by Amelia Cobb
Zoe nodded. “He’s getting much better!” she told him.
On her shoulder, Meep squeaked, “Ask him about the show, Zoe!”
Zoe took a deep breath. She hadn’t spoken to Great-Uncle Horace yet about her idea to have Ollie taking part in the New Year’s Eve celebrations.
“Actually,” she began slowly. “I think he might even be good enough to take part in the show on New Year’s Eve,” she added. “And – well, I was wondering if I could introduce him? I could explain how I found the egg and helped look after it until it hatched. And then I could tell the visitors a little bit about him, and Ollie could do some flying at the end?”
Great-Uncle Horace beamed. “Zoe, that is an excellent idea!” he replied. He rummaged around in his pockets and found a notepad and pencil. “I will add you and Ollie to my list of performers right this minute, which makes it official!”
Zoe grinned. “Thanks, Great-Uncle Horace!” she said, running to give him a big hug. She couldn’t wait!
As Great-Uncle Horace carried on making the arrangements for New Year’s Eve, Zoe and Meep went inside the aviary, excited to see Ollie. “We’ll have to make sure Mr Pinch doesn’t hear us talking to the birds though, Meep. He’s right outside the fence,” Zoe whispered as they pushed open the gate.
As soon as Ollie saw them, he raised his feathery wings and fluttered into the air, almost as high as Zoe’s head! The little owl was so excited about how much his flying had improved, he let out a very loud, high-pitched squeak. And all the other birds seemed excited by the owlet’s progress too! Zoe giggled as Ruby and Cyril ruffled their feathers and chirped happily.
“Dear oh dear, why is there never any peace and quiet around here? That horrible squawking din is driving me crazy!” grumbled Mr Pinch from the other side of the fence.
“Mr Pinch is driving me crazy,” chattered Meep rudely.
“Naughty Meep! It’s a good job he can’t understand you,” Zoe whispered.
Luckily, the noisy birdsong seemed to be too much for Mr Pinch to bear. After another minute or two, he threw his tools down. “I’m going to send one of the zookeepers to finish this job. This racket is giving me a nasty headache,” he snapped, stomping off.
“Good!” said Zoe as soon as he’d disappeared out of sight. “Grumpy old Mr Pinch. Just ignore him, Ollie.”
The little owl nodded but had suddenly fallen very quiet. “Is everything OK, Ollie?” asked Zoe anxiously, noticing the little owl settle back down on to his perch, his eyelids drooping. Suddenly he opened his beak and let out another huge yawn!
“Oh dear!” said Zoe. “You seem really tired, Ollie. Remember when we talked about you needing to get enough sleep?”
Next to Ollie, one of the tiny yellow canaries tweeted anxiously. “Ollie, Dot says you haven’t slept all night!” said Zoe, listening carefully. “Is that true?”
Eagerly, if a bit sleepily, the little owl explained.
“Ollie, I know you get really excited about your flying,” Zoe replied gently. “And you’re doing really well! But if you’re going to stay up for the whole night with the nocturnal birds, you need to get some sleep in the daytime.”
Just as she said this, the little bird’s eyes closed. “Ollie?” said Zoe, realising the little owl was asleep. “Ollie?”
He let out a little snore, and then, with a start, Ollie blinked awake again, looking around in confusion. Zoe couldn’t help finding it really sweet, but she was a bit concerned.
“See, Ollie – you fell asleep!” she said. “You must be exhausted. If you’re this tired, you might not feel up to taking part in the show…”
Ollie hooted quickly as soon as she spoke. “It’s OK, don’t worry! There are three days to go,” Zoe told him. “As long as you get some rest before then, I know you’ll be great in the show. But you need to decide when you’re going to sleep! Do you want to be a night owl and sleep in the day? Or do you want to sleep at night?”
Ollie gave a puzzled chirp. Zoe listened as he explained, nodding. He told her that there were just too many fun things going on at the Rescue Zoo, at lots of different times. He didn’t know how to choose!
“It’s a shame that there are no other snowy owls at the zoo, who we could ask about when they like to sleep. But maybe some of the other birds in the aviary can help you decide. Meep and I can ask our other animal friends for advice too,” suggested Zoe. She smiled as the little owl’s eyes lit up. “Don’t worry, Ollie. I promise we’ll help you figure it out!”
Chapter Six
Animal Advice
Zoe and Meep started on their plan to help Ollie that very afternoon.
“Henry?” Zoe called, standing on her tiptoes by the fence outside the hippo enclosure. “Can we ask your advice about something?”
The little hippo waddled proudly up to the fence, leaving muddy footprints behind him. Before Ollie, Henry had been the Rescue Zoo’s newest arrival! Quickly, Zoe explained Ollie’s problem to him. “When do you like to sleep?” Zoe asked.
Henry grunted cheerfully and Zoe nodded. “You love splashing around in your mud bath all day, so you’re sleepy by the time it starts to gets dark,” she said thoughtfully. “And then you’re up bright and early as soon as the sun comes up again, ready for lots more playing! Thanks, Henry.”
Next, they visited the reptile house. Even though it was chilly outside, the iguanas and monitor lizards were curled up by the windows inside their warm, steamy enclosures, basking in the winter sunshine. They were eager to help Zoe. “You need the sun’s light to keep your blood nice and warm. So that’s why you like to be up in the daytime, and sleep at night!” Zoe exclaimed, and the lizards nodded in agreement.
The third animal Zoe went to ask was drowsily having a sip of water. Zoe could tell that Arnold the aye-aye had been sleeping. He blinked his big yellow eyes at her as Zoe gently said, “Hi, Arnold! I’m just trying to help Ollie, our baby snowy owl, and I wanted to ask you something. He can’t decide when the best time to go to sleep is. Why do you like sleeping in the daytime so much?”
Arnold yawned, showing off his long, pointy front teeth, rubbing his eyes as he answered. “Your sharp lemur eyes can see really well at night!” said Zoe, smiling. “And you’re quite shy, so you prefer to snooze while the other animals are awake. That’s really helpful, Arnold. Now, go back to sleep!”
As Arnold settled back down to sleep again, Zoe and Meep headed back towards the aviary. As they neared the fence, Zoe noticed a flash of deep blue and a bright-yellow beak. Kiki!
“It looks like Great-Uncle Horace is in the aviary,” she said quietly to Meep. “We’ll have to be careful not to let him see us talking to Ollie, or any of the other birds.”
Zoe used her special necklace to open the gate and saw that Great-Uncle Horace was tickling Ollie’s fluffy feathers. “Hi, Great-Uncle Horace,” she called.
“Hello, Zoe! I thought I’d come to pay this little fellow a visit. I can see you’re doing an excellent job with his flying,” he said, smiling. “And he seems extremely happy and settled. And he looks wonderful too. His white feathers are growing thicker every day!”
Zoe smiled. “I’m really enjoying helping him,” she told Great-Uncle Horace.
Great-Uncle Horace nodded. “It’s so lovely to see our little rescued friend’s progress, isn’t it? Oh, I think Kiki and I will go and say hello to the hummingbirds before we go.”
He waved goodbye and strolled through to the furthest area of the aviary, where the hummingbirds had built their nests. As soon as he was out of earshot, Zoe and Meep crouched down beside Ollie. The little owl hooted happily, but Zoe could see that he was still looking tired.
“We’ve been asking lots of our animal friends about when they sleep,” she explained. “But they all do different things! Some like to be awake in the sunshine. Some prefer the dark and the quiet. There are lots of good things about both!”
Ollie gave an enthusiastic but puzzled hoot. He was still no closer to deciding when he wo
uld choose as his regular time to sleep! Zoe explained all the various reasons the animals had given her for when they slept, but Ollie just hooted excitedly, hearing about all the amazing different animals in the zoo, and asked when he might be able to meet them! Zoe could tell the little owl was no closer to settling on a sleep pattern.
“I’m a bit worried about Ollie,” Zoe said to Meep quietly as they left the aviary. “I think I should make sure he doesn’t overdo it and tire himself out, especially since he’s so excited about being in the show! It might be my fault for making too much of it, and now he’s not getting the rest he needs.”
“Don’t worry, Zoe,” Meep squeaked reassuringly. “I’m sure he’ll figure it out soon!”
But Zoe wasn’t so sure. What would they do if the owlet couldn’t sleep properly in the night or the day…?
Chapter Seven
Ollie Saves the Day!
By the following evening, Zoe was more anxious than ever about poor Ollie. He’d fallen asleep in the middle of hooting a “hello” to Zoe that morning! But the little owlet was still so excited about the New Year’s Eve show that he couldn’t settle down to sleep properly.
Over tea in the cottage, Zoe explained the problem to her mum – not mentioning that she could talk to Ollie, of course!
“I’m worried about Ollie. I don’t think he’s getting very much sleep,” she said. “He seems to love living in the aviary with all the other birds, but he’s having too much fun to rest!”
“The aviary is a very bright, colourful, noisy environment,” agreed Lucy. “Perhaps he just needs to find a quiet, cosy corner and then he’ll be able to relax. Maybe I could ask Alison to help him do that tonight?”
“Alison’s busy tonight,” Zoe said, remembering what the bird keeper had told her earlier that day. “There are some other new baby birds that she needs to look after – some parakeet eggs hatched this morning. But maybe I could go over to the aviary and help Ollie go to sleep?”
Lucy hesitated. “I’m not sure, Zoe. You’ve been spending so much time there recently that I think you might need an early night. Look – you’re trying to hide a yawn, but I can see it! It’s New Year’s Eve in just a few days, and you’re going to be up late then. If you’re tired, you won’t be able to enjoy yourself.”
“Please, Mum?” begged Zoe. “If Ollie doesn’t get some sleep soon, I’m worried he’ll get poorly. And he’s so excited about being in the New Year’s Eve show. It would be such a shame if people don’t get to hear his story – he’s so special. Please?”
Lucy finally nodded. “OK, Zoe. But just for an hour or two,” she said. “And I’ll be checking in with Alison to make sure everything’s OK. I want you to be home by nine o’clock and then straight to bed for a good night’s sleep yourself!”
“Thanks, Mum!” said Zoe gratefully.
After Zoe had washed the dishes, she pulled on her coat and grabbed her school bag, which she packed with some important things.
“What are those for?” squeaked Meep curiously.
“You’ll see!” Zoe told him with a mysterious smile.
When Zoe and Meep arrived at the aviary a few minutes later, the nocturnal birds were fluttering awake, while the rest of the birds were settling down to sleep for the night. Ollie was flitting between them, not able to decide what to do. One moment he’d join a cluster of doves that were snuggling up quietly together, and they’d all coo at him welcomingly; the next, he’d catch sight of some corncrakes starting a game of chase around the aviary and want to join in!
“Ollie, we’ve come to help you get a good night’s sleep,” Zoe explained, reaching out and giving his feathers a gentle stroke. “I’ve brought a few things that might help.”
She opened her school bag and pulled out a teddy bear, a warm blanket and a book. “When I’m struggling to sleep, I give Meep a cuddle,” she told Ollie. “So I thought you might like my old teddy bear, Walter, to snuggle up against. He’s really soft and squishy!”
Zoe carried Ollie and all her things to the very back of the aviary, where she thought it might be quieter. She found a cosy, dark corner, put the blanket on the ground and made it into a snug nest, explaining that snowy owls in the wild often make their nests on the ground, like the one he was found in. She carefully lifted Ollie into the middle of it. She placed Walter next to the little owl and then opened the book. “Mum usually reads me a bedtime story,” she explained. “Sometimes Great-Uncle Horace does them, but he always puts on funny voices to make me laugh! Would you like me to try reading you a story?”
“She’s really good at them!” added Meep.
Ollie cheeped eagerly, snuggling down in his blanket nest. Zoe sat down next to him, with Meep curled up on her lap, and started reading. “Once upon a time, there was a wizard…”
After the first chapter, Zoe heard a tiny snore – but it wasn’t Ollie. It was Meep! The little lemur had fallen asleep. And Zoe realised she was also feeling very sleepy. She yawned, rubbing her eyes. It was nice and warm in the aviary, and it was so peaceful in this little corner. The gentle chirping of the birds had made her feel very relaxed. Maybe I’ll just close my eyes for ten minutes, she thought…
Suddenly there was a loud, urgent hooting sound. Zoe’s eyes sprang open and she looked around. Ollie was flying around her head, flapping his wings and making as much noise as he possibly could!
“Ollie, what’s going on?” Zoe asked.
Ollie chirped and twittered noisily, fluttering his wings to point beyond the fence. Zoe frowned as she realised how anxious the little owl was. “Ollie, what have you heard?” she asked. “Can you try to slow down? I don’t understand what you’re trying to tell me!”
But Ollie was too agitated to explain himself clearly! He kept screeching as loudly as he could. Zoe got to her feet and peered through the fence, trying to make out what Ollie was showing her. It was too dark for her eyes to see anything clearly, but suddenly she remembered what was behind the aviary.
“The fireworks are being kept in the storage hut back there,” she said. “It must be something to do with that! I’d better go and have a look.”
“I’m coming too!” Meep chattered.
They went out through the gate and walked round the back of the aviary towards the storage hut, squinting to see in the darkness. Zoe realised that she could see a light flickering and flashing ahead of her. A torch, she thought. But who was holding it? And what were they doing? Maybe it’s Great-Uncle Horace checking on the fireworks, she thought. But why would Ollie be so worried about that?
The beam of torchlight suddenly lit up the storage hut door, and Zoe saw that it was swinging open, the padlock that Great-Uncle Horace had fixed on it lying broken on the ground. Zoe froze and listened carefully. She heard a muffled voice whisper, “Quick! Grab that box of rockets so we can get out of here before someone catches us!”
Zoe gasped, then clapped her hands over her mouth. She realised that someone had broken into the storage hut and was trying to steal the fireworks! Just then she saw a flash of white in the semidarkness and felt a fluttering of wings beside her.
“Ollie!” she gasped. The little owl had slipped out behind them when they’d left the aviary! “What are you doing?”
Ollie started hooting again as loudly as he could, and his noisy warning alerted all the other birds inside the aviary too! Zoe saw that the canaries, the parrots and the nightingales had all fluttered to the back of the aviary to see the intruders for themselves. Now they were joining in, tweeting and screeching as noisily and urgently as they could, and fluttering their wings towards the scene of the crime. The whole aviary was raising the alarm together!
It was so loud that Meep had his little paws pressed over his ears. “Zoe, what’s going on?” the little lemur squeaked, rushing up on to her shoulder.
“Meep, we’ve got to run home and get Mum!” Zoe whispered desperately. “Some robbers are trying to steal the fireworks!”
Suddenly, she noticed more movement
– the robbers were coming out of the storage hut! She fell back into the shadows, not sure what to do. What if they were dangerous? But little Ollie flapped towards them, screeching loudly!
“What’s that?” Zoe heard an alarmed voice say.
“I-I think it’s a ghost!” replied another voice, shaky with worry.
Just at that moment, Zoe heard footsteps coming down the path, and a very grumpy voice. “Those noisy, nuisance birds!” Mr Pinch snapped. “What on earth is going on? I could hear that racket from the other side of the zoo!”
Zoe saw Mr Pinch’s face glaring at the birds over the fence. She’d never been so glad to see him! He spotted Ollie flapping and hooting near the storage hut.
“What on earth? How did that snowy owl get out of the aviary?”
But as he saw the other birds clustered at the back of the enclosure, squawking and fluttering too, Mr Pinch’s expression changed to one of puzzlement. He walked round the aviary to see what the birds were all getting so worked up about, and Zoe held her breath as he shone his torch towards the storage hut…
Quickly, Mr Pinch grabbed his walkie-talkie. “Come in, all Rescue Zoo staff!” he shouted into the mouthpiece. “Robbery at the zoo! Everyone, come quickly!”
Just a few seconds later, the first zookeepers rushed down the path. Zoe, Meep and Ollie watched in anxious anticipation as the thieves were stopped as they tried to sneak out through the zoo gates. Soon, three very red-faced teenage boys were being brought back to the aviary by some of the zoo staff.
“What are you trying to do with our fireworks?” Mr Pinch demanded.