by Amelia Cobb
“It’s still night-time, Zoe,” Meep told her, hopping up and down anxiously. “But I think Star is crying.”
Suddenly Zoe was wide awake. She listened, and heard a faint whimpering from downstairs. Meep’s clever ears could hear the smallest sounds. “Poor Star!” she whispered, jumping out of bed. “Come on, Meep – but keep quiet, so we don’t wake Mum. If we’re alone with Star we can ask her what’s wrong.”
Zoe pulled on her dressing gown and scooped Meep into her arms. She crept on to the landing and tiptoed down the stairs, trying not to make them creak. The cottage was quiet, but as she pushed open the kitchen door she heard the sad whimper again.
“Star?” she asked softly, flicking on the light. “It’s us, Zoe and Meep!”
Lucy had made Star a bed in a box full of cosy blankets, and the little seal was huddled inside it, shaking. Zoe rushed over and picked her up. Star snuggled her soft head against Zoe’s shoulder, sniffling miserably. “What’s wrong? Are you hungry?” Zoe asked, glancing at the clock on the microwave. “It’s one o’clock in the morning! Didn’t my mum feed you at midnight?”
Star squeaked sadly. Zoe felt her heart melt as the shivering pup explained that Lucy had come to feed her, but then she’d left Star all by herself again. And the little seal was scared of the dark!
Meep looked puzzled. His special eyes could see just as well at night as they could in bright daylight! But Zoe understood why the pup was frightened. Sometimes the dark was scary, especially if you were in a new place. “It’s all right, I promise,” she said soothingly. “We’re in our lovely, warm cottage. Meep and I are just upstairs, and so is my mum.”
Star stopped crying as Zoe cuddled her close. “That’s better,” Zoe said, smiling. “See? There’s nothing to worry about. Let’s pop you back in your cosy bed, and we’ll see you in the morning.”
The seal pup let out another whimper, and Zoe saw tears in her beautiful dark eyes. “Oh, don’t cry, Star!” Zoe gasped.
Zoe and Meep glanced at each other. “What shall we do?” Meep whispered.
Zoe bit her lip worriedly. “We can’t leave her here like this, Meep. But we can’t stay in the kitchen all night either! We’ll have to take her up to my bedroom.”
Star gave a happy squeak and Meep clapped his tiny hands excitedly. “Shhhh!” Zoe smiled as she carried them upstairs.
Back in her room, she tucked Star and Meep up together, and was relieved to hear a happy sigh from the baby seal. Then she opened her curtains wide so that her room was bathed in bright moonlight. “There. It’s hardly dark at all now!” she whispered to Star. The little seal’s eyes were already starting to close.
Zoe slipped under the covers next to Star, and the little seal snuggled up to her, making the most adorable snuffly noises. As Zoe cuddled her, she wondered what her mum would say about Star sleeping in her bed. I’m sure she won’t mind, just this once, she thought, crossing her fingers tightly as she drifted off to sleep.
Chapter Four
The Mysterious Meeting
When Zoe opened her eyes the next morning, something soft, silky and very warm was tickling her neck. The little seal was snuggled up on her pillow, snoring gently. Star didn’t seem scared at all with Zoe and Meep to keep her company.
But someone else hadn’t slept so well! Meep was curled at the foot of the bed, looking sleepy and cross. “There was no room for me,” he grumbled. “I was getting squished!”
Zoe bit her lip to stop herself from laughing. Meep was very funny when he was in a grumpy mood – and even cuter! “I’m sorry, Meep,” she soothed. “But we had to help Star, remember?”
Just then the door burst open. Lucy ran in, her face very pale. “Zoe, quick! Star’s gone! She must have got out of her box!” she gasped frantically.
Then she spotted the furry bundle in Zoe’s bed and gave a sigh of relief. “Oh, Zoe, you gave me such a fright!”
“Sorry, Mum,” Zoe said, feeling her cheeks flush pink. “I heard her crying in the night, and she…she didn’t seem to like being by herself.” Zoe had to think carefully about what to say. She couldn’t admit that Star had told her she was scared!
“I thought she’d escaped! Really, Zoe, you know she can’t sleep with you. You already share your bed with one furry creature,” Lucy scolded.
“Yes, and there’s no room for another one!” chattered Meep grumpily.
Zoe tried hard not to giggle. “Sorry, Mum,” she said again. “But she’s going to her enclosure today, isn’t she?”
Lucy nodded. “Lorna rang up five minutes ago to say it was ready for her. I thought you could take Star over after breakfast.”
Zoe jumped out of bed and gave Lucy a hug. “I will.”
Then she noticed Lucy eyeing the bed warily, and realised what her mum was thinking. “There are no more animals in there, I promise!” she giggled, and Lucy started laughing, too.
Once Zoe had eaten a bowl of porridge and fed Star her bottle, they set off into the Rescue Zoo. Zoe made sure she wore gloves and a woolly scarf, because the seal enclosure was kept at a frosty temperature that was just right for seals but a bit chilly for people!
It was still too early for visitors, so the red-brick paths were quiet. That meant Zoe and Meep could chat to Star as much as they liked. Zoe carried the little seal, and Meep perched on her shoulder. He’d stopped being grumpy now, and was cheerily telling Star about the other animals as they passed them. “That’s Sasha,” he chattered. “She’s a white tiger cub from Siberia. That’s a very cold place, like where you come from! And over there are Ernest and Emilie, the anteaters. Aren’t their long noses funny?” Meep chuckled to himself as he stuck out his tongue like an anteater.
“And this is your new home!” Zoe added, stopping at a gate in the fence. She reached for her silver paw-print necklace and held it against a panel. With a tiny click, the gate swung open. Zoe was very proud of her special necklace, which had been a present from Great-Uncle Horace. It let her open every gate in the whole zoo, just like the grown-up zookeepers.
Beyond the gate was a huge, deep pool of cold blue water, with chunks of smooth ice floating on the surface, and icy rocks glittering around it. A wide glass tunnel ran along the bottom of the pool so visitors could walk through it to watch the seals swooping and diving right above their heads.
Lorna the seal keeper was inside the enclosure, wearing a wetsuit and holding a bucket of fish. “She’s gorgeous!” she gasped when she saw the little seal, reaching out to stroke Star’s fluffy head. “Sally and Finn will be so excited to meet her.”
As she spoke, there was a happy honking sound from the water. Two sleek grey heads popped above the surface, calling a friendly greeting to the new baby. Sally and Finn were common seals, with a pattern of dark spots on their silvery-grey coats.
Star almost jumped right out of Zoe’s arms, she was so excited to see them!
Then Sally and Finn dived playfully to the bottom of the pool, and Zoe rushed into the glass tunnel underneath it so that Star could get a better look. Star’s dark eyes lit up and she snuffled excitedly as she watched them gliding through the water, somersaulting with a smooth swish of their flippers and tails. Zoe smiled, relieved the little pup seemed to love her home already.
When they came out of the tunnel, Lorna said, “Let’s show Star where she’s going to sleep.”
There was a row of small, cosy rooms at the back of the enclosure. “This one belongs to Sally,” Lorna told Zoe, pointing to the first doorway. “Finn is next door. And this one is for our new arrival.”
There was already a snug little bed made for Star. Zoe thought it looked very comfortable, but Star let out a worried wail.
“Oh dear! It sounds like she’s ready for a bottle of milk,” Lorna said, smiling kindly at the pup. “Come with me, Zoe.”
Zoe knew Star wasn’t upset because she was hungry. The little seal had realised she had to sleep by herself, and was feeling frightened about the dark again! But Zoe couldn’t tell Lor
na that. Instead, she followed Lorna into a store room where all the seals’ food was kept. There were lots of shiny silver fish packed in crates of ice, and a box of the special milk replacement for Star. Lorna started filling up a bottle, humming to herself. While she was distracted, Zoe tried to make Star feel better. “There’s nothing to be scared of,” she whispered. “Look how lovely your room is. And you’re right next door to Sally and Finn!”
Suddenly Lorna’s walkie-talkie crackled. “The zoo meeting will start in my office in five minutes,” barked a bossy voice. It was Mr Pinch, the Rescue Zoo’s grumpy manager. Meep stuck his tiny tongue out at the walkie-talkie. The little lemur didn’t like Mr Pinch at all! “All zoo staff must be there. Don’t be late!” the voice continued crossly.
“What’s the zoo meeting about?” Zoe asked Lorna curiously.
Lorna looked flustered. “Oh, nothing to worry about,” she said, not quite looking Zoe in the eye. “You know Mr Pinch, always fussing! I’ll have to go, but I’ll be back soon. Let’s leave Star to get to know the others.”
Lorna quickly led them out to the poolside and Zoe carefully placed Star on the ground next to the pool. Lorna said a hasty goodbye and left the enclosure. Zoe stared after her. First Great-Uncle Horace was acting oddly, and now Lorna. “What’s going on?” she wondered aloud.
“Let’s go and find out!” Meep suggested.
Zoe glanced at Star. “We won’t be long,” she promised the seal, who nodded nervously. “Why don’t you explore your home with your new friends while we’re gone?”
Sally and Finn had climbed out of the pool and come over to sniff the new arrival. Star wriggled happily towards them. The older seals gave her a friendly nuzzle and then started to show Star around her new home.
Zoe smiled. She didn’t feel bad leaving Star when she was having so much fun – but she knew the pup might get frightened again when it got dark. I’ll make sure I’m back before then, she thought. But now it’s time to find out what this mysterious meeting is about!
She and Meep ran down the path as quickly as they could, and spotted Lorna taking a shortcut past the zebras. Zoe had to tiptoe after her so that she wasn’t seen. She didn’t like sneaking about, but she had to know what was going on! As Lorna got to Mr Pinch’s office, Zoe and Meep hid behind a tree and watched as all the keepers streamed in.
“Look, Meep! Mum and Great-Uncle Horace are there too,” whispered Zoe.
When everyone was inside, Zoe and Meep crept up to the window and peeped through. Mr Pinch was standing at the front of the room, clearing his throat as if he was about to make a speech. Great-Uncle Horace was next to him, with Kiki perched on his shoulder. Suddenly the old bird spotted Zoe and Meep in the window and squawked in surprise.
Zoe held her breath – if horrid Mr Pinch saw them, she knew he’d tell them to leave immediately. She shook her head urgently at Kiki, hoping she wouldn’t make another sound. To her relief, the macaw nodded back.
“Quiet, please!” Mr Pinch announced sternly. “As you all know, the Rescue Zoo has been having some problems with money for a long time. Many of our animals are very expensive to look after, and we are not making enough money to keep them all.” He glared at the keepers, as if it was all their fault.
A worried murmur went around the room. Zoe frowned, an anxious feeling in her tummy. What did Mr Pinch mean?
Great-Uncle Horace smiled comfortingly. “Now, everyone, there’s no need to be alarmed. I came home from Alaska the moment I got Mr Pinch’s message, and I’m sure that if we all work together, we’ll find a solution.” He scratched his head thoughtfully. “Hmm – perhaps we could have a cake sale? I do make a rather splendid carrot cake!”
Mr Pinch frowned. “I am afraid it’s much more serious than that, Mr Higgins,” he snapped. “We have almost no money left. And if we don’t find some very soon, the Rescue Zoo will have to close!”
“What?” gasped Zoe, as Meep gave a squeak of horror. They stared at each other in disbelief. The Rescue Zoo couldn’t close!
Chapter Five
The Rescue Zoo in Danger
The whole meeting fell silent in shock. The zoo staff seemed as stunned as Zoe and Meep. “But…but what about the animals?” asked Will the penguin keeper, his face very pale.
“They would all be sent to other zoos,” Mr Pinch announced. “Without the money to look after them, we would have no choice.”
Zoe’s heart was thumping fast. The animals. All her best friends in the world lived at the Rescue Zoo. There was Bella the polar bear, Oscar the elephant… And of course, there was Meep. Zoe didn’t know what she would do without her gorgeous, cheeky little friend, and even the thought of sending him away made her eyes fill with hot tears.
“But we can’t do that to our animals!” Alison, the bird keeper, exclaimed. “We promised that every creature at the Rescue Zoo would have a safe, loving home here, for ever and ever! We can’t make them leave!”
“And what about us?” cried Frankie, the giraffe keeper. “This isn’t our home, but we love working here. Where will we go if the zoo shuts?”
The room was suddenly full of anxious chatter. With a nasty shock, Zoe realised something. The other keepers didn’t live at the zoo – but she did! The cottage at the Rescue Zoo was her home. If the zoo closed, there would be no need for a zoo vet any more. Lucy and Zoe would have to leave their beautiful, cosy cottage, and live somewhere else.
Great-Uncle Horace held up his hands for quiet. “Everyone! Please calm down,” he said. “The Rescue Zoo cannot close. I simply will not allow it. We won’t let the animals down. We must all think of a way to raise the money we need. I’m sure we will come up with an excellent plan.”
Great-Uncle Horace whipped his green safari hat from his head. “I’ll leave my hat outside Mr Pinch’s door. When anyone has an idea, they can write it down on a piece of paper and put it in the hat. At the end of the day, we’ll read them all and decide what to do!”
He nodded encouragingly, but the zoo staff looked very upset. Zoe and Meep ducked behind a bench as everyone came out and started trudging back to their animals. Great-Uncle Horace was the last person to leave. He placed his hat by the door, then marched off towards Higgins Hall, with Kiki flying above him. “Time to check on the chrysalises, Kiki old girl!” Zoe heard him say as he rushed away.
“Meep, this is awful!” Zoe burst out. “I can’t believe it. Great-Uncle Horace is right – the Rescue Zoo just can’t close!”
“I’m scared, Zoe!” the little lemur chirped. His bottom lip was trembling, and his golden eyes were very wide and worried. “I don’t want to go to another zoo. I want to stay here with you!”
Zoe gathered him into her arms for a big hug. “And you will, I promise,” she told him firmly. “We’ll do everything we can to save the Rescue Zoo. We need lots of ideas – and I know who we can ask for help. The animals! Come on, Meep. We’ll start with the howlers – they can spread the word!”
The howlers were big, friendly monkeys. Some had bright-red fur, some were pale brown, and some were jet black – but they were all as loud as each other! That was where their funny name came from. Sometimes Zoe could hear them howling when she was shopping with her mum on the other side of town! Zoe and Meep ran to their enclosure and Zoe called over the fence. “We need your help!”
The howlers scampered over quickly. “Can you get a message to all the other animals? Tell them they need to be awake at midnight, for an urgent meeting. I’ll explain more then,” Zoe told them.
The monkeys looked curious, but nodded. Together they tipped their heads back, took a deep breath and started to give great, gulping howls. Across the path, the warthogs heard the message and started grunting it to all their neighbours, while Ruby and the other parrots started up a noisy chorus. Soon the news about the midnight meeting was being screeched, grunted and roared through the whole zoo!
Chapter Six
The Midnight Meeting
“Time to go, Meep!” whispered Zo
e, jumping out of bed.
For the rest of Saturday morning, Zoe and Meep had raced around the zoo, telling all the animals to be ready for the meeting. After that, they’d gone back to the cottage. Zoe had found a notepad and a pencil, and they’d spent the whole afternoon scribbling down ideas. Even when Lucy had sent them to bed, they’d whispered under the covers as the minutes ticked away. Zoe had been sleepy and yawning, but now it was nearly twelve o’clock, she suddenly felt wide awake!
Zoe pulled a jumper over her pyjamas and grabbed her torch. She and Meep listened outside Lucy’s bedroom to make sure she was asleep, then sneaked out of the cottage. The zoo was very dark, but Zoe could see a yellow light shining from a window at the top of Higgins Hall. It looked like Great-Uncle Horace was awake. I wonder if he’s thinking of ways to help the zoo, too? Zoe wondered.
They started walking quickly along the path. “We’ll visit Star first,” Zoe told Meep. “I want to check she’s OK.”
Lots of the animals at the Rescue Zoo were nocturnal, which meant they were awake at night, like the bats and the coyotes, who slept in the day and woke up when the stars came out. But tonight every creature was awake for Zoe’s meeting, and the path was buzzing with noise. The cheeky orangutans shouted out, wanting to know what was going on. “You’ll find out soon!” replied Zoe.
Star was trembling nervously when they opened the door to her enclosure. She gave a happy squeal when she saw them. Zoe couldn’t help smiling as she picked the baby seal up and gave her a cuddle. “You can’t be frightened of the dark tonight,” she told Star, tickling her fluffy tummy. “All the animals are wide awake. Come and see.”