The Silky Seal Pup (3 page)

Chapter Four

The Mysterious Meeting

When Zoe opened her eyes the next morning, something soft, silky and very warm was tickling her neck. The little seal was snuggled up on her pillow, snoring gently. Star didn’t seem scared at all with Zoe and Meep to keep her company.

But someone else hadn’t slept so well! Meep was curled at the foot of the bed,
looking sleepy and cross. “There was no room for me,” he grumbled. “I was getting squished!”

Zoe bit her lip to stop herself from laughing. Meep was very funny when he was in a grumpy mood – and even cuter! “I’m sorry, Meep,” she soothed. “But we had to help Star, remember?”

Just then the door burst open. Lucy ran in, her face very pale. “Zoe, quick! Star’s gone! She must have got out of her box!” she gasped frantically.

Then she spotted the furry bundle in Zoe’s bed and gave a sigh of relief. “Oh, Zoe, you gave me such a fright!”

“Sorry, Mum,” Zoe said, feeling her cheeks flush pink. “I heard her crying in the night, and she…she didn’t seem to like being by herself.” Zoe had to think
carefully about what to say. She couldn’t admit that Star had
told
her she was scared!

“I thought she’d escaped! Really, Zoe, you know she can’t sleep with you. You already share your bed with one furry creature,” Lucy scolded.

“Yes, and there’s no room for another one!” chattered Meep grumpily.

Zoe tried hard not to giggle. “Sorry, Mum,” she said again. “But she’s going to her enclosure today, isn’t she?”

Lucy nodded. “Lorna rang up five minutes ago to say it was ready for her. I thought you could take Star over after breakfast.”

Zoe jumped out of bed and gave Lucy a hug. “I will.”

Then she noticed Lucy eyeing the bed
warily, and realised what her mum was thinking. “There are no more animals in there, I promise!” she giggled, and Lucy started laughing, too.

Once Zoe had eaten a bowl of porridge and fed Star her bottle, they set off into the Rescue Zoo. Zoe made sure she wore gloves and a woolly scarf, because the seal enclosure was kept at a frosty temperature that was just right for seals but a bit chilly for people!

It was still too early for visitors, so the red-brick paths were quiet. That meant Zoe and Meep could chat to Star as much as they liked. Zoe carried the little seal, and Meep perched on her shoulder. He’d stopped being grumpy now, and was cheerily telling Star about the other
animals as they passed them. “That’s Sasha,” he chattered. “She’s a white tiger cub from Siberia. That’s a very cold place, like where you come from! And over there are Ernest and Emilie, the anteaters. Aren’t their long noses funny?” Meep chuckled to himself as he stuck out his tongue like an anteater.

“And this is your new home!” Zoe added, stopping at a gate in the fence. She reached for her silver paw-print necklace and held it against a panel. With a tiny click, the gate swung open. Zoe was very proud of her special necklace, which had been a present from Great-Uncle Horace. It let her open every gate in the whole zoo, just like the grown-up zookeepers.

Beyond the gate was a huge, deep pool of cold blue water, with chunks of smooth ice floating on the surface, and icy rocks glittering around it. A wide glass tunnel ran along the bottom of the pool so visitors could walk through it to watch the seals swooping and diving right above their heads.

Lorna the seal keeper was inside the enclosure, wearing a wetsuit and holding
a bucket of fish. “She’s gorgeous!” she gasped when she saw the little seal, reaching out to stroke Star’s fluffy head. “Sally and Finn will be so excited to meet her.”

As she spoke, there was a happy honking sound from the water. Two sleek grey heads popped above the surface, calling a friendly greeting to the new baby. Sally and Finn were common seals, with a pattern of dark spots on their silvery-grey coats.

Star almost jumped right out of Zoe’s arms, she was so excited to see them!

Then Sally and Finn dived playfully to the bottom of the pool, and Zoe rushed into the glass tunnel underneath it so that Star could get a better look. Star’s dark eyes lit up and she snuffled excitedly as she watched them gliding through the
water, somersaulting with a smooth swish of their flippers and tails. Zoe smiled, relieved the little pup seemed to love her home already.

When they came out of the tunnel, Lorna said, “Let’s show Star where she’s going to sleep.”

There was a row of small, cosy rooms at the back of the enclosure. “This one belongs to Sally,” Lorna told Zoe, pointing to the first doorway. “Finn is next door. And this one is for our new arrival.”

There was already a snug little bed made for Star. Zoe thought it looked very comfortable, but Star let out a worried wail.

“Oh dear! It sounds like she’s ready for a bottle of milk,” Lorna said, smiling kindly at the pup. “Come with me, Zoe.”

Zoe knew Star wasn’t upset because she was hungry. The little seal had realised she had to sleep by herself, and was
feeling frightened about the dark again! But Zoe couldn’t tell Lorna that. Instead, she followed Lorna into a store room where all the seals’ food was kept. There were lots of shiny silver fish packed in crates of ice, and a box of the special milk replacement for Star. Lorna started filling up a bottle, humming to herself. While she was distracted, Zoe tried to make Star feel better. “There’s nothing to be scared of,” she whispered. “Look how lovely your room is. And you’re right next door to Sally and Finn!”

Suddenly Lorna’s walkie-talkie crackled. “The zoo meeting will start in my office in five minutes,” barked a bossy voice. It was Mr Pinch, the Rescue Zoo’s grumpy manager. Meep stuck his tiny tongue out at the walkie-talkie. The little lemur didn’t
like Mr Pinch at all! “All zoo staff must be there. Don’t be late!” the voice continued crossly.

“What’s the zoo meeting about?” Zoe asked Lorna curiously.

Lorna looked flustered. “Oh, nothing to worry about,” she said, not quite looking Zoe in the eye. “You know Mr Pinch, always fussing! I’ll have to go, but I’ll be back soon. Let’s leave Star to get to know the others.”

Lorna quickly led them out to the poolside and Zoe carefully placed Star on the ground next to the pool. Lorna said a hasty goodbye and left the enclosure. Zoe stared after her. First Great-Uncle Horace was acting oddly, and now Lorna. “What’s going on?” she wondered aloud.

“Let’s go and find out!” Meep suggested.

Zoe glanced at Star. “We won’t be long,” she promised the seal, who nodded nervously. “Why don’t you explore your home with your new friends while we’re gone?”

Sally and Finn had climbed out of the pool and come over to sniff the new arrival. Star wriggled happily towards them. The older seals gave her a friendly nuzzle and then started to show Star around her new home.

Zoe smiled. She didn’t feel bad leaving Star when she was having so much fun – but she knew the pup might get frightened again when it got dark.
I’ll make sure I’m back before then
, she thought.
But now it’s time to find out what this mysterious meeting is about!

She and Meep ran down the path as quickly as they could, and spotted Lorna taking a shortcut past the zebras. Zoe had to tiptoe after her so that she wasn’t seen. She didn’t like sneaking about, but she had to know what was going on! As Lorna got to Mr Pinch’s office, Zoe and Meep hid behind a tree and watched as all the keepers streamed in.