

That first encounter with Parjiter, Bridgeforth recalled, was in Nanortalik, from where he had started his current journey. However, Nanortalik (which means ‘place of polar bears’