The Sleepy Snowy Owl Read online

  Zoe held her breath as another fragment of shell cracked away. Soon a fluffy dark-grey head appeared, cheeping faintly!

  With special thanks to Natalie Doherty

  Chapter One

  A Snowy Surprise

  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 Christmastime!”

  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.

  “Oh, look!” Great-Uncle Horace said cheerily as they walked further into the woods. “See that flash of red up ahead? A robin! One of my favourite birds. Apart from Kiki, of course!” He grinned and patted the bird’s head gently as she bobbed on his shoulder.

  “Oh yes, I see him!” said Lucy.

  Zoe peered through the trees and saw the robin pecking at some juicy-looking berries on a bush. “Is that what robins eat in winter?” she asked.

  “Oh, robins are very clever creatures. They never have any trouble finding enough to eat, even at the coldest time of the year,” replied Great-Uncle Horace. “They’ll nibble on winter fruit and seeds, and if the ground isn’t frozen, they’ll dig around for worms.”

  “Those berries look tasty!” Meep squeaked into Zoe’s ear.

  Before Zoe could stop him, she felt Meep leap off her shoulder and watched him scamper towards the bush. Startled, the robin quickly fluttered away as Meep greedily helped himself to the berries.

  “Meep!” called Zoe, running ahead of her mum and Great-Uncle Horace to chase after the cheeky little lemur. “Come back here!” But as she got to the bush, something caught her eye on the ground beside it. She frowned and crouched down to get a better look. “What’s this?” she murmured to herself.

  Meep stopped gobbling berries and peered down at the ground. There was a shallow hole dug into the earth, with a few white feathers scattered inside it. Just visible in the centre of the hole was something small, pale and round.

  “Zoe? What have you found?” called Lucy.

  Zoe stared at the object. “I think… I think I’ve found a nest – with an egg inside it!” she replied.

  Quickly, Great-Uncle Horace and Lucy made their way over. Zoe knew it could be very serious for an egg to be left alone before it had hatched – especially in cold weather. Luckily, the bush had sheltered it so that there was no snow inside the nest.

  “Goodness, you’re right, Zoe!” said Great-Uncle Horace.

  Very gently, he bent over and picked up the egg. He held it carefully in both palms so that they could all look at it closely. It was smooth and creamy white, with no speckles or marks on the shell. On his shoulder, Kiki let out a loud squawk. Zoe kn
ew it meant she was concerned about the egg being left alone.

  “Where do you think it’s come from, Great-Uncle Horace?” Zoe asked. “Is it a robin egg?”

  “If I’m not mistaken, this is a snowy owl egg!” Great-Uncle Horace told her.

  “How on earth did it end up here? We don’t have any snowy owls living in these woods, or at the Rescue Zoo…”

  “It’s very rare to find a wild snowy owl this far south,” Lucy agreed. “I would guess that the mother got lost, and decided to lay her egg here before trying to find her way back home.”

  Great Uncle-Horace nodded. “This egg has been abandoned, I’m afraid.”

  They both looked very serious.

  “But … but that means this is a lucky egg, doesn’t it?” Zoe said. “Of all the places in the whole world it could have been laid, it was laid here! In the woods next to the Rescue Zoo!”

  Both Great-Uncle Horace and Lucy started laughing. “You’re absolutely right, Zoe,” said Lucy, giving her a hug. “It is a very lucky egg indeed! And it’s unusual for us to find a new arrival so close to home.”

  “That’s true! I usually have to travel to the other side of the world to find them,” chuckled Great-Uncle.

  “So does that mean we can keep it?” asked Zoe hopefully. She’d met lots of different owls at the zoo, but never a snowy owl.

  “Of course! We’ll take it straight to the aviary, where all the Rescue Zoo birds live. It needs to be kept in an incubator until it hatches. It’s very important to keep this little egg nice and warm,” explained Great-Uncle Horace. “In fact, Zoe, maybe we could wrap it up in your scarf to take it back to the zoo?”

  “Of course!” said Zoe immediately. She pulled off her woolly scarf and Great-Uncle Horace wound it gently around the egg. Then he placed it carefully in Zoe’s arms.

  They headed out of the woods and back towards the zoo. Zoe led the way to the aviary, holding the egg proudly. All the zoo animals they passed were keen to know what they were up to!

  “We’ve found a snowy owl egg!” Zoe whispered, whenever she could be sure that her mum and Great-Uncle Horace weren’t in earshot. “We’re going to look after it until it hatches, and then we’ll all have a new friend!”

  The aviary was a huge enclosure, full of different trees, plants and colourful flowers. A winding stream ran through it, for the birds to drink from. Zoe could hear the aviary before she could see it, because hundreds of birds were cheeping, tweeting and squawking to each other! It was breakfast time and Alison, the bird keeper, was scattering handfuls of seeds on the ground. Several birds were perched on her head and shoulders.

  Alison waved when she saw Zoe approaching. “Good morning! What brings you here so early, Zoe?” she called.

  “Hi, Alison! We’ve brought you a present,” Zoe replied, grinning.

  Alison was amazed to see the snowy owl egg wrapped inside Zoe’s scarf! Quickly, Great-Uncle Horace explained how Zoe had discovered the nest on their morning walk.

  Alison gently took the egg and held it up to a special light so she could find out the size of the little chick inside. “I’ll get the incubator ready straight away,” Alison said. “I’d say this egg will be ready to hatch in a week or so, as long as we keep it nice and warm until then.”

  As Alison, Lucy and Great-Uncle Horace discussed all the different things they’d need for the arrival of the baby owl, Zoe and Meep slipped a little further into the aviary. Zoe wanted to say a quiet hello to her bird friends, including Cyril, an emerald-green lovebird, and Ruby, a friendly macaw with beautiful red feathers. She knew that Meep would be keen to “help” the birds finish their breakfast seeds – and he wasn’t the only one! Kiki had hopped straight down from Great-Uncle Horace’s shoulder and was helping herself to the seeds scattered on the ground too. Zoe giggled as a tiny, brave fairy wren with a splash of purple on her neck chattered crossly at Kiki, who was at least ten times her size.

  “I’m so excited that we’re going to have a snowy owl at the zoo at last! I’ve always wanted to look after one. They’re really beautiful birds,” Alison was saying happily. “I can’t wait!”

  “Me too!” said Zoe. “Alison, do you think I could help you look after the egg until it hatches? I’ve never taken care of an egg before.”

  “Of course, Zoe,” Alison replied. “As long as your mum doesn’t mind?”

  “Not at all!” answered Lucy, smiling. “If it wasn’t for you, Zoe, we’d never have found the egg in the first place. So I think it only seems fair that you get to help look after it.”

  “Just think, Zoe – with a little bit of luck, you might even be there when the egg hatches!” added Alison.

  Zoe smiled. She really, really hoped so!

  Chapter Two

  Ollie Arrives!

  For the next three days, Zoe visited the aviary before she went to school and rushed straight back there as soon as she got home. It had snowed again that week and was very cold outside, but the little room where the incubator was set up was always lovely and snug. Zoe looked forward to going to the aviary all day long – especially because Alison made her a nice big mug of hot chocolate as soon as she got there!

  The incubator was a small, clear plastic box lit by several warm bulbs. The egg sat in the middle of the box, and Alison showed Zoe how to check the thermometer on its side, to make sure it was at the right temperature. She also explained that Zoe needed to turn the egg very carefully once a day and keep a close eye out for any movement. Zoe got a thrill of excitement in her tummy on the third day when she saw the egg wobble very slightly. “It moved!” she cried.

  “Not long now before our little snowy owl is here, Zoe!” replied Alison, smiling.

  On Wednesday night, Zoe had just snuggled up in bed, with Meep curled up by her feet, when the phone rang downstairs in the kitchen. Zoe heard the murmur of her mum’s voice, and then she called up the stairs. “Zoe! It’s for you!”

  Zoe jumped out of bed and ran downstairs quickly.

  “It’s Alison!” said her mum, grinning as she held out the phone.

  “Hello?” said Zoe eagerly.

  “Zoe! I’m sorry to ring so late. I hope you weren’t already asleep!” Alison said breathlessly. “The egg has started to hatch! If you’re quick, you’ll make it just in time.”

  “Mum! The egg’s hatching!” Zoe cried. “Can we go?”

  “Of course!” Lucy said. “Get dressed and we’ll run there together.”

  Zoe threw on the jeans and jumper she’d been wearing earlier, jammed a woolly hat on her head and grabbed her coat and boots. Together, she and her mum raced down the path to the aviary, with Meep scampering along behind them. When they got there, Alison ushered them into the incubator room and they all gathered round it.

  “Oh wow! Look!” gasped Zoe, pointing at the egg.

  It was wriggling from side to side, and as Zoe watched, a piece of shell broke off from the top of the egg. She held her breath as another, bigger, fragment of shell cracked away. Soon a tiny, fluffy dark-grey head appeared, cheeping faintly.

  “There you are!” whispered Zoe. On her shoulder, Meep squeaked in excitement.

  Alison helped the little owlet break its way out of the shell, and gently scooped it up in a soft blanket. It looked like a ball of fuzz. Zoe smiled as the owl slowly, sleepily, blinked its eyes open.

  Lucy and Alison carefully checked the little owl. “He’s a boy, and he’s perfectly healthy!” said Lucy. “Would you like to hold him, Zoe?”

  Zoe made a little cradle with her hands and Alison gently passed the owlet to her. Zoe carefully stroked the owl’s soft, fluffy head. “He feels so light and fragile,” she said. “But he’s not white! Are you sure he’s a snowy owl, Alison?”

  “I’m sure!” Alison reassured her, smiling. “Snowy owl chicks are born with a layer of dark, fuzzy down, but he’ll grow lovely white feathers soon enough. And he’ll get stronger and heavier as he grows older. Fully grown snowy owls can be very powerful. They need to
be tough to survive winters in the arctic and hunt for their food!”

  As Alison and Lucy chatted about the little owl’s diet, Zoe whispered to him quietly. “I’m Zoe!” she told him. “And this is my friend Meep. We’re both really excited to meet you!”

  “What’s your name?” asked Meep.

  The tiny owl shook his fluffy head with a puzzled chirp.

  “He doesn’t have a name yet, Meep. He’s only just hatched!” Zoe explained, smiling. “That means you can pick one yourself! Maybe we can help you choose? How about … Orlando?” The owl cocked his little head to one side, thinking. “You don’t seem sure about that one,” said Zoe. “OK, maybe…”

  “Otis?” suggested Meep. “Or … Oswald?”

  “What about Ollie?” Zoe added.

  The little owl paused, then cheeped brightly. “Ollie it is!” said Zoe, giggling quietly. “I think we’re going to have lots of fun together, Ollie.”

  “Well, he seems very happy already!” commented Lucy, looking over and smiling at them. “Have you thought of any names yet, Zoe?”

  “Err … can we call him Ollie?” Zoe asked.

  “That’s lovely! Ollie the snowy owl,” said Alison, trying the name out. “Perfect.”

  “Well, I think we’d better leave Ollie to get some rest,” said Lucy. “And it’s way past your bedtime too, Zoe! You can come back to visit after school tomorrow.”

  “And it’s the Christmas holidays in a couple of weeks, isn’t it?” added Alison.

  Zoe nodded eagerly. “Yes! So I’ll have lots of spare time to spend with Ollie. As long as that’s OK with you, Alison?”