The Puzzled Penguin Read online

  Meep leaped onto her shoulder. “Zoe! Zoe!” the little lemur squeaked, bouncing up and down. “He’s back! Goo’s back!”

  Zoe hugged Meep as a small red seaplane appeared on the horizon, flying low over the zoo. As the plane soared over each different enclosure, Zoe could hear the animals stamping their hooves, fluttering their wings, and swishing their tails. Every creature was welcoming home the Rescue Zoo’s owner!

  As the plane reached the lake and began to drop down onto the water, Zoe jumped to her feet, waving wildly. With a big splash, the plane glided onto the surface and skimmed through the water toward the shore.

  A growing crowd of visitors and zookeepers gathered around, including Zoe’s mom. “I ran all the way from the zoo hospital when I saw the plane!” she told Zoe, panting. The plane’s door was flung open, and Zoe grinned as she saw Great-Uncle Horace’s familiar face, beaming at her from the cockpit. His bushy white hair was covered up by a large, fleecy hat, and a spotted scarf was wrapped around his neck.

  Perched on his shoulder was a big, beautiful bird, with glossy feathers of a rich, deep blue. Kiki was a hyacinth macaw. Great-Uncle Horace had rescued her years ago, when she was just a tiny ball of fluffy feathers, and they were as close as Zoe and Meep were.

  Kiki squawked a greeting at Zoe and fluffed up her feathers haughtily when she saw Meep. The little lemur was often rude to the proud old macaw, and they weren’t the best of friends!

  Great-Uncle Horace climbed out of the plane, and Zoe, her mom, and Meep rushed to meet him.

  Zoe’s mom laughed as she hugged her uncle. “We’ve missed you!” she told him. “It’s great to have you back.”

  Great-Uncle Horace winked at Zoe. “It’s very nice to be here in the sunshine! Kiki and I have just come from somewhere very cold and snowy indeed — the Antarctic! That’s where the South Pole is, you know. Goodness, Zoe, what a fascinating place it is. Did you know that there is no land whatsoever at the South Pole — just ice? And no animals live there, because it’s just too chilly for them.” He beamed at Zoe. “But there are many, many different creatures living in the cold blue water. Kiki and I met a school of humpback whales and a very friendly pod of seals. We even saw a blue whale!”

  “Did you bring an animal home, Great-Uncle Horace?” Zoe asked eagerly. She tried standing on her tiptoes to see inside the plane.

  Great-Uncle Horace laughed softly. “As a matter of fact, I did.”

  He reached carefully inside the plane and picked up a small wooden crate from the backseat. There was a tiny peeping sound coming from inside it. Great-Uncle Horace placed it gently on the ground and lifted the lid. Then he reached inside and gathered a fluffy bundle into his arms.

  Zoe gasped, and there was a murmur from the crowd behind her. She took a tentative step forward. “He’s so small,” she whispered. “Mom, Meep, look!”

  Huddled in a warm blanket, and blinking curiously at the crowd, was a beautiful baby penguin!

  The penguin chick was tiny with a velvety black head. His fluffy little body was pale gray and looked as soft as a stuffed animal.

  He stared right at Zoe, and Zoe stared back. There was a penguin colony at the Rescue Zoo, so Zoe had met lots of penguins before — but all the zoo penguins were grown up, and none were as adorable as this one!

  Great-Uncle Horace smiled at her. “He’s only three weeks old,” he explained. “I’ve named him Pip. He’s an emperor penguin.”

  Zoe’s mom examined Pip carefully. “He’s beautiful, Uncle Horace,” she said. “But what happened to him? Where is his family?”

  Great-Uncle Horace nodded. “It’s a long story, my dear. I promise to tell you all about it later.”

  “Can I pet him?” Zoe asked hopefully. She knew it wasn’t always a good idea to touch a wild animal, especially one that had only just arrived at the zoo, but Pip looked so friendly.

  Great-Uncle Horace smiled. “Of course, Zoe,” he told her. “Just be very gentle.”

  Zoe reached out tentatively and touched Pip’s fluffy little belly. She didn’t think she’d ever felt anything so soft. As she stroked him, the little chick opened his beak and made a happy peeping sound.

  “Aha!” said Great-Uncle Horace. “You’ve discovered he likes to be tickled! Now, let’s see if the little fellow wants to explore.”

  He placed Pip carefully on the ground in front of him. The little chick gazed around for a moment, then waddled right over to Great-Uncle Horace’s side and rubbed his head happily against his leg.

  “He’s certainly very attached to you!” Zoe’s mom told her uncle, smiling down at Pip. “I think it might be best if he stays with you for now. He might be frightened if we take him away too quickly. We can introduce him to the other penguins and his new home tomorrow.”

  Great-Uncle Horace nodded wisely. “Very sensible, my dear, as always. I’ll keep the little guy with me tonight. I’ll be leaving again tomorrow afternoon, so we should make sure he’s settled before I go.”

  Zoe felt a rush of disappointment. Tomorrow? But Great-Uncle Horace had been away for weeks. Did he really have to leave again so soon? She glanced sadly at Meep, who leaped from her shoulder into her arms for a cuddle. Zoe knew the little lemur had missed Great-Uncle Horace almost as much as she had, and they’d both hoped he’d be staying at the zoo longer.

  Great-Uncle Horace smiled at her kindly. “I’m sorry, Zoe. But I’ve already gotten a message about another animal who needs my help — a dolphin at the Great Barrier Reef who’s hurt his flipper on a piece of coral.”

  Zoe’s mom put her arm around Zoe and gave her a reassuring hug. “In that case, you and Kiki have to come to the cottage for dinner this evening,” she told Great-Uncle Horace. “Pip too, of course. I want to hear all about how you rescued him, and I’m sure Zoe does too!”

  “I’d be delighted, my dear,” replied Great-Uncle Horace. “What a treat! And I’m looking forward to hearing all your news too. Now, it’s time for me to pay a visit to the other animals. I know they’ll be expecting me.”

  Great-Uncle Horace trotted away down the path with Pip in his arms and Kiki soaring above them. The crowds began to scatter in different directions, talking excitedly.

  Zoe’s mom gave Zoe a kiss before heading back to the zoo hospital. “Good luck with the tickets this afternoon,” she said, smiling. “See you at dinnertime. Be good, Meep!”

  Zoe skipped back along the path to the hut, her mind buzzing with all the news she wanted to tell Great-Uncle Horace that evening and the questions she would ask about Pip. Meep scampered along beside her, squeaking excitedly.

  “Did you see how teeny he was, Zoe?” the little lemur chattered, his big eyes wide. “Almost as small as me!”

  As they pushed open the door of the hut and went back inside, Zoe realized she didn’t even mind. Today was turning out much better than she had imagined. Great-Uncle Horace was back, and the Rescue Zoo had a wonderful new animal. Not even Mr. Pinch could ruin that!

  When Zoe opened the cottage door that evening, she grinned as she breathed in delicious cooking smells. Her mom was lifting a big, bubbling lasagna out of the oven.

  Great-Uncle Horace was already sitting at the table, nibbling a piece of garlic bread and feeding crumbs to Kiki, who was perched on his shoulder.

  As Zoe kicked off her flip-flops and stepped into the kitchen, she heard a tiny scrambling sound and looked down. Pip came waddling across the kitchen tiles and stood right in front of her, staring up very seriously.

  “It looks like you’ve made a friend,” Great-Uncle Horace commented as the little penguin rubbed his tiny head against Zoe’s leg — just as he had done to Great-Uncle Horace earlier.

  “Come and sit down, Zoe,” her mom said. “It’s lasagna and salad for us, and nuts and berries for Kiki and Meep.”

  “What about Pip?” Zoe asked, sitting down and grabbing a piece of garlic bread.

  “Well, in the wild, baby penguins are too small to find food for themselves,” Great-Uncle H
orace explained. “When they are first born, they usually eat fish that their mom or dad has chewed up into a soft mush for them. When I first found little Pip, I mushed up fish for him with a fork. Now he’s big enough for fish and krill, like the Rescue Zoo penguins.” He held up a little blue box. “Will was kind enough to give me a few krill from the penguin colony’s food supply.”

  Zoe made a face and Meep wrinkled his nose, as Horace showed them the tiny, silvery prawns inside the box.

  “I’m glad I’m having nuts!” Meep said to Zoe as he nibbled a peanut.

  Great-Uncle Horace placed the box on the table and sat the little chick on his lap. Then he chose a tiny krill and held it in front of Pip. The little penguin gobbled it up, peeping happily.

  Zoe giggled. “Can I try?” she asked. Great-Uncle Horace nodded kindly. “We’ll take turns.”

  “Now, Uncle Horace,” Zoe’s mom said, “you have to tell us about how you found the chick.”

  Great-Uncle Horace smiled fondly at Pip. “The little guy was very lucky,” he explained. “You see, I had traveled to the South Pole to investigate a squid with tangled tentacles. Thankfully, I was able to untie the poor fellow right away, and Kiki and I were just about to fly off. As I started the engine, smart Kiki started squawking as noisily as she could!” He beamed at the beautiful macaw, who fluffed up her feathers proudly.

  “I always say Kiki is my lucky charm,” Great-Uncle Horace continued, “and she proved me right. She had spotted something on the ice, so we went to have a closer look.”

  “And it was a baby penguin!” said Zoe.

  “You’re almost right!” Great-Uncle Horace chuckled. “It was a single egg, alone on the ice. And just a few moments later, our little friend hatched! I wrapped him in a cozy blanket and tucked him safely in the plane. Adult penguins love the cold, of course, because they’re covered in warm feathers that keep them nice and dry. But penguin chicks only have a light, fluffy layer of down, so they need to be kept warm until their feathers grow.”

  “But where was his family?” Zoe asked. “I thought baby penguins huddle up underneath their parents so they don’t get cold.”

  Great-Uncle Horace suddenly looked very sad. “I don’t know, my dear. But in the Antarctic, there are much bigger creatures than penguins. I’m afraid they were gone for good.” He sighed. “That’s why I decided Pip had to come back to the Rescue Zoo. Left there alone, he would never have survived.”

  Zoe gazed at the little chick. He lost his family before he was even born, she thought sadly. But at least he’s safe now.

  Great-Uncle Horace yawned loudly. “Goodness, I do apologize!” he said. “I think it must be bedtime for me. It has been a very long day. I need to get some rest.”

  Great-Uncle Horace helped Zoe carry the empty dishes to the kitchen sink and then gathered the little penguin gently into his arms. “Come along, young fellow. It’s time for you to get some sleep too!” he told the chick.

  They all went to the door to say good-bye. Outside, the sky had turned a beautiful dusky purple with a scattering of stars. In the distance, a manor house stood high on a hill, overlooking the zoo. A cluster of windows were lit up, making the house look warm and inviting. This was Higgins Hall, Great-Uncle Horace’s house.

  Great-Uncle Horace kissed Zoe and her mom good-night and stroked Meep’s head, which made Kiki squawk angrily.

  “Sleep well!” Zoe said, smiling.

  “I’m sure we will, my dear. Did you know that emperor penguins sleep standing up with their beaks tucked underneath a flipper?” Great-Uncle Horace smiled down at the sleepy penguin. He winked at Zoe and lowered his voice to a whisper. “Kiki does tend to snore quite loudly. Let’s hope the little guy doesn’t mind!”

  Zoe smiled as Great-Uncle Horace picked up the little penguin. Zoe bent down and stroked his soft, fluffy little head. He blinked curiously up at her. I wish I could speak to you now, she thought. But I have to wait until we’re on our own!

  “What are your plans for this fine day, my dear?” Great-Uncle Horace asked Zoe the next morning. Zoe and Meep had rushed over to Higgins Hall to see him and Pip as soon as they woke up.

  Zoe quickly explained about selling tickets for the penguin-feeding show.

  Great-Uncle Horace patted Zoe’s hand reassuringly. “Oh, dear. Percy Pinch can be a little bossy, I’m afraid. Anyway, that gives me an excellent idea!” he went on. “As the hut is next to the penguin enclosure, maybe you could take Pip with you and introduce him to Will and the rest of the colony. Would you do that for me?” He smiled down at the chick. “The little fellow has become rather attached to me, and it’s going to be hard to say good-bye. I’d feel so much happier knowing you were taking care of him, my dear.”

  “Of course!” said Zoe. This would give her the chance to be alone with Pip, so she could talk to him. And she couldn’t wait to see the chick’s reaction when he saw the amazing penguin enclosure!

  Great-Uncle Horace bent down to give Pip a good-bye tickle. “Enjoy your new home, little one. I know Zoe here will look after you very well.”

  Zoe and Meep set off down the path with her mom and Great-Uncle Horace waving from the doorway. The little penguin looked back at Great-Uncle Horace, but he soon waddled after Zoe. Zoe made sure she walked very slowly, so Pip could keep up. He looked so funny, flapping his tiny gray wings as he followed her.

  As soon as the house was out of sight, Zoe grinned and knelt down on the path. At last she could talk to the chick! Whenever she spoke to a new animal for the first time, she always made sure she used her quietest, gentlest voice in case they were surprised or frightened. Animals talked to people all the time, of course, but most of them had never heard a person talk back before!

  “I’m Zoe,” she told him. “This is my best friend, Meep. We’re so happy you came to the Rescue Zoo!”

  The little penguin gazed at her, his shiny black eyes wide. He fluttered his wings and made a happy cheeping sound.

  Zoe smiled. “I’ve been able to speak to animals since I was little,” she explained. “I’m very lucky! You’re going to love it here. Just wait until we get to your new home! It’s so beautiful. There’s a huge iceberg and a lagoon where you can splash around and swim. But best of all, there are lots and lots of other penguins for you to play with!”

  The little chick looked puzzled. He waddled closer to Zoe and cheeped curiously. Zoe gasped and Meep chirped in surprise. “I can’t believe it,” breathed Zoe. “Pip doesn’t know what a penguin is!”

  Suddenly she realized why the chick might be confused.

  “Meep, I think I understand,” she said. “Pip’s never even seen another penguin. When he hatched, his family was already gone. The only creatures he’s met are Great-Uncle Horace and Kiki.”

  Meep wrinkled his nose. “What are we going to do, Zoe?”

  Zoe glanced at the little chick. Pip was waddling playfully around in circles, peeping happily. “I think we should continue on to the penguin enclosure, Meep. Maybe if Pip sees the colony, he’ll realize he’s one of them.”

  They arrived at the penguin enclosure five minutes later. Beyond the glass wall there was a deep, open-air lagoon with a glittering iceberg rising out of the cold blue water like an enormous diamond. Most of the penguins were splashing around in the shallow end of the lagoon, staying nice and cool on such a warm summer’s day. Pip watched them curiously.

  Zoe reached for her necklace and touched the paw-print charm to a small metal panel on the gate. With a click, the gate opened and they all stepped inside.

  Zoe spotted Will and waved. The penguin-keeper came rushing over to them, carrying a bucket. “You brought the new arrival!” Will said, grinning. “I’ve been looking forward to meeting him. Isn’t he tiny!”

  “His name’s Pip,” Zoe told him.

  “Well, I hope Pip’s hungry.” Will waved the bucket. “It’s breakfast time!”

  He walked over to the edge of the lagoon and began throwing handfuls of silvery krill into th
e water. With a chorus of excited squawks, the penguins swooped gracefully after the fish. Some of them shot through the lagoon so quickly it looked like they were flying underwater.

  Zoe glanced at Pip. He was watching the other penguins but he hadn’t moved from her side.

  Will looked at the little chick thoughtfully. “Maybe he’s not hungry. Or he might think the other penguins are too fast for him.” He held out a krill to the little chick. “Here you go, buddy. This one’s just for you!” Pip gobbled it up, flapping his wings happily.

  Will laughed. “So he was hungry! I’ve been a penguin-keeper for a long time, and I’ve never met a penguin who didn’t want to get into the water before!”

  Zoe nodded. “Would it be OK if I stayed with him for a little while?” she asked.

  “Of course, Zoe. No problem. I’ve got a few jobs to do on the other side of the lagoon, so come and find me if you need anything.” Will picked up the empty bucket and strolled off.

  Zoe found a seat a little bit further away from the water on a warm, dry piece of rock. Meep scampered onto her shoulder, and Pip waddled after her, staying close. Zoe couldn’t help smiling as the chick cuddled up next to her.

  “These are all penguins, Pip, like you,” she whispered. “See, birds have feathers and wings and beaks, like you.” Zoe pointed to Pip’s fluffy stomach and little beak. “Humans like me have arms and legs, and we don’t have feathers. Penguins are birds. Come and meet the others, then you’ll see they’re just like you!” Zoe suggested.

  She glanced across to the other side of the lagoon, making sure Will was too far away to hear her, and then called out softly to them. “Pearl! Poppy! Come over here — there’s someone I’d like you to meet!”

  The penguins were gliding quickly under the surface of the lagoon. Their flippers were tucked in neatly and their sleek, shiny bodies wriggled as they swam faster and faster. With a sudden splash, they launched themselves out of the water and into the air. They landed on their white bellies on the smooth rocks and slid playfully along. Pearl and Poppy shook the water from their bodies and waddled over followed by the rest of the colony.