by Amelia Cobb
Bertie hugged his big best friend, then came over to nuzzle up to Zoe.
Zoe smiled. “You don’t have to say sorry, Bertie,” she told him, cuddling him back. “I know you just got overexcited when you saw the water.”
Bertie gave a tiny, nervous trumpet and Zoe shook her head quickly. “Oh no, Bertie, of course you don’t have to leave the Rescue Zoo! This is your home for ever, no matter what. We all love that you’re an eager little elephant but we just want you to be safe. So when we get to the water-lily lake, you should stay in the shallow water until you get a bit bigger. OK?”
Bertie nodded, wrapping his trunk around Zoe’s middle to give her an elephant hug.
“It’s just lucky Oscar was there,” Zoe sighed. “And that he was brave enough to come into the water to get you.”
She reached up to pat the huge elephant’s side. “Will you tell me why you were so frightened of water?” she asked softly.
Oscar hesitated for a moment, then trumpeted shakily. Zoe listened as he told the story: how he fell into the river when he was a tiny baby himself, and was quickly swept away. “You can’t have been much older than Bertie,” gasped Zoe, and the big elephant nodded. “So that’s how you lost your family.”
“No wonder you didn’t like getting wet!” chirped Meep.
Zoe beamed at her huge friend. “But you rescued Bertie, even though you were frightened,” she told him. “That was the bravest thing I’ve ever seen, Oscar.”
“Me too!” chirped Meep, and Bertie waggled his ears eagerly in agreement. Oscar gave a happy trumpet – and Zoe burst out laughing. “The water actually felt nice?” she repeated in amazement. “Well, maybe you and Bertie can go swimming more often – just not with the hippos!”
Chapter Ten
Bertie Gets the Sniffles
Three days later, Zoe and Meep were about to have a race along the zoo path. It was just getting dark and most of the visitors had already gone home. “Ready … set— Naughty Meep, you’re supposed to wait until I say ‘go’!” Zoe yelled, giggling as Meep sprang ahead of her.
Zoe’s cold was completely better now. After her adventure with Bertie and Oscar, she’d been worried that her cough and sniffles might come back worse than ever. But she felt fine and the next morning she was ready to go back to school.
“Can’t catch me, Zoe! Can’t catch me!” chattered Meep cheekily, darting nimbly past some visitors who were clustered outside the giraffe enclosure.
Suddenly the mouse lemur stopped and cocked his head to one side, listening. “What’s that funny sound?”
It was a very strange, squeaky, snuffling noise – and it was coming from the elephant enclosure. What’s Bertie up to now? Zoe thought, reaching for her paw-print charm and opening the gate.
Inside, David was kneeling down next to Bertie, patting the tiny elephant’s back reassuringly. Oscar stood close by, watching over his friend. And to Zoe’s surprise, her mum and Great-Uncle Horace were there too.
Lucy was rummaging around in her vet bag. “It’s in here somewhere!” she said, and finally pulled out a silver stethoscope. She put the earpieces in and listened to Bertie’s chest.
“Mum! Great-Uncle Horace!” Zoe called, rushing over. Suddenly she felt worried. “What’s going on? Is Bertie all right?”
Right at that moment, a noisy sneeze exploded from Bertie’s trunk! The little elephant jumped in surprise, looking all around him. “That was the funny honking noise we heard before, Zoe,” giggled Meep.
“I don’t think Bertie knows what a sneeze is,” whispered Zoe, grinning back.
Great-Uncle Horace and David were chuckling too. “There’s nothing to worry about, love,” Lucy told Zoe, smiling as she packed her stethoscope away. “Bertie’s caught a cold, just like you! It’s not serious though. He’ll be back to normal in a day or two. He just needs some rest and lots of healthy food.”
“And perhaps the odd custard cream,” whispered Great-Uncle Horace, winking at Zoe.
“I think it’s time the cheeky little thing went to bed,” added David. “Zoe, do you want to help me tuck Bertie in?”
“And then it’s time for our dinner! Great-Uncle Horace and Kiki are joining us tonight too,” Lucy told Zoe.
Zoe grinned. “Brilliant!”
Oscar and Bertie were cuddled up in their cosy shelter, in a warm bed of fresh hay and grass. David had even fetched some fluffy blankets to make sure Bertie was extra snug. Zoe helped the baby elephant curl up and then covered him with the blankets, so that just his head and trunk were peeping out.
“Sleep tight, Bertie!” Zoe whispered. “I promise you’ll feel much better soon. Meep and I will come back tomorrow to see how you’re getting on. And Oscar’s here to take good care of you!”
As Zoe, Lucy and Great-Uncle Horace left the enclosure, with Kiki flying overhead and Meep scampering in front of them, Mr Pinch came marching up the path. “What is that honking noise?” he snapped. “I am trying to do some very important work in my office and I can’t be disturbed!” he announced, pushing past them and going into the enclosure. “I’m going to tell that naughty little elephant to keep the noise down!”
Great-Uncle Horace chuckled as they carried on walking home. “Something tells me Mr Pinch will wish he hadn’t done that…” he told Zoe, his eyes twinkling.
A minute later they heard another sneeze from behind them – and a huge, angry yell. Zoe bit her lip so she didn’t start laughing as Mr Pinch barged past them again. His face was red and his smart and usually spotless zoo manager’s hat was splattered with little drops.
“Elephant snot!” he cried, marching back to his office. “Yuck!”
Meep giggled so much that he almost fell over. Great-Uncle Horace, Lucy and Zoe managed to hold it in until they got back to the cottage. They rushed in, shut the door, glanced at one other – and burst out laughing. “That was so funny,” gasped Lucy, shaking her head.
“Ah, poor Mr Pinch,” chuckled Great-Uncle Horace.
Zoe grinned widely and hugged Meep. “Good old Bertie,” she added happily.
The Rescue Zoo’s eager little elephant was just as mischievous as ever – but she wouldn’t change him for anything!
Copyright
With special thanks to Natalie Doherty
ZOE’S RESCUE ZOO: THE EAGER ELEPHANT
First published in the UK in 2014 by Nosy Crow Ltd
The Crow’s Nest, 10a Lant Street
London, SE1 1QR, UK
This ebook edition first published 2014
Nosy Crow and associated logos are trademarks and / or registered trademarks of Nosy Crow Ltd
Text © Hothouse Fiction, 2014
Cover photography © Sophy Williams 2014
The rights of Hothouse Fiction and Sophy Williams to be identified as the author and photographer of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.
All rights reserved
This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, incidents and dialogues are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictiously. Any resemblence to actual people, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
ISBN: 978 0 85763 376 7
www.nosycrow.com
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