King Penguin Charm

This has a special meaning for being made.

So, my best friend works at this gas station. And it's a SUPER busy gas station. Super busy. But it's also understaffed, and half of the staff is lazy as fuck. Mainly the co-manager and this stupid boy I wont talk about here.
So, the manager. She is EXTREMELY stressed out. Working almost 80 hours a week, from what I'm hearing. She has to fix it, but without giving anyone any over time.
Yesterday, I heard that she was going in to do the overnight shift.
I repeat, now, that this is a GAS station. And she's an older woman. In her 50's, apparently. To top it off, she hurt her knee and was limping around. (I admit, I was concerned for her well being. It's a gas station. Over night. She was ALONE. )
Knowing that she had to go through all of this made my heart ache. NO ONE should ever have to work so hard! She was just... so stressed out. I've even witnessed where she just wanted to cry or quit or do something. And her being so angry at those employees who were just... not working, really.
From my own experiences, I've witnessed my own mother get sick, and eventually die. I believe her illness came to be because of how the amount of stress weakened her immune system.
Naturally I then just... become a worry wart. And since she has no choice but to work work work, to fix the problem. (She can also just quit, but she said she's never quit anything in her life.)
My friend and I figured out what her favorite animal was. Penguin. With her favorite stone/color. Which was Amethyst.

When I figured out she was going in to fill the overnight shift, I rushed to make this charm.
I wanted to lift her spirits and try to bring her some joy.
A small, thoughtful gift given in kindness.
It's weird, I'm sure, for me... a practical stranger, and the friend of an employee to give such a gift, but I just couldn't stand to do NOTHING.

I rushed to get this finished. Took about 5 hours. Sculpting, looking at what the penguin looked like. Baking. painting. Fixing mistakes.
I normally like to take more time to get more details in. But I felt I needed to get this done so she wouldn't be miserable all night.

She was skeptical and confused when I handed her one of my small golden boxes. (I'd have wrapped it, but I am lacking in wrapping paper at this moment.)
"What's this for?"
She opened it, and she just... lit up!
She started telling me and my friend, who got off of work then, about how she would go to this zoo to watch the penguins. There was this one penguin who was such a little trickster. This man would be washing the windows on this small ledge thing supported by ropes. I forget what that's called, I admit.
So, the penguin would slowly work its way down from a higher place in a corner, then as it swims into the water, it would tug the rope on the ledge this guy was working on. The guy would promptly fall into the water, as the penguin ZOOMED back to its original spot and look around all innocent like. And this would just KEEP happening. over and over. The penguin acting all innocent, and going "I don't know why you fell. Not one clue!" So, she'd spend her day there. Just laughing at that penguins antics.

She put the charm right on her necklace thing, where she keeps all her special trinkets.

I know the picture isn't the best. I had to take a quick shot of it, then dash out the door so I wouldn't be late to pick up my room mate. The rainbow paper it's standing on is the paper I wrapped it in before putting it in the box. Safe keeping, you know?

The Penguin is a KING Penguin.
(Suggested by my "twin sister" )

I wish I had a round amethyst bead, but I didn't. At least not a good, reasonably sized one.
So I dug through my regular amethyst beads and found the closes to round I could.
The bead is placed where it is, because that's where penguins tend to carry/keep their eggs.

I hope you guys enjoy!

Handmade by me.

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