Please read the comments for an Author's Note! :D

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The white, frosty coastline of Antarctica finally revealed itself on the horizon after 49 hours of sailing. It was a rough journey- the small fishing boat I was being smuggled on was clearly not suited for this harsh climate, but it was all someone with thirty-thousand dollars in student debt could afford to spare on such a frivolous trip. It was winter break in my Connecticut state college, leaving me with an entire month without the worry of classes of any sort.

Before I'm sent back to that horrible place, why shouldn't I use this time to cross something off my bucket list?

With this thought in mind, I scraped together the few remaining funds I had and took a trip to the town of Ushuaia on the southern tip of Argentina. Though it was a beautiful city sandwiched between gorgeous snowy mountains and the giant blue sea, it was merely a stepping stone to my final destination- the world's coldest desert, Antarctica. Not only would such a trip give me a ton of bragging rights, but it would also let me accomplish my dream of playing with penguins. Using the little Spanish I remembered from high school, I manage to find a guy who would take me for relatively cheap on his fishing boat, under the condition I make a delivery for him upon arrival. 

"Even though it's technically Summer down here, not even the winters up north get this cold..." I muttered as freezing ocean spray splashed my face. 

If my bag wasn't waterproof, I'd be screwed. Speaking of which, the water has gotten a bit rougher, hasn't it?

It was a bit odd seeing the water which had been so kind thus far behaving so unruly.

Contrary to my worries of an incoming storm, the sky was clear as far as my eye could see. Technically speaking, even if one were to approach we would reach the shore long before it arrived.

That thought was quickly put into doubt when a strong icy gust blasted the hood off my cold head. As if motivated by the feat, the waves gradually began to tumble more enthusiastically.

"Ten cuidado, chico! Algo no esta bien!" a shout blared from the bridge, warning of the unusual situation.

Despite his call, there was not much I could do besides grab a nearby rope and keep myself steady on the intensifying waves. Ice cold water continuously splashed onto the deck, as the boat violently rocked on the sea.

My god, that's cold! Come on, we're so close to the shore. We only have to make it through about another twenty minutes of whatever this is and we'll be fine.

A chill suddenly went down my spine. Reflexively, I dove away from where I was standing, splashing onto a cold puddle on the deck. A skinny bright green light shot down directly where I was standing a moment before.

The heck was that!? Am I seeing things? I must really be pathetic if a bit of rough water is making me hallucinate.

I took a deep breath and stood back up, steadying myself on the wet boards. The warmth of the bright green sun seemed to comfort my freezing face.

Wait...

"Oh sh- !" I leaped into the middle of the deck before I could finish speaking, barely avoiding another glowing beam.

Okay, I guess I'm not going crazy after all, but what the heck are those things!?

Now completely on guard, I ignored the freezing water splashing my sides and carefully looked above me. A moment passed with nothing suspicious in my sight. Aside from the sound of the waves bashing the boat, it seemed peaceful. That moment turned into two, but I refused to let my guard down. I had full confidence I would not hallucinate the same thing twice, nor was I stupid enough to believe whatever was targeting me would give up so easily.

Unlike whoever is attacking me, I'm not on a time limit. Once I get to shore, I should be able to escape whatever these things are. I just need to keep my guard up and-

"There!"

With that shout, I hopped to the left and comfortably avoided the beam, only to slip on the wet flooring while another beam flew over my head from behind.

They shot two at once! That's cheating- fight like a man, you coward!

"Hay más luces sobre tu, chico!"

Shoot! There's more of them!?

There wasn't even time to respond as I put all of my energy into flopping around and dodging the falling beams. Unlike earlier when they fell down one by one, lines of beams followed me resembling machine-gun fire. My back eventually hit the mast of the boat after a few minutes of desperate flailing,  which I quickly used to regain my standing. It was obvious the lack of traction would not allow this stability to last, however. 

A ring of beams launched towards me from all directions leaving no room to dodge, but just before they were about to reach, the boat suddenly turned and crashed directly into a wave. Not missing the lucky opportunity, I pushed off the ground with all of my strength. In combination with the force from the impact, this jump flung me double the usual height and my foot barely managed to escape the highest beam.

"Gracias para la ayuda!" I called out to the captain, who gave me a thumbs-up as I landed.

With the help of the captain swerving the boat erratically, my desperate fight continued for several minutes longer. The freezing water that was now flooding the deck kept me frigid despite the intensive exercise, but my exhaustion was steadily growing. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that the snowy shore was quickly approaching.

Come on! We're almost there, I need to push through this!

"Viva para los pingüinos!" I screamed to give myself motivation.

With a rejuvenating burst of energy, I continuously side-stepped the incoming green beams, but as their numbers continued to grow, the margins of error steadily decreased. Even the rough motion of the boat that previously came to my aid was beginning to become a hindrance on the still intensifying waves. 

By now the water on the deck had gotten to the point where my entire ankles were below the ice-cold water and it was increasingly difficult to move. Suddenly, a massive wave crashed into the opposite end of the boat sending a burst of water directly at me. With a slam, I was flung into the wooden railing completely drenched.

By the time I got my senses back, it was too late. The beams were zooming towards my fallen and soaked body.

It's such a shame... only a few more minutes and we would have made it.

There was no other option left. With a smile, I looked at the captain who had a look of pity plastered on his face.

"Lo siento, gracias por el viaje!" I yelled before throwing myself over the railing just before the beams crashed into the deck.

The moment my body hit the water, only one word appeared in my mind: cold. Not even the splashing on the boat was anywhere near this level of freezing. Though my muscles instantly began contrasting, it would still not surprise me if I froze before I drowned. That being said, my heavy winter gear gradually began to pull me further into the sea.

Through the dark waves, I could see the bright green beams beginning to gather above the water, forming what resembled a large cone. As I stared helplessly, I felt something brush against my arm.

Exposing my eyes to the frigid water, I noticed a black and white acquaintance had decided to keep me company.

...I guess my effort wasn't for nothing after all. You're even cuter than I could've imagined.

The adorably tiny penguin swam around me curiously, immediately thawing my frozen heart. I slowly reached out and pulled the small creature into a hug, just as the point of the cone shot through the water.

Thanks for giving me this happiness in my final moments.

With that thought, my vision was turned bright green.