When they reached the penguin enclosure, Minnie let out a cry of delight. ‘Oh look at them, they’re so sweet! Look at their waddly little legs. Oh, and look at that one with the silly hair sprouting out of his head!’ she cried, pointing out one of the penguins. Quinn didn’t say anything. She turned to check he was still there and found him gazing down at her with a look of charmed amusement.

‘What?’ she said.

‘You’re very sweet,’ he said softly, his eyes locking on to hers.

Minnie’s stomach flipped.

‘I don’t think I want to be sweet,’ she said, turning away and looking back at the penguins. She rested her hands against the glass to anchor herself.

‘Oh look, what’s that one doing?’ Minnie said, pointing to a penguin shuffling something between his feet.

‘He’s bringing a stone to his mate as a gift,’ said a deep, gravelly voice beside her. Minnie turned to see an elderly man with white hair and a large nose speckled with liver spots. He had a hunched back and a cane in his hand. He pointed a wavering finger at the penguin. ‘They give gifts to each other like humans do. That one there is trying to win her affections. She’s a tough cookie, though, she is,’ the old man laughed. ‘There aren’t enough rocks in the enclosure to please her.’

‘You know a lot about penguins,’ Minnie said to the man.

‘Come here most days. My wife and I used to come together,’ said the man, tapping his cane twice against the floor. They stood quietly beside each other, watching the penguins until the old man spoke again. ‘They mate for life, you know.’

‘Maybe our lives would be easier if we were more penguin-y,’ said Minnie.

‘Not easy for all of them,’ said the old man, shaking his head. ‘There was a Humboldt penguin like this in Tokyo Zoo; Grape-kun was his name. They put a cardboard cut-out of a little anime girl in his enclosure – advert for something, I think. Anyway, Grape-kun fell in love with that cardboard girl. Stood staring at her every day, wouldn’t move to get food, just stared mournfully. Unrequited love.’

‘What happened to him?’ Quinn asked from behind Minnie.

‘He died,’ sighed the man, ‘some say of a broken heart. He’d spent years of his life staring at that cardboard girl, willing her to love him, but she could not love him back. I always think of that story when I see penguins. I think it was cruel for the zoo to keep the cardboard girl there. Brought in the tourists, though, didn’t it? Everyone wanted to see the love-struck penguin.’

‘That’s a sad story,’ said Minnie with a sigh, turning her attention back to the enclosure. ‘Quinn, I think you should adopt that one,’ she said, pointing at the penguin shuffling around with the pebble between his flippers.