The Super Sloth

by Amelia Cobb

  Miss Hawkins frowned. “But it’s due in on Friday.”

  “I know. I’m starting it tonight.”

  Miss Hawkins nodded. But she looked disappointed. Zoe felt a horrible churning feeling in her tummy. She’d never been late with her school work before but she’d been so excited helping out with the Rainforest Dome. This evening she would do loads of work on her project. She didn’t want to let Miss Hawkins down!

  By the time home-time came around Zoe felt really shivery and tired and her throat was starting to hurt.

  “Are you all right, love? You’re very quiet,” said Lucy as they made their way along the road.

  “Yes, I’m fine,” said Zoe. She didn’t want to tell her mum she was feeling poorly or she wouldn’t let her go and see Sabina!

  “Hmm, you don’t look great,” replied Lucy. “You can spend twenty minutes at the dome but then you have to come home and finish your project. And then it’s an early night for you!”

  Zoe gulped. She hadn’t even started her project, although she had come up with an idea, at least – she’d decided to make a model of some plants growing in the cottage garden. “OK. Thanks, Mum.”

  As soon as they got back to the zoo, Zoe set off for the dome with Meep. This time the little mouse lemur raced ahead. Zoe felt too tired to run.

  When they got to the dome she went straight over to the palm trees by the stream. The trumpeter birds were perched at the top of theirs, feeding their fluffy chick. Sabina was tucked up on a branch below them, fast asleep.

  “Look,” said Zoe, picking Meep up so he could see. “Sabina’s in a different tree.”

  Just then Valeria came over. “Hi, Zoe. I was wondering if you could do something for me?”

  “Of course,” replied Zoe.

  “We need some more bunting for the Grand Opening on Saturday. Could you go over to the gift shop and get some for me?”

  “Of course. Atishoo!” Zoe sneezed.

  “Oh dear, I hope you’re not coming down with something,” said Valeria.

  Sabina stirred on her branch and opened her eyes.

  “My sneeze woke her up!” exclaimed Zoe.

  Sabina gave her a sleepy smile.

  “Why don’t you take Sabina with you to the shop,” suggested Valeria.

  “Really?” Zoe’s eyes lit up.

  “Yes, it will be a treat for her to see the rest of the zoo,” smiled Valeria. “I’ll fetch you a blanket to wrap around her so she keeps nice and warm.”

  As Valeria went to fetch a blanket, Zoe carefully lifted Sabina from the branch and held her tightly in her arms. Then she crouched down so that Meep could hop on to her shoulder.

  A few moments later, with Sabina snuggled in Zoe’s arms, the three friends set off to the gift shop. Outside the dome the evening sun was shining and the trees lining the path swayed in the breeze.

  Zoe hurried along the path towards the lion enclosure. She wanted Sabina to get to see as much of the zoo as possible, but she didn’t have much time before she had to go home to work on her project!

  Sabina slowly started squeaking a word.

  “T-r-e-e,” echoed Zoe. “Tree! Yes, there are lots of trees here in the zoo. You’ll have to tell me all about the trees you have in the rainforest.”

  Sabina squeaked some more.

  “Palm tree?” Zoe hurried on down the path.

  Sabina gave a really loud squeak.

  “What’s scary?” asked Zoe. Then she realised that they were walking right by the lion enclosure. Leonard the largest lion was sitting by a rock in the middle of the enclosure. When he saw them, he tipped his head back and gave a big roar.

  “Oh, you don’t have to be scared of these lions. They’re really friendly.” She hugged Sabina tighter to her and walked over to the fence.

  “Hello, Leonard,” Zoe called back to him. “This is Sabina. She’s a sloth from Costa Rica.”

  Leonard roared again. “He says welcome to the zoo,” Zoe explained to Sabina.

  Sabina smiled and slowly squeaked. “He’s … very…”

  Zoe tried to wait patiently for Sabina to finish her sentence. But it took such a long time! “Yes, he is very big,” she interrupted. “One of the biggest cats in the zoo! I know, let’s go and see the seals.” She hurried off along the path towards the seal enclosure. If they were lucky they’d get there for feeding time.

  Sure enough, Lorna the seal keeper was standing at the edge of the pool, holding a bucket of fish. “Seals are very clever,” Zoe said to Sabina. “They catch their food in their mouths – look.”

  Lorna threw a fish into the air. One of the seals leapt out of the water and caught it in its mouth.

  Sabina’s smile grew bigger and her dark eyes shone with excitement. Zoe felt another sneeze tingling in her nose.

  “Atishoo!”

  Meep jumped down from her shoulder in fright.

  “Sorry, Meep. I think I must have caught a cold,” said Zoe sadly.

  “How do you catch a cold?” asked Meep. “Do you catch it in your mouth like seals catch fish?”

  Zoe laughed. “Not exactly. Come on, we’d better hurry up and get to the shop.”

  By the time Zoe got to the gift shop she was so shivery her teeth were chattering.

  Sally, the manager of the gift shop, was tidying the cuddly toy animals.

  “Aha, there you are!” she said when she saw Zoe. “Valeria called and told me you were bringing a special visitor.”

  “This is Sabina,” said Zoe.

  Sally came over and Sabina gave her a sleepy smile.

  “She’s lovely!” exclaimed Sally. Then she looked at Zoe and frowned. “Are you all right, Zoe? You look very pale.”

  “I think I have a cold,” sniffed Zoe. Sally patted her on the shoulder. “Best place for you is tucked up in bed.”

  As Sally went off to get the bunting, Zoe’s heart sank. She really didn’t want to be tucked up in bed. How would she get her project done? How would she be able to help at the dome? And what if she wasn’t better in time for the Grand Opening?

  Chapter Six

  Mr Pinch and the Project

  By the time Zoe got back home she felt so poorly she couldn’t pretend to her mum that there was nothing wrong.

  “I don’t feel very well,” she said glumly as she walked into the kitchen.

  “Oh, you poor thing,” said Lucy, giving her a hug. “Go and get into bed and I’ll bring you a nice hot mug of soup.”

  “But there are so many things I need to do,” said Zoe. “I need to do my school project. I was going to make a model of some plants. And I need to help at the Rainforest Dome and I need to—Atishoo!”

  “You need to go to bed,” said Lucy.

  “But—”

  “No buts,” said Lucy firmly. “I’m sure if you get a good night’s sleep you’ll feel a lot better in the morning.”

  Zoe trudged up to her bedroom and got into her pyjamas.

  “Can I be poorly too?” asked Meep, hopping on to the bed.

  Zoe shook her head. “It’s no fun being poorly,” she said, snuggling under her duvet. She hoped her mum was right. She hoped she’d feel better in the morning.

  When Zoe woke up the next day sunlight streamed into her bedroom through a gap in the curtains. She looked at the clock on the wall and frowned. It was way past her normal getting-up time.

  “Oh no! I’m going to be late for school!” she exclaimed. “A–atishoo!”

  “Eeek!” Meep jumped off the bed in fright. “Zoe! Your sneezes are scary!”

  “Sorry, Meep.” Zoe sat up in bed. Her throat was still sore and her nose was runny. She still wasn’t feeling very well.

  Lucy came into the room holding a tray. “Morning, love,” she said. “How are you feeling?”

  “Still a bit poorly,” sniffed Zoe.

  Her mum opened the curtains. “That’s why I let you sleep in late. I’ve made you some breakfast and I’ve called the school to let them know you won’t be in today.” Lucy p
ut the tray on Zoe’s bedside table. On it was a glass of orange juice and a bowl of porridge with some blueberries sprinkled on top. There was also a bowl of seeds and berries for Meep.

  “But what about the model for my project, and what about Sabina?” said Zoe. “And I need to help get the Rainforest Dome ready for Saturday.”

  “You need to rest and stay in the warm,” said Lucy. “Rushing about all over the place will only make your cold worse. I think you’ve tired yourself out with all the time you’ve been spending in the dome.”

  Zoe sighed. She hoped Sabina wouldn’t be worried when she didn’t visit her. She’d told her she’d come and see her again today, and she still had so many questions for the little sloth!

  A little later that morning Lucy came back into the bedroom. She was wearing her vet’s uniform and carrying her special bag. A stethoscope was poking out of the top.

  “I have to pop to the zoo hospital,” she said. “One of the big kangaroos has hurt its paw. How are you feeling?”

  “A bit bored,” replied Zoe.

  “Why don’t you put on your dressing gown and go and watch some TV in the living room?” said Lucy. “I won’t be gone for long and maybe when I come back we can work on your project.”

  “OK.” Zoe nodded. She wished she knew which plants she was going to make a model of. Thinking about it made her head hurt.

  A few minutes later Zoe was enjoying an episode of her favourite TV show when there was a knock on the front door.

  Meep hopped down from the back of the sofa. “Who is it, Zoe?”

  “I don’t know. Let’s see.” Zoe peeped through the window. Her heart sank. “It’s Mr Pinch.”

  “Uh-oh!” exclaimed Meep.

  Zoe opened the front door. “Hello, Mr Pinch. My mum isn’t here. She had to go to the hospital to look after a kangaroo.”

  “I know. She asked me to come and see you,” replied Mr Pinch.

  “What? Why?” said Zoe in surprise.

  “She’s going to be a bit longer than she expected.”

  “Oh. OK. Thank you for letting me know,” replied Zoe.

  “And she told me you had a model to make, for your school project.” Mr Pinch shifted from one foot to the other awkwardly. His polished shoes shone in the sunlight. “She said you might need some help.”

  “Yes, but…” Zoe was really shocked. Was Mr Pinch offering to help her?

  Mr Pinch coughed. “It just so happens that I was an expert model-maker when I was a boy.”

  “Oh.” Zoe looked at Meep, who was sitting totally still, staring up at Mr Pinch. He looked as shocked as Zoe felt.

  “So if I can be of any assistance…” Mr Pinch looked at Zoe.

  “That would be great,” stammered Zoe. “Come in.”

  “So, where are your materials?” asked Mr Pinch as they went through to the living room.

  “My what?”

  “What materials are you using to make your model?”

  “Oh – er – I’m not exactly sure.”

  Mr Pinch frowned. “Well, what is your model going to be?”

  Zoe’s face flushed. “I – I don’t know.”

  Mr Pinch’s frown grew. “You don’t know?”

  “No. Well, I’ll probably make one of the plants in our garden.”

  “Hmm.” Mr Pinch carried on frowning.

  Zoe sighed. Working on her project would be no fun at all if Mr Pinch was going to be so grumpy about it!

  “I can’t seem to escape from plants at the moment,” said Mr Pinch. “What with all the extra plants arriving every day for the Rainforest Dome.”

  Zoe suddenly felt a burst of excitement. “That’s it!” she exclaimed. “I could make my model of the tropical plants in the dome!” She looked at Mr Pinch. What would he think of her idea?

  For once, Mr Pinch didn’t look grumpy. In fact, he looked close to smiling.

  “We need paper and a pen,” he said.

  “What for?”

  “To make a list.”

  Zoe went and fetched her pens and a pad.

  “OK, what kind of plants are in the dome?” asked Mr Pinch.

  “There are palm trees,” replied Zoe. “And lily pads in the stream. And the calabash trees that the monkeys play in. Oh, and lianas.”

  “Right.” Mr Pinch wrote down a list. “And you’ll need something for the dome as well.”

  Zoe nodded. What could they use? “I know!” she exclaimed. “Mum has a big glass mixing bowl. If we turned it upside down it would look just like the dome.”

  “Excellent!” said Mr Pinch.

  Zoe could hardly believe her ears. Mr Pinch had never praised her before.

  “Now we need to collect our materials,” said Mr Pinch.

  Zoe went over to her arts and crafts cupboard and returned with some coloured card and tissue paper, pipe cleaners, glue and modelling clay.

  First they made a base for the dome from cardboard, then Zoe drew a blue stream. Then she cut out some circles of pink tissue paper for the lily pads and stuck them on top of the water.

  “What shall we use for the palm trees?” asked Mr Pinch.

  “How about brown pipe cleaners for the trunks and the branches, and green card for the leaves?” suggested Zoe.

  Mr Pinch nodded. “Good idea. I’ll help you cut out the leaves when you’ve drawn them.”

  Zoe grinned. She couldn’t believe Mr Pinch was being so nice!

  By the time Lucy got home they had almost finished making the model dome. Zoe had gathered together some plastic animals to put inside the model.

  “Goodness me, that looks amazing!” smiled Lucy. “Thank you so much for helping Zoe, Mr Pinch.”

  “Yes, thank you!” said Zoe.

  Mr Pinch stood up. He looked a bit embarrassed. “Yes, well. I’d better be going now,” he said. “This zoo won’t run itself.”

  When he got to the door he stopped and turned back to Zoe. “Best of luck with your project,” he said gruffly.

  “Thank you, Mr Pinch.”

  Once he’d gone, Zoe looked at Lucy in shock. “He was so nice!”

  “Yes, well, even Mr Pinch can be nice sometimes,” said Lucy with a smile. “How are you feeling now?”

  Zoe grinned. She’d been having so much fun making her model, she’d forgotten all about her cold. “Much better, thank you!”

  Chapter Seven

  A Special Visitor

  The next day when Zoe woke up her sore throat had gone and her nose wasn’t nearly as runny. She did feel really tired though. She put on her dressing gown and went down to see Lucy.

  “I’m definitely a bit better,” she told her mum as she came into the kitchen with Meep.

  “Hmm.” Lucy looked at her and put a hand on Zoe’s forehead. “Well, you still look a bit pale and you’re quite warm, so I think it’s probably best if you stay home again today.”

  “But what about school? I need to hand my project in.” Zoe looked at the model dome on the kitchen table.

  “Don’t worry. I’ll call Miss Hawkins and tell her you’ll bring it in on Monday.”

  “But what about Sabina? And the dome? It’s the Grand Opening tomorrow and … atishoo!”

  “And you want to be better for it so you need another day resting in the warm,” said Lucy firmly.

  “But I really miss Sabina,” said Zoe.

  Lucy put some toast on the table. “Don’t worry, you’ll see her again soon,” she said with a mysterious smile.

  Later that morning Lucy went off to the zoo hospital to check on the poorly animals, and Zoe and Meep snuggled under a duvet on the sofa to watch TV. They’d only been watching for a few minutes when a voice boomed through the letter box.

  “Hello! Is there anyone home?”

  “Great-Uncle Horace!” cried Zoe, scrambling to her feet. She opened the door to see Great-Uncle Horace wearing a tweed jacket and holding a large picnic basket.

  “How are you feeling today?” he asked.

  “A lot better
, thanks, but Mum said I should stay off school and rest till my cold has properly gone.”

  “Your mum is a very wise woman.” Great-Uncle Horace followed Zoe back into the living room. “She told me you might be in need of a special visitor.”

  “Yes. It’s lovely to see you.” Zoe sat back down on the sofa and Meep hopped up beside her.

  “Oh, I wasn’t talking about me!” Great-Uncle Horace grinned and his eyes twinkled. “No, I was talking about this young lady.” He placed the basket down on the floor beside Zoe and lifted the lid. Sabina was curled up inside it, fast asleep!

  “Sabina!” exclaimed Zoe.

  “Your mum thought that maybe you could rest together,” said Great-Uncle Horace.

  Zoe nodded eagerly.

  “Valeria’s prepared some snacks for her if she does wake up.” Great-Uncle Horace handed Zoe a box of fruit and vegetables. “But until then I want you to be like a sloth and try to get some sleep.” Great-Uncle Horace patted her on the head. “We need you to be well enough for the Grand Opening tomorrow.”

  Zoe nodded and snuggled beneath the duvet. Now Sabina was here, doing nothing didn’t feel nearly as boring!

  Great-Uncle Horace went into the kitchen and Zoe closed her eyes. In just a few moments she was fast asleep and dreaming about the Rainforest Dome. In her dream she was helping Valeria get everything ready for the Grand Opening but all of the animals had come down with colds and they wouldn’t stop sneezing. She woke up suddenly to something touching her on the hand. She opened her eyes and saw Sabina’s paw stretching out of the basket.

  “Sabina! You’re awake!” she whispered.

  Sabina’s smiling face appeared above the rim of the basket, before sinking back down. She looked so sleepy and cute.

  “Aw, come here.” Zoe leaned over and lifted Sabina on to the sofa with her.

  Sabina gave two slow squeaks.

  “No, you’re not in the tree, you’re in my house,” replied Zoe.