The Sleepy Snowy Owl

by Amelia Cobb

  “Of course, Zoe. You were one of the very first people Ollie ever set eyes on,” Alison replied. “Sometimes young birds can think that the first thing they see when they’re born must be their mother! I can already tell you’re going to have a really special bond with him.”

  As Zoe and her mum walked back through the zoo to the cottage, Lucy stopped to chat briefly to the keeper at the hippo enclosure, so Zoe had a chance to talk to Meep.

  “Ollie is so cute, isn’t he?” she whispered excitedly. “I can’t wait to see him again.”

  Meep nodded. “This is going to be the best Christmas ever!” the little lemur squeaked.

  “And the best New Year!” Zoe added. “Remember, Great-Uncle Horace is planning a special New Year’s Eve celebration? It’s going to be exactly ten years since the Rescue Zoo opened, so it’s our anniversary as well!”

  As well as the arrival of the mysterious snowy owl egg, the New Year’s Eve celebration was all anyone at the zoo could talk about – zookeepers and animals! Great-Uncle Horace had announced it just after he’d arrived home from his last adventure. Since then, Zoe and Meep had been eagerly waiting for him to tell them more.

  “Ooh, yes!” squeaked Meep, clapping his paws together. “I’d forgotten about that, Zoe. I hope there’ll be lots of tasty treats for me to eat. Bananas, blueberries, sunflower seeds…”

  Zoe chuckled. “Well, maybe we can ask him now. Look, there he is!” she whispered, nodding at the path ahead. Great-Uncle Horace was strolling towards them, a long, thick knitted scarf wrapped several times around his neck. Kiki was perched on his shoulder. Zoe’s mum caught up with them as he approached.

  “Goodness me, you’re both out very late, my dears! I would have thought you’d be tucked up in bed by now, Zoe. Is everything all right?” Great-Uncle Horace asked, looking worried.

  “Everything’s fine! We’ve just come from the aviary. Zoe, do you want to tell Great-Uncle Horace the good news?” said Lucy.

  Zoe explained that the snowy owl egg had finally hatched! She felt a flush of pride as she described how she’d held the tiny owlet for the first time. Great-Uncle Horace was delighted.

  “Well done, Zoe! I’ll go and pay the little chap a visit right away. And I’ve got some exciting news too!” he told them. “I’ve just made the final arrangements for our New Year’s Eve celebrations. We’re going to have a huge fireworks display! I’ve ordered three big boxes of rockets, Catherine wheels and fountains, all the way from China. They are all special low noise fireworks, so they won’t upset the animals but will still look splendid. The delivery should arrive in the next few days. And we’ll have a fireworks expert to put the display on for us!”

  “Fireworks!” cried Zoe, grinning at Great-Uncle Horace. “I love fireworks. And can we have sparklers too?”

  “It wouldn’t be a proper fireworks display without sparklers, my dear! I’ve ordered two hundred, which should be plenty for all the zoo’s visitors,” Great-Uncle Horace told her with a smile.

  “Fireworks? Oh dear. Where will we store them all, Mr Higgins?” asked a voice from behind Zoe.

  Zoe felt Meep bristle crossly in her arms. It was Mr Pinch, the grumpy zoo manager, who was doing his final check of the zoo for the night. “I’m concerned we might not have room for lots of big boxes, sir,” Mr Pinch continued. “The zoo is already very messy at the moment because of all the Christmas presents that have been bought for the animals.”

  “Not at all, my dear Mr Pinch. Christmas is for everyone, including the animals!” Great-Uncle Horace told him happily. “And the fireworks are very important. We need to celebrate the zoo’s anniversary properly! And there’s plenty of room for the fireworks in the storage hut behind the aviary. I’ll supervise the delivery myself. In fact, I’ll go there now, before I visit our new snowy owl, and make sure it’s ready for the delivery.”

  Zoe could see that Mr Pinch still wasn’t happy about the idea, but he nodded grudgingly. Zoe was so excited now. She couldn’t wait for the school term to finish and the Christmas holidays to begin. There was just so much to look forward to!

  Chapter Three

  Christmas Eve Excitement

  “One more sleep till Christmas!” Zoe sang excitedly as she ran through the zoo, enjoying the crunch of her footsteps in the smooth, powdery snow.

  Zoe’s school had broken up for Christmas three days ago. Since then, she had been enjoying spending all of her free time visiting her animal friends around the Rescue Zoo.

  Zoe had fed the penguins and the flamingos, played in the snow with the polar bears, and had helped to give the zebras a special bath so that their stripy coats were glossy and clean for Christmas Day. Last night, she and Meep had taken part in the annual Carol Concert, where all the zookeepers and lots of visitors had gathered around the huge Christmas tree in front of the zoo cafe to sing Christmas songs.

  Zoe was feeling extra-specially merry this morning, and it wasn’t just because it was Christmas Eve! She and Meep were on their way to see little Ollie. It was a special day for him too. The adorable baby owl had grown much bigger and stronger over the last few weeks, and his dark, fuzzy down was starting to be replaced by thick white feathers, just as Alison had said it would. In fact, Alison was so pleased with his progress that she’d decided Ollie was ready to live with the other Rescue Zoo birds. Today was the day he would be leaving the incubation room and moving into the aviary!

  The little owl was waiting for Zoe when she arrived, and twittered excitedly when he saw her.

  “I know you’re moving today!” chuckled Zoe, stroking his soft little head. “Meep and I came as soon as we could. I just had to wrap my mum’s Christmas present before we set off.”

  Ollie chirped curiously.

  “Oh, that’s one of the nicest things about Christmas Day! Everyone gives each other presents,” explained Zoe. It was funny to think that Ollie had never had a Christmas before! “I know – why don’t I bring you a present tomorrow? Then you can see what it’s all about,” she said, and giggled as the little owl puffed his feathery chest up with pride.

  “Hi, Zoe!” said Alison, popping her head inside the incubation room. “You’re here nice and early. That’s great – we can take Ollie into the main part of the aviary straight away! It’s funny – he’s been chirping very cheerfully all morning. It’s almost as if he understands that something exciting is happening today. I know that must sound silly!” Alison said, shaking her head and smiling. Zoe had to hide her laughter, because, of course, Ollie did know!

  Alison handed Zoe a special red glove made from thick, padded material. “I wear these all the time. They stop your hands getting scratched by the birds’ sharp claws,” she explained.

  Zoe put the glove on and held it out straight, in front of where Ollie was huddled.

  With a bit of encouragement, the owlet hopped on to the glove and gripped the padded material. As Zoe carried him carefully through to the main part of the aviary, the little owl fluttered his wings and hooted excitedly. His eyes were wide as he stared around the beautiful enclosure.

  “Isn’t it lovely?” Zoe whispered. “And look – all the other birds are excited to meet you too, Ollie!”

  The rest of the aviary was just as eager and curious about the new arrival as he was about them! Zoe giggled as wrens, woodpeckers and finches swooped around her head, chirping a friendly greeting to Ollie. Cyril and Ruby fluttered right up to them and twittered hello. Quietly, Zoe introduced Ollie to them.

  “Goodness, he’s making friends already!” Alison said with a laugh. “Why don’t you set him down on this tree branch here, Zoe? That way he can get used to his new surroundings.”

  Zoe carefully lowered her glove so that Ollie could hop on to the branch. The little owl was chattering and hooting non-stop at all the colourful birds flying past him. Zoe grinned, feeling relieved. Ollie seemed to love his new home already!

  Zoe wished she could stay at the aviary all day long, but when her tummy started rumbling
she knew it was time to head home for lunch. Meep was having fun at the aviary too, but he was always ready for his next meal! So, after waving goodbye to Alison and Ollie, Zoe scooped Meep up and ran down the path towards the cottage.

  There was a buzz of chatter in the living room as Zoe pushed open the front door and stepped inside. Around the table sat her mum, Great-Uncle Horace and several of the zookeepers, nibbling mince pies and sipping cups of tea.

  “Zoe! There you are. There’s some lunch for you in the kitchen,” said Lucy. “And we’ve saved you a mince pie for afterwards!”

  “What are you all doing?” Zoe asked, seeing several pads of paper and pens on the table.

  “Oh, we’re planning the New Year’s Eve celebration!” explained Great-Uncle Horace. “Come and join us, Zoe. I know you’re going to have lots of good ideas.”

  Zoe grabbed the plate of sandwiches from the fridge, and a banana for Meep, and they joined the group around the table.

  “We thought we’d start the evening with hot chocolate for everyone by the polar bear enclosure,” Great-Uncle Horace told her. “That’s where our fireworks expert will start the display, safely away from the animals. But first we thought we’d have a little show. We might let some of the animals show off their special tricks and talents! And I’ll tell the story of how each one came to live at the zoo.”

  Zoe thought this sounded wonderful, and as the group continued to swap ideas, an idea of her own popped into her head. New Year’s Eve was still a week away. Ollie might have started flying by then! If he had, maybe he could take part in the show too?

  I’ll ask him if he’d like that tomorrow, she thought, taking a bite of her sandwich. When I give him his Christmas present!

  Chapter Four

  A Special Present

  “I’m stuffed!” said Zoe, dropping her spoon into her empty bowl and pushing it away. “That Christmas pudding was so yummy, Mum!”

  “I very much agree!” added Great-Uncle Horace, patting his stomach. “Delicious.”

  It was Christmas Day, and Zoe’s family had exchanged presents before sitting down at the kitchen table, pulling their crackers and eating a huge lunch. Zoe secretly thought that Great-Uncle Horace looked like Santa Claus today, with his white beard flowing over his bright-red Christmas jumper!

  “Are you sure you don’t want second helpings?” suggested Lucy. “There’s plenty left.”

  Great-Uncle Horace looked thoughtful. “Well, I might have room for just a tiny bit more pudding…”

  Zoe shook her head. “I think I’d pop! Besides, I was wondering if I could go and say hello to Ollie? I want to see how he’s settling into the aviary. And I’ve got him a Christmas present!”

  “That’s fine, Zoe, just don’t be late back. That penguin film you love is on TV tonight, so I thought we could all watch it together,” Lucy told her.

  “And we could open those posh chocolates you gave me, Zoe!” added Great-Uncle Horace, winking at her. Great-Uncle Horace had a serious sweet tooth!

  “Great! I won’t be long,” Zoe promised. She pulled on her coat and the new matching purple-and-blue-striped hat and scarf her mum had given her for Christmas, and picked up Ollie’s present from by the front door. Meep hopped on to her shoulder and they headed outside. It was frosty underfoot so Zoe walked carefully, doing her best not to skid or slip.

  Zoe had a special necklace that let her into any enclosure in the zoo. She used her necklace’s special silver pawprint pendant to open the aviary gate, and she and Meep slipped inside. The air was filled with cheerful chirping and tweeting. The birds were celebrating Christmas too!

  “Merry Christmas, Ollie!” she called as she spotted the little owlet. Ollie fluttered his wings happily when he saw her, and hooted back.

  “I did get some lovely presents, thank you!” replied Zoe, grinning. “This hat and scarf, which are keeping me toasty warm, and some books, and a big set of felt tips! And I didn’t forget to bring your present, Ollie.”

  She placed the little parcel in front of Ollie, giggling as his big eyes opened even wider in amazement. With Zoe’s help, Ollie used his tiny beak and claws to rip off the wrapping paper. Inside was a bag of mealworms, and two small pieces of wood, each shaped like a letter T.

  “They’re perches! They’re to help you practise your flying,” Zoe explained. “These long parts are pushed straight down into the ground, a metre or so apart. And you perch on the flat parts here. You can try flying from one perch to another – and the better you get, the further apart we can set them up!”

  Ollie loved his presents, especially the perches! He hooted eagerly at Zoe until she agreed to set them up for him right away. Zoe gently lifted him on to one of the perches, and smiled as Ollie fluttered his feathers as hard as he could, lifting himself into the air. He almost made it over to the other perch, but his little wings weren’t quite strong enough, and he started to lose height just before he got there. Zoe had to catch him and support him the rest of the way.

  “Don’t worry, you’ll be able to do this all by yourself in no time,” she reassured him. “You’re so close now. And if you’re flying well enough on New Year’s Eve, I wondered if you’d like to take part in the show?”

  Ollie looked curious, so Zoe explained Great-Uncle Horace’s idea to introduce animals to the visitors. “Usually, Great-Uncle Horace is the person who finds animals needing a home at the Rescue Zoo. He’s going to talk about all the other animals in the show. And since it’s so rare to find a snowy owl like you so far south, I bet everyone would be really interested to hear your story, about how I found you in your egg right here in the woods by the zoo! I thought maybe I could even be the one to introduce you – if you’d like to do it, that is.”

  Ollie hooted sleepily, and Zoe noticed that his eyes were drooping a little as she spoke. He must be tired from his first go at flying! she thought, smiling to herself. He’s so cute.

  “I could tell all the visitors how you were hatched here at the zoo, and then you could do a little bit of flying. Everyone would love you!” she finished. “What do you think?”

  Ollie perked up a bit, and chirped back excitedly. Zoe smiled. “I’m so glad you like the idea! And if you keep practising, you’ll definitely be ready in time for the show,” she told him. “It will be so much fun, Ollie. New Year’s Eve is one of my favourite nights of the whole year. Mum always lets me and Meep stay up until midnight! We’re sometimes a bit sleepy the next day, but we don’t mind.”

  As she said this, the little owl’s eyes drooped again, and he yawned. Zoe laughed. “It looks like you’re sleepy now, Ollie!” she said. “Aren’t you getting enough sleep? Is the aviary too noisy?”

  Hooting animatedly now, Ollie pointed his wing to a group of birds who were roosting at the back of the aviary, their heads tucked under their wings as they slept. “So you’re staying awake at night-time to play with the nocturnal birds, like the hawks, the nightingales and the barn owls,” said Zoe, beginning to understand. “But you’re not going to sleep in the daytime either, because you’re so excited about making friends with all the other birds, and spending time with me and Meep! You don’t want to miss anything, do you, Ollie?”

  The little owlet shook his head firmly, chirping enthusiastically. Zoe reached out to give his feathers a gentle stroke. “Well, Meep and I love visiting you too!” she told him, smiling. “But you’ve got to be careful, Ollie. Snowy owls are special. Most owls are nocturnal, but Great-Uncle Horace told me that snowy owls can choose whether to sleep in the daytime or at night. And you do need to make sure you get plenty of sleep! You don’t want to tire yourself out. You might get poorly, or fall asleep while you’re flying and have an accident.”

  “Sleeping can be fun,” added Meep helpfully. “I love it when Zoe tucks me in and tells me a bedtime story! My favourite is about a little lemur, like me, who lives in a magical banana tree. It grows as many bananas as you like, no matter how many you eat! I always have nice dreams about bananas aft
er that story. Mmm…”

  But Ollie didn’t seem very interested in sleeping or in having nice dreams! With a cheerful tweet, he fluttered his wings and tried once again to fly to the other perch.

  “It looks like Ollie is determined to be ready for the New Year’s Eve show, Meep!” Zoe whispered with a giggle. She couldn’t wait for it either!

  Chapter Five

  A Sleepy Problem

  Three days later, Zoe and Meep were on their way to visit Ollie again when they saw a delivery truck parked close to the aviary. Several delivery men were lifting three huge wooden crates from the back of the truck and stacking them up by the side of the path. There were colourful Chinese symbols painted on the side of the crates.

  “Meep, look! That must be the New Year’s Eve fireworks,” said Zoe. “Wow, it looks like there are hundreds of them!”

  Great-Uncle Horace was there too, directing the boxes to where he wanted them. “Into the storage hut behind the aviary, please!” he said happily, signing a piece of paper that one of the delivery men handed him. “Not long to wait until we see these lighting up the whole sky! Our display is going to be splendid!”

  “Mr Pinch doesn’t look very pleased, does he?” whispered Zoe, and Meep giggled cheekily. The zoo manager was patching up a broken section of the aviary fence nearby, and watching the fireworks arrive with a very grumpy expression on his face.

  “Ugh, fireworks,” Zoe heard him mumble to himself crossly. “Too bright. They hurt my eyes.”

  Great-Uncle Horace saw Zoe passing and waved to her. “Good morning, my dear!” he called. “Off to see our little snowy owl? Alison tells me his flying has really improved since Christmas Day – thanks to your lovely present, no doubt!”