by Amelia Cobb
“Awoooooooooh!”
Zoe and Lucy froze as a howling sound came from inside the Hall. Meep squeaked and leaped straight into Zoe’s arms. Zoe felt quite scared, too! What was making that noise… ?
Chapter One
A Special School Trip
Zoe Parker rushed excitedly towards the Rescue Zoo gates, followed by her teacher and the rest of the class.
“We’re here!” she said happily. “Welcome to the Rescue Zoo, everyone!”
“I still can’t believe you actually live here, Zoe,” her friend Nicola exclaimed. “You’re so lucky.”
“I know!” replied Jack, who was walking next to Nicola. “I can’t imagine how cool it must be waking up every morning and seeing elephants and giraffes out of your bedroom window!”
Zoe grinned at her friends.
“It’s so much fun!” she replied. “I’ve lived at the Rescue Zoo ever since I was a baby, and sometimes I still can’t believe it!”
Zoe’s Great-Uncle Horace was a world-famous explorer and animal expert, and he had started the zoo so that any lost, injured or endangered animals he came across on his travels would have a safe and caring home. Zoe’s mum, Lucy, was the zoo vet, and Lucy and Zoe lived in a cosy cottage on the edge of the zoo. Zoe adored animals more than anything, and couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. As she and her friends reached the gates, she felt like she might burst with pride.
Zoe had been looking forward to this day for weeks. Halloween was coming up soon, and her class had been learning all about creatures like bats, beetles and spiders. Miss Hawkins had explained that lots of people thought these animals were scary or spooky, but that really there was nothing to be frightened of. Zoe had agreed – they were some of her favourite animals! Now everyone in the class loved them, and when Zoe had mentioned that the Rescue Zoo had a huge spider house, several types of snake and a big family of bats, Miss Hawkins had decided to organise a special class trip to the zoo!
Zoe’s class had had normal lessons that morning, and after lunch they had set off together, walking through their town towards the zoo, carefully supervised by their teacher. Zoe couldn’t wait to get to the Rescue Zoo – and neither could her friends! Lucy, Zoe’s mum, was waiting for them at the entrance. “Hi, everyone!” she said as they walked inside. “You’re right on time! I’m so glad you could all make it.”
“Thank you for having us!” replied Miss Hawkins, smiling. “Where are we going to start?”
“I thought we’d go to the spider house first, which is over in that direction,” said Lucy, pointing. “After that we’ll go and see the bats, and, if there’s time, the snakes right at the end. Zoe, why don’t you lead the way?”
Zoe led her class proudly through the zoo, pointing out her favourite animals to Nicola and Jack as they walked along the path. “That’s Leonard and Rory, our lions,” she explained. “Well, Rory’s a lion cub! And that’s the panda enclosure. Chi Chi and Mei Mei are twin sisters, and they came all the way from China. They’re really naughty, but so cute!”
Her friends peered into each enclosure, grinning broadly. But when they arrived at the spider house, Zoe spotted a grumpy-looking man waiting outside, wearing a spotless zoo uniform and hat, and holding a broom. “Oh no,” she sighed. “Mr Pinch!”
“Who’s that?” whispered Nicola. “Does he work here? He looks a bit cross!”
Zoe nodded. “He’s the zoo manager,” she whispered back. “He’s always grumbling or groaning about something – especially mess. He hates it when anything’s untidy!”
“I heard your class would be visiting the zoo today, Zoe,” said Mr Pinch. “If you ask me, there is nothing that creates more mess at this zoo than school trips. Always dropping litter and chewing gum and bits of packed lunch everywhere! If I see any mess, I’ll know who was responsible.” Mr Pinch narrowed his eyes at Zoe and her school friends, then muttered, “It’s not as if I don’t already have enough to do without sweeping up after you all. Being the zoo manager is a very busy and important job.”
“Oh, you won’t need to sweep up after us,” Miss Hawkins replied firmly. “My class certainly won’t be dropping any litter or chewing gum, and they’ve already had their packed lunches at school.”
“Hmmm. Even so, I still think I’d better supervise,” replied Mr Pinch, frowning.
Zoe’s mum winked at Zoe and then turned to Mr Pinch. “Oh, there’s no need for that, Percy,” she said firmly. “I can look after everyone!”
Lucy and Miss Hawkins ushered everyone inside the spider house and Mr Pinch shook his head, muttering crossly to himself.
First of all, Lucy showed everyone a small enclosure with glass walls, full of moss, leaves and bits of wood. A delicate silver web had been spun between two branches, and a small black spider sat right in the middle of it. “This is an orb weaver spider,” said Lucy. “Can anyone tell me what family spiders belong to?”
Straightaway, a boy called Louis put his hand up. “The arachnid family?” he said.
“Very good,” said Lucy, nodding. “Lots of people think spiders are insects, but actually they’re not – they’re arachnids. Their bodies are made out of two sections, rather than three, and they have eight legs, not six.”
“Look at that amazing web!” said Miss Hawkins.
“Spiders’ webs are made from very strong silk,” explained Lucy. “In fact, a strand of spider silk is five times stronger than a piece of steel the same size! And a spider produces lots of it. Some spiders spin themselves a brand-new web every day! Can you imagine building yourself a new house every day?”
Then she moved on to the next glass enclosure, and pointed out a big black spider with bright orange-red patches that was emerging out of a tunnel in the soil packed into the bottom of the enclosure.
“Now, here’s a spider that doesn’t live in a web – in fact, it lives in a burrow!” Lucy said.
“Wow!” breathed Jack. “What type of spider is it?”
“Rosie here is a red-knee tarantula!” explained Lucy. “She might look a bit scary, but most tarantulas will never hurt a human. In fact, it’s very rare to be bitten by a spider. Most spider bites happen when a person is frightening a spider, but if you’re kind to them and leave them alone, they won’t cause you any harm.”
Zoe’s friends rushed from spider to spider, taking pictures. Lucy even let Jack hold Rosie! Luckily, Mr Pinch hung back at the entrance, still glaring at the class as if he expected them to cause trouble at any moment. Zoe smiled to herself – she knew he was secretly a little bit nervous of spiders, and wouldn’t want to get near any of the enclosures!
Eventually Miss Hawkins clapped her hands and said, “I think it’s time we went to see the bats, everyone. Make sure you’ve got your bags and coats before we move on.”
As the class started to file out of the spider house, Nicola tapped Zoe’s arm. “What’s that?” she asked, pointing at a big poster pinned up on the wall next to the door. “The Rescue Zoo Spooktacular? Is that a special Halloween event?”
Zoe nodded. “Usually the zoo closes at six o’clock, but we’re going to stay open late on Halloween, so that visitors can come and look around when it’s dark. We’re going to decorate the enclosures with carved pumpkins, and all the zookeepers are going to dress up as something spooky. There’s a fancy dress competition for all the visitors too, with prizes. And we’re going to bake Halloween cupcakes for everyone!”
“That sounds like so much fun!” said Nicola.
“Yes, it does!” added Miss Hawkins, who had overheard them. She looked thoughtful. “Actually, I noticed the poster as we were coming in, and now that I think about it, I have an idea…” She turned to Lucy and explained, “I’ve been teaching the class a special song, all abou
t the so-called ‘spooky’ creatures they’ve been studying. We were going to perform it in assembly next week. Maybe it would be fun if they came and performed it at the Halloween event, too?”
“That would be brilliant!” said Nicola immediately, her eyes wide. Zoe smiled. Her friend Nicola was really good at singing and even sang in the school choir.
Lucy was nodding enthusiastically. “That’s a wonderful idea,” she said. “We’ll be setting up a little stage for the presentation of the fancy dress prize – maybe we could have a performance beforehand! The class could all wear their Halloween costumes and take part in the competition too. What do you think, Zoe?”
Zoe nodded and did her best to seem excited, but her tummy was suddenly feeling funny. Zoe didn’t think she had a very good singing voice, and she felt nervous about singing in front of other people, even though she would be with her friend Nicola. Singing together in assembly wasn’t too bad, because she knew all the other children at her school, so that wasn’t as scary. But performing in front of lots of strangers would be very different. And the tickets for the Spooktacular night were almost sold out already. There was going to be a huge crowd – more than two hundred people! And now they were all going to watch her sing.
As Nicola skipped along, chatting excitedly about how much fun the performance was going to be, Zoe felt more and more worried. What was she going to do?
Chapter Two
Zoe’s Costume Puzzle
Later that afternoon, when Miss Hawkins had taken the rest of Zoe’s class back to school to be collected by their mums and dads, Zoe and her mum decided to head to the zoo café to have a hot chocolate. As they walked there, Zoe thought that the zoo was looking really colourful and pretty, with red and orange leaves fluttering down from the trees. She heard a little squeak behind her, and looked round. Something tiny, grey and furry was scampering excitedly towards them!
“Meep!” called Zoe with a laugh. Meep was a tiny grey mouse lemur, with a long curling tail, bright golden eyes and a very cheeky face. He was Zoe’s best friend at the zoo. Lucy smiled as Zoe bent down to pick Meep up and give him a cuddle. “Where were you earlier?” she whispered to him so her mum couldn’t hear. “I thought you might come and see my class!”
Zoe had a special secret, which nobody else in the whole world knew, not even her mum. She could talk to animals! It made living at the Rescue Zoo extra exciting, because every time Zoe heard an animal roar, bark, grunt or hoot, she understood exactly what they were saying, and could speak back to them.
“I was going to come and see you,” explained Meep. “But first I had a little snooze. Then I felt hungry, so I had a snack. There are so many treats in the kitchen to nibble! I had a banana, an apple, some nuts and some seeds.” Meep rubbed his belly happily. “But then I felt sleepy again, so I thought I’d better have another nap!”
Zoe giggled. Meep’s two favourite things were sleeping and eating! Lucy had stopped to chat to the penguin keeper, so Zoe had a chance to reply. “That sounds like a nice day, Meep!” she said in a quiet voice, tickling his belly. “It’s probably just as well you didn’t come along anyway. Mr Pinch turned up and was grumpy with everyone. And you can never resist being extra naughty when he’s around!”
Her mum finished her chat, and when they got to the café she bought them two mugs of hot chocolate with extra marshmallows. They went to sit in a cosy corner, and Zoe gave Meep one of her marshmallows, which he nibbled happily.
“Wasn’t today fun, Zoe? It was lovely to have your whole class visit the zoo,” Lucy said, taking a sip of her drink. “And I loved Miss Hawkins’s idea about you all singing at the Spooktacular! You’ll be the stars of the whole show!”
Zoe stirred her drink carefully and avoided her mum’s eyes. She didn’t want to admit that she was nervous about singing in front of everyone. Luckily, Lucy didn’t seem to notice. “Oh, have you decided what you’d like your Halloween costume to be, love?” she asked. “We could start working on it tonight!”
Zoe felt much more cheerful as she thought about her costume. She loved getting dressed up at Halloween! “I haven’t decided yet,” she replied. “All I know is that I want to dress up as an animal! I went as a black cat last year and a frog the year before, so I need a new idea.”
“How about a spider or a bat, since that’s what your class has been learning about?” suggested her mum.
“I think half of my class are already planning to come as spiders or bats!” Zoe explained.
Lucy nodded. “Hmm, yes, you want to go as something a bit different. Well, we’ll think of something, Zoe! Why don’t you and Meep go for a walk around the zoo and see if you get any inspiration?”
Zoe smiled. “That’s a great idea.”
When they’d finished their hot chocolates, Lucy went to the zoo hospital to check on a poorly meerkat. Zoe and Meep set off in the other direction. Meep ran up her arm and perched on her shoulder. “Who shall we visit first, Zoe?” he asked.
“Let’s see…” Zoe looked around. “Well, down this path are the crocodiles, the zebras and the seals. A crocodile would be a fun costume! Maybe I could wear my green jumper, and make a special mask with lots of sharp teeth.”
“Yes! Or a zebra would be good too,” added Meep. “You’ve got your stripy black and white pyjamas, so you could wear those. And then you’d just need a tail and some ears.”
“I wonder what Star thinks?” said Zoe. They were just outside the seal enclosure, where one of Zoe’s favourite animals lived: Star, the seal pup. “Let’s go and ask her.”
Meep chirped eagerly. Gentle Star was one of Meep’s favourite animal friends too!
Zoe reached for the necklace she was wearing around her neck, and found the little silver charm in the shape of a paw print that dangled from it. She held the charm against a panel in the gate, and with a quiet click the gate swung open for her. Zoe tucked the necklace back under her jumper and smiled. It wasn’t an ordinary piece of jewellery, of course, even though it looked like one. Great-Uncle Horace had had it made especially for Zoe, and given it to her for her birthday. The charm opened every gate and door in the whole zoo, so she could visit any animal, whenever she wanted!
Star’s enclosure was a pool of deep-blue icy water, with a circle of smooth rocks around it where Zoe sometimes sat to watch Star and the other seals swimming. Today Star was practising her somersaults in the water, but as soon as she saw Zoe she gave an excited squeal and flopped straight out of the pool, shaking the water from her fluffy white coat.
“Hi, Star!” Zoe called, waving. “Wow, those backflips looked great!” She patted the seal on her fuzzy head. “Listen, I’m trying to think of a good Halloween costume, and I can’t pick one! Do you have any ideas?”
Star suddenly looked very worried, and gave a nervous squeak. Zoe chuckled and bent down to pick up the little seal. “No, Star. Halloween isn’t really spooky!” she reassured her. “Some of the zookeepers dress up as spooky things, like ghosts and witches, but it’s not real. It’s fun! In fact, it’s one of my favourite days of the whole year.”
Star didn’t look too sure, and gave another little squeal. Zoe cuddled her close. “Oh dear! I think some of the other animals have been teasing you, Star,” she said. “The Rescue Zoo is definitely NOT all creepy on Halloween! I’ve lived here for a long time and I’ve never seen anything scary at all. Except maybe Leonard the lion when he’s in a grumpy mood!”
“Halloween is exciting, Star!” added Meep, nodding his little head enthusiastically. “The zoo is full of balloons and other decorations, and there are lots of treats to eat!”
Zoe hid a smile. Every year, Meep also got frightened when he saw people dressed up in spooky Halloween costumes! Zoe always had to explain to him that they weren’t really witches or skeletons – they were just normal people, in costumes!
Eventually, Star seemed reassured. But the little seal didn’t have any costume ideas for Zoe. Soon Lorna, the seal keeper, arrived with a bucket of shin
y fish for their dinner, so Zoe and Meep waved goodbye and headed back out on to the path again.
Zoe sighed as they walked on. “Let’s see. A tiger? A tortoise? A porcupine? There are just too many animals to choose from! I wish Great-Uncle Horace were here. I bet he’d have some good ideas,” she said.
“Me too!” chattered Meep.
Great-Uncle Horace had been travelling around North America for over a month now. The last postcard he’d sent had said, Helping a grizzly bear with toothache. Home soon! Zoe couldn’t wait to see him again – not just because she missed him, but also because Great-Uncle Horace often brought a new animal back to the Rescue Zoo when he came home!
“I wonder what he’ll bring back next, Meep?” Zoe pondered out loud to her friend. She couldn’t wait to find out!
At the end of school the next day, Zoe’s class were still buzzing with excitement about their trip to the Rescue Zoo – and they were even more excited once Miss Hawkins had told them all that they’d be going back to the zoo on Halloween, to perform at the Spooktacular event!
“We should practise our song as much as we can until then, so we’re really good!” said Sareeta, a girl in Zoe’s class, as they all packed up their bags and started to walk out to the playground to meet their parents.
“Let’s start now!” said her friend Jenna. She took a deep breath and sang the first line. “Spiders and slugs, creeping on the wall…”
Sareeta and Nicola joined in too. “They’re called creepy-crawlies but they’re not so creepy after all…”
Nicola smiled at Zoe. “Come on, Zoe, you sing too! The next line is the one about bats and snakes, remember?”
But Zoe couldn’t! As her friends looked at her, her mouth suddenly felt dry and her face went hot. All the words of the song were muddled up in her head. “Err – I can’t sing today. My – err – my throat’s feeling a bit sore. Sorry,” she said quickly, rushing off to where her mum was waiting.