by Amelia Cobb
When the ice creams were finished, and the judges had left the zoo, it was time for Jamie to go back to his enclosure.
“Wait until your mum hears what the judges said about you,” Zoe whispered to him, giving him a cuddle. “She’s going to be so proud of you!”
As an excited Jamie stepped into his enclosure, his legs wobbled and he almost tripped over his own feet!
The other giraffes began giggling – and so did the elephants and the monkeys, from their own enclosures close by. Jamie shot Zoe a very worried glance.
Zoe grinned. “I know that was an accident, Jamie!” she said. “And you don’t need to look so worried. It’s good to make people laugh – sometimes!”
Zoe Parker wrapped her woolly scarf snugly round her neck and brushed a flurry of snowflakes from the front of her coat.
“Brrr! It feels so wintry today!” she said, shivering.
“Well, it is the start of December,” replied her mum, Lucy, smiling and rubbing her hands together to stay warm.
“It’s my favourite time of year,” added Zoe’s Great-Uncle Horace. “And today is the perfect day for a walk with my two favourite people! The Rescue Zoo always looks rather magical with a dusting of snow and a few Christmas lights. Don’t you think, Zoe?”
Zoe grinned at him. “Definitely!” she said, reaching out to hold hands with him through her mittens. “I love this time of year too. I’m so glad you’re back for Christmas and New Year, Great-Uncle Horace.”
“So am I, Zoe!” Great-Uncle Horace replied, beaming. “I do love going on adventures around the world, but there really is no place quite like home. Especially at Christmas time!”
Just as he said this, there was a very noisy trumpeting sound behind them. Zoe spun round to see Bertie, the cheeky young elephant, inside his enclosure.
Great-Uncle Horace chuckled. “And it sounds like Bertie is pleased too,” he added, winking at Zoe.
Zoe giggled at the funny little elephant. Going out for an early Sunday morning stroll was always lots of fun when you had a very special home, like Zoe did. She and her family weren’t just visiting the Rescue Zoo – they actually lived there!
Great-Uncle Horace was a famous explorer and animal expert. He had met so many lost, injured and endangered animals on his travels that he had decided to set up the Rescue Zoo. Now it was a safe home for hundreds of animals that had needed help, just like Bertie.
Zoe’s mum, Lucy, was Great-Uncle Horace’s niece and the Rescue Zoo vet. Because she needed to be close to the animals at all times in case of an emergency, she and Zoe lived in a little cottage just at the edge of the zoo. This meant that Zoe was only ever a few minutes away from all her favourite animals. Zoe’s bedroom window even looked out on the enclosures, so she woke up every morning to the sound of the animals squawking, roaring and grunting!
Just like her mum and great-uncle, Zoe loved animals, and so she completely adored her amazing home. This morning it looked even more beautiful than usual. It was a chilly day but the sky was very bright and blue. There was a light powdering of white snow on the branches of the trees and the red-brick path. Some of the zookeepers had hung garlands of holly, ivy and mistletoe along the fences, so that the zoo would look extra-specially festive when the gates opened to the visitors later that morning.
As they walked on, there was a tiny squeak from inside Zoe’s coat. A grey, furry little head with fuzzy ears and big eyes popped out above her collar. “Is it time for lunch yet, Zoe? We’ve been walking for ages and ages!”
Zoe nuzzled the soft, fluffy head with her cheek. “No we haven’t, Meep! And we’ve only just eaten breakfast!” she whispered with a smile, being careful not to let her mum and Great-Uncle Horace overhear. “And you haven’t been doing any walking. You’ve been cuddled up inside my coat since we left home!”
“That’s because I want to stay nice and warm!” squeaked Meep. “I don’t like walking on the snow. It makes my paws cold.”
On her sixth birthday, Zoe had discovered something magical. She had found out that animals can understand people, and can talk to them. Most people don’t understand animals, but Zoe had found out that she could! It was Zoe’s most special secret. She’d never told another person – not even her mum!
Her amazing gift had made growing up in a zoo even more fun. Whenever no one else was around, Zoe loved chatting with the animals, from the tiniest tree frog to the biggest hippopotamus. And of all the animals at the Rescue Zoo, Meep was her favourite. He was a tiny grey mouse lemur, with huge golden eyes, an adorable little nose and a long, curling tail. Unlike all the other animals at the zoo, Meep lived in the cottage with Zoe and her mum. He and Zoe went everywhere together.
Zoe dug deep in her coat pocket and pulled out a handful of seeds. “I thought you might get hungry,” she whispered to Meep, “so I brought along a snack for you, just in case.” She giggled as Meep stuffed the nuts and seeds straight into his mouth, making his cheeks puff up like a hamster.
“Zoe, why don’t we head out of the zoo today?” suggested Great-Uncle Horace. “There’s always lots of wonderful wildlife in the woods.”
“OK!” replied Zoe with a smile. She followed the path round to the right, past the koalas and the flying foxes, towards a side gate that led out of the zoo and into some woodland. Great-Uncle Horace looked after the woods too, but they weren’t part of the zoo grounds. And, unlike the zoo, they were left to grow wild. Zoe found the woodland mysterious and exciting!
She stepped carefully through the snowy bushes, keeping an eye out for any movement. Zoe knew that the field mice and hedgehogs would be hibernating at this time of year, but there would still be wild rabbits and hares running about, as well as pheasants.
Great-Uncle Horace glanced up and whistled to a large vivid-blue bird with huge feathery wings, flying along above them. At his whistle, she swooped down through the trees and perched on his shoulder. This was Kiki, Great-Uncle Horace’s hyacinth macaw. She went with him on all his travels.
Copyright
With special thanks to Natalie Doherty
First published in the UK in 2018 by Nosy Crow Ltd
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Illustrations © Sophy Williams, 2018
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