The Eager Elephant

by Amelia Cobb

  Zoe gasped, her heart thudding in her chest. Bertie had waded even further into the lake – and now he was struggling to stay above the water. The little elephant was in big trouble…

  Chapter One

  Meep Gets into Mischief

  Zoe Parker wrinkled her nose and squeezed her eyes tightly shut. “Aaaa-chooo!” she sneezed as dust went up her nose. “Aaaa-chooo!”

  Zoe was raking up the minty-smelling leaves in the koala enclosure at the Rescue Zoo. All around her, tall green trees stretched up from the dusty, pebbly ground. Every time Zoe moved her rake, a small cloud of dust puffed into the air – and straight up her nose!

  As the branches above her head shook, Zoe glanced up. Perched in the tree was Matilda, one of the koalas. Zoe thought she was one of the cuddliest animals at the Rescue Zoo, with her soft grey fur, cute black nose and big fluffy ears. But right now Matilda didn’t look at all cuddly – she looked cross!

  The koala gave a noisy chatter, and a tiny creature scampered out of the leaves and shot down the tree trunk. He stuck his pink tongue out at Matilda before leaping on to Zoe’s shoulder.

  “Meep!” Zoe said, grinning at the little mouse lemur. Meep was her very best friend. He was so small he could easily ride on Zoe’s shoulder, and he was always getting into mischief!

  The koala chattered again crossly, and Zoe looked up in time to see her fluffy bottom disappear further up the tree. Zoe giggled. Being with all the animals was her favourite thing about her zoo home, even when they were cross!

  Zoe was very lucky – because she lived at the Rescue Zoo! Her Great-Uncle Horace was the zoo owner, and knew almost everything about animals. Zoe didn’t see him very often, because he spent lots of time travelling around the world, looking for animals that needed help. Whenever he found an animal in trouble or without a home he brought them back to live at the Rescue Zoo! Zoe’s mum, Lucy, was the zoo vet, and she and Zoe lived in a cottage on the edge of the zoo.

  Matilda shook her furry head and chattered crossly again at Meep, and Zoe smiled. “You’re right, Matilda,” she replied. “Meep is the naughtiest lemur I’ve ever met, too.”

  Living at the Rescue Zoo was the first exciting thing about Zoe, but the second thing was even more special. Zoe knew a very big secret: animals can understand what people say, and talk to them all the time! But only a few lucky people can talk back to them. Zoe was one of these special people. Ever since her sixth birthday she had understood every growl, grunt, squeak and roar the animals made! But she could never tell anyone the animals’ secret – not even her family.

  “What were you doing this time, Meep?” said Zoe as the lemur snuggled into her shoulder.

  “I wasn’t doing anything naughty, Zoe,” Meep complained grumpily. “I just wanted to try one of Matilda’s special leaves. They look so green and juicy, and they smell so nice. But I had one tiny bite and then I spat it straight out. It tasted horrible!”

  “Oh, Meep!” Zoe sighed. “Those are eucalyptus leaves, and they’re poisonous to most animals! They would have made you very sick. Matilda can eat them because koalas have special tummies that protect them. She was just trying to help you.” She smiled up at Matilda. “Thank you,” she told the koala gratefully. “No wonder you were upset with cheeky Meep!”

  Matilda nodded her furry head and quickly chattered back.

  “No, I’m sure he won’t do it again!” Zoe replied. “Will you, Meep?”

  Meep’s big golden eyes were wide as he shook his head. “I’ll stick to bananas from now on. And apples. And maybe nuts too … and sunflower seeds…”

  Zoe giggled as Meep started listing all the foods he liked. Meep was a little animal with a big appetite!

  Up in the tree, Matilda suddenly gave an excited squeak and began chattering eagerly.

  “What is it?” Zoe asked curiously.

  “Let’s go and see!” chirped Meep, bounding nimbly back up the tree. Zoe quickly grabbed the lowest branches and pulled herself up to where Matilda was sitting. She wasn’t as good at climbing as the koalas, or Meep, but she was still the best in her class. She had lots of practice playing with her animal friends!

  Peering through the leaves over the top of the wooded enclosure, Zoe saw a bright-yellow jeep rumbling slowly through the zoo gates. It was very dusty, with big muddy wheels, and looked like it had travelled a long way. The back of the jeep was open and flat, without a roof or any seats, and a large wooden crate was strapped on to it.

  Around her, Zoe heard lots of noise as the other zoo animals spotted the jeep. The grizzly bears growled curiously. The turtles swam to the edge of their lagoon enclosure. And Oscar, the friendly African elephant, lifted his big trunk in the air and gave a noisy trumpet.

  As the jeep got closer, Zoe could see something through the dirt on the door. There was a familiar logo painted there – a hot-air balloon, the symbol of the Rescue Zoo! Zoe’s heart gave a big thump of excitement. “It’s Great-Uncle Horace!” she gasped. “He’s back from his safari trip. And he’s brought a new animal for the Rescue Zoo!”

  Chapter Two

  A Safari Surprise

  Climbing down the tree and waving goodbye to the koalas, Zoe dashed out of the enclosure and raced towards the cottage. Meep scampered along the path next to her. “Goo’s back! And there’s a new animal to play with!” he squeaked excitedly.

  They reached the big yellow jeep just as the door opened, and a huge bird with glossy blue feathers and a curved beak flew out. She swooped straight into the air, happily stretching her wings.

  “Kiki!” Zoe grinned as she saw the beautiful hyacinth macaw. Kiki and Great-Uncle Horace were best friends, just like Zoe and Meep, and Kiki travelled everywhere with Great-Uncle Horace.

  Then a man with untidy white hair and twinkling eyes stepped out. He wore a crumpled safari hat and jacket, and when he saw Zoe his face broke into a cheerful smile.

  “Great-Uncle Horace!” exclaimed Zoe, rushing forward.

  “Zoe, my dear! Goodness me, you’re getting so big!” cried Great-Uncle Horace, scooping her up for a hug. “I’ve been having all sorts of exciting adventures in Africa, but it’s splendid to come home and see you! I’ve missed you so much. And you too, Meep!” he added, chuckling as Meep eyed the big wooden crate. “I see your inquisitive friend wants to know what’s inside!” he said, winking at Zoe. “You’ll both find out soon, I promise. Ah, here’s everyone else!”

  A crowd of zookeepers rushed down the path, calling out greetings to Great-Uncle Horace. Then Mr Pinch, the grumpy zoo manager, arrived. His face was like thunder as he spotted the crate.

  “Another new animal to make lots of mess! Don’t I have enough to do already?” Zoe heard him mutter grumpily.

  Zoe’s mum, Lucy, arrived next, her face pink from running across the zoo. “Welcome home!” she said warmly, reaching up to kiss Great-Uncle Horace’s cheek. Then she saw the crate and grinned. “And who have you brought home this time?”

  “A friendly young fellow, who I think will be just right for the Rescue Zoo,” said Great-Uncle Horace, beaming. “In fact, let’s show him his new home now. I’ll need a few helpers to put the wooden crate right outside Oscar’s enclosure, please. Careful though – it’s rather heavy!”

  As a group of zookeepers began moving the crate, Zoe glanced at Meep. The little lemur looked as puzzled as she felt. The new animal was going to live with Oscar? But Oscar was a huge elephant – and the crate was only the same size as Zoe! There couldn’t be another elephant inside, could there?

  Then Zoe gasped. “Unless,” she whispered to Meep, her eyes shining, “it’s a baby elephant!”

  Meep gave a squeal and leaped on to Zoe’s shoulders so that he could see better.

  “Excuse me, please
– coming through.” An elderly man in a zookeeper uniform rushed over to help.

  “If it is an elephant, David will be so happy!” Zoe whispered to Meep.

  David the elephant keeper had worked at the Rescue Zoo for as long as Zoe could remember, and he was one of her favourite keepers. He had white hair, a deep, gentle voice and kind, grey eyes. Zoe knew that David had always wanted Oscar to have an elephant friend.

  Zoe held her breath as David stepped forward and opened the latch on the crate door. The door clattered to the ground and there was a moment’s silence. Then there was a high, excited trumpeting sound. The crowd gasped, and David gave a happy cheer. Zoe couldn’t help jumping up and down. “It is a baby elephant!” she cried.

  The tip of a little trunk poked out first, sniffing the air. Then there was a happy squeal and the baby elephant tumbled excitedly out of the crate. He stopped when he saw the crowd, staring curiously at everyone with big brown eyes.

  Zoe giggled as he took a few wobbly steps. “He’s the cutest thing ever!” she said, grinning.

  “Baby elephants can start walking on the day they’re born, but this chap needs some practice,” Great-Uncle Horace explained. “Normally, the rest of his herd would have helped him to learn, but he was separated from them when he was just a few hours old. He was all alone and very upset when Kiki and I found him. We tried to find him a home at the local elephant orphanage but they didn’t have room for a new baby. That’s why I decided to bring him back to the Rescue Zoo.”

  The little elephant flapped his ears happily as he spotted Great-Uncle Horace. He plodded over, raised his trunk, and before Great-Uncle Horace could say a word, the baby elephant reached inside his coat pocket and pulled out a custard cream! Zoe and Meep burst out laughing as he popped it into his mouth and started crunching happily.

  “Albert discovered my favourite biscuits on the journey back from Africa,” explained Great-Uncle Horace, chuckling.

  “Albert? That’s a very grown-up name for a baby,” laughed Lucy.

  “Maybe we could call him Bertie for short?” suggested Zoe.

  Great-Uncle Horace’s eyes lit up. “Yes, Bertie suits his cheeky little character perfectly! Well done, Zoe.”

  Zoe grinned as she reached out and stroked Bertie’s head. Usually the animals told her their names when they arrived, but sometimes they were so small when Great-Uncle Horace rescued them that they didn’t even have a name yet!

  “He looks very healthy and happy,” Lucy said. “Although I wish he’d stay still long enough for me to have a proper look at his ears,” she added with a chuckle as Bertie galloped off through the crowd excitedly, lifting his trunk to sniff every single person. “I’ll give him a proper check-up later.”

  “Is he going straight inside his new home?” asked Zoe, glancing at Oscar. The gentle giant had put his huge head over his enclosure fence and was watching curiously.

  “We’ll have to do it carefully,” said David. “Elephants are very kind creatures, but Oscar isn’t used to living with a baby. He could squash Bertie accidentally.”

  Meep gave a worried squeak, and Zoe stroked him soothingly. She knew she could talk to Oscar and tell him to be extra careful around the new arrival, but she couldn’t tell David and the other keepers that!

  As the grown-ups started talking about the best way to introduce Bertie to Oscar, Zoe quickly glanced around. No one was looking, so she whispered very quietly to Meep. “We’ll have to talk to Oscar as soon as we can …” she began.

  But Meep wasn’t listening. “Look, Zoe!” he giggled, pointing a tiny finger.

  Zoe turned to see what Meep had spotted, and her face broke into a relieved smile. “Mum! David! Great-Uncle Horace! I don’t think there’s anything to worry about,” she called. “I just know Oscar’s going to take really good care of Bertie. Look!”

  Everyone turned. Oscar was reaching his long trunk right over the fence, and Bertie was standing underneath, holding his own little trunk up so that they touched. Zoe listened as Oscar trumpeted.

  She grinned. Oscar was so pleased to meet Bertie! The other keepers were all smiling too. Only Zoe could understand what the elephants were saying, but everyone could see how happy they were!

  Chapter Three

  Baby Bertie

  “Meep, I’m home!” called Zoe, bursting through the front door of the cottage. She spotted a furry bundle curled up on the sofa and smiled. “Meep, have you been snoozing all day?”

  A tiny head popped up, and Meep blinked sleepily. “I was just resting my eyes, Zoe,” the lemur explained, yawning. “I wasn’t really asleep.”

  Zoe grinned. “Come on – I’ll get changed out of my school things and then it’s time to go and see Bertie!”

  Zoe had rushed home from school as fast as she could. She’d even decided not to stay late for her Monday-night drawing club, which she normally loved. She’d been desperate to get back to the Rescue Zoo – and all because of a very cute baby elephant!

  All weekend, Zoe had tried to talk to Bertie. She always made sure she spoke to new animals when they arrived at the zoo, so that she could try to help if they felt nervous or frightened. They were often very surprised that a little girl could understand them! But yesterday there hadn’t been a single second to speak to Bertie on his own.

  First, David had taken Bertie into his new enclosure so that he could meet Oscar properly. Bertie had been so excited, he’d rushed around in dizzy circles, trumpeting noisily! Then Lucy had popped in to give the little elephant a proper check-up. It had taken a while, because Bertie thought she had come to play chase, and cheekily ran away from her as she hurried after him. After that, Great-Uncle Horace and Kiki had come by to say hello. Zoe waited and waited, but before she knew it, it was time to go home for tea!

  “It might not be as busy today though,” she told Meep hopefully as she put on leggings, a red top and a cardigan, and fastened her paw-print-charm necklace around her neck. “Let’s go!”

  They ran along the path, calling hello to their other animal friends as they passed. But as they drew closer to the elephants, Zoe noticed a funny noise in the air. It was a bit like the buzzing she heard whenever she visited the Rescue Zoo bees. “What is that?” she asked, frowning.

  The funny buzz grew louder and louder. They reached the next corner, peered round it – and both stared. The noise was the chatter of an enormous crowd outside the elephant enclosure! Zoe had never seen so many people in the zoo before, all talking eagerly about one animal.

  “The baby is so adorable!” cried a lady with big sunglasses.

  “Elephants are my favourite!” called a boy in a blue jumper, holding his camera up to take a picture.

  “Look how many people want to see Bertie!” Zoe whispered in amazement.

  “How will we get in, Zoe?” Meep asked anxiously.

  “Don’t worry. We’ll use my special necklace!” Zoe replied, reaching for the paw-print charm around her neck. It was very precious to Zoe, because it had been a present from Great-Uncle Horace. It opened every door and gate in the whole zoo, and meant that Zoe could visit any animal whenever she wanted.

  “Excuse me,” said Zoe politely, making her way through the crowd. She dodged past a family taking pictures with their phones, and squeezed through a huge group of girls and boys in Brownie and Scout uniforms who were standing on their tiptoes to see Bertie. “He’s so cute!” one of the Brownies cried. When Zoe reached the fence, she held the charm against a panel on the gate. With a quiet click, it swung open. Zoe and Meep went inside and shut the gate behind them.

  “Wow,” a little girl breathed, staring at Zoe. “I wish I could do that!”

  The elephants’ home looked just like the real African savannah, with lots of tall acacia and apricot trees. David was holding out a big handful of peanuts for Oscar, who was using his clever trunk to scoop them straight into his mouth, without even taking the shells off. Bertie watched Oscar hopefully.

  “He’s just had a bottle of mil
k,” David told Zoe. “He’ll need to drink around fourteen litres of milk a day, but he’ll be eating more and more solid food as well. I don’t think he’s hungry, he’s just eager to do whatever Oscar is doing!”

  Zoe giggled as Bertie watched Oscar eat, his ears waggling with excitement.

  Oscar carefully used the tip of his trunk to push a peanut over to the little elephant. Zoe giggled as Bertie dropped the peanut straight away, chasing after it with his trunk, but Oscar patiently showed Bertie how to pick it back up and pop it in his mouth.

  Zoe smiled as Bertie rushed up to her. His tasselled tail was swishing excitedly, like a happy puppy’s. As he trumpeted hello, she was even more desperate to talk to him. But David was right there – and all the visitors were watching!

  Suddenly Meep gave a noisy chatter. He hopped off Zoe’s shoulder, ran across the enclosure and leaped on to David’s arm – grabbing a peanut right out of his hand! The crowd started laughing as Meep scampered all the way up Oscar’s trunk and perched on his huge, grey head, where he nibbled cheekily on the peanut.

  Zoe grinned. Her funny friend was distracting everyone for her! As the crowd took pictures of the naughty lemur, she bent down and whispered quickly in Bertie’s ear, “Hello, Bertie!”

  Bertie’s eyes lit up and he gave an loud squeak. Zoe could tell he was trying his best to be quiet, but he was too excited!

  “I’m glad Oscar told you about me,” she replied quietly, smiling. “Oscar is one of my best friends here at the Rescue Zoo. And I hope we’re going to be good friends too. We can’t talk properly with all these people around – but I’ll come back as soon as I can. I promise!”