The Playful Panda Page 3

  Suddenly Zoe remembered something. Su Lin. Her old friend had loved telling stories about her little sister and all the fun they’d had together. Su Lin and Bai Yun had been separated when they were still very young. But Su Lin had never stopped missing Bai Yun, even years later. Zoe took a deep, determined breath. She was not going to let that happen to Chi Chi and Mei Mei. She had to make them see how lucky they were to have each other.

  Stephanie gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “I’m sorry, Zoe. I didn’t mean to worry you,” she said. “Listen, cheer up. It’s breakfast time and we’re going to try giving the cubs some solid food today.”

  She had brought a small plastic box with her that morning, and took the lid off. It was full of apple and bamboo, sliced up into tiny chunks. “It might seem silly to bring bamboo when there’s so much growing around us,” she said. “But until the babies’ teeth grow stronger, it’s very hard for them to bite into. I cut up the softest, freshest piece I could find, to make it easier for them.”

  She gave the box a little shake. Chi Chi’s black nose twitched and she scampered towards them, excited by the smell of the juicy bamboo. Mei Mei looked curious too, and followed cautiously.

  Stephanie glanced down at her watch. “Oh dear. I’ve just remembered – I’m supposed to be over at Alex’s enclosure in five minutes. He hasn’t had his breakfast bananas yet, and you know how grumpy the old gorilla gets when he’s hungry!”

  “I can feed the pandas!” Zoe offered quickly, winking at Meep. The little lemur chirped. They both knew the more time they could spend alone with the cubs, the more chance they had of helping them make friends with each other.

  Stephanie beamed at her. “Are you sure? Zoe, you’re a star. I’ll be back really soon.”

  Stephanie handed the plastic box to Zoe and dashed out of the enclosure. When she was out of sight, Zoe glanced around, making sure no one else was on the path nearby. Then she crouched down and tipped a few slices of bamboo into her palm. “Come on, you two!” she said softly. “Are you hungry?”

  Both cubs nodded their heads eagerly. Zoe smiled. “I’ve got lots of tasty treats for you,” she told them. “But this bamboo is only for pandas who behave nicely.”

  The cubs blinked innocently up at her. I hope that worked! thought Zoe. Carefully she handed one piece of bamboo to each twin. They both grasped the pieces in their paws, sniffed at them and then started to nibble. A moment later Chi Chi squeaked happily, and Mei Mei’s dark eyes went wide with delight.

  Zoe giggled. This was the first time the pandas had ever tried bamboo – and they loved it! And for the first time that morning they weren’t fighting.

  But it didn’t last very long. As soon as naughty Chi Chi finished her bamboo she reached over and grabbed Mei Mei’s piece out of her paws and gobbled it up! Mei Mei turned to Zoe and wailed.

  “No, that wasn’t very fair of Chi Chi,” admitted Zoe. “But it’s all right, there’s lots more bamboo for you both.”

  But the older panda was just as cross now! Chi Chi thumped her little paw on the ground and squeaked indignantly. “Chi Chi! Calling your sister a telltale isn’t very nice,” scolded Zoe, feeling more and more worried. “Come on, there’s no need to fall out. Why don’t you try a piece of apple this time?”

  But the cubs had forgotten all about their treats and suddenly Zoe couldn’t get a word in over their angry squabbling. Her heart sank even further as Chi Chi pushed her sister over. The playful panda was very naughty!

  Meep chirped a sudden warning and from behind her Zoe heard a loud, sneering voice. “Fussing and fighting already, I see. I just knew those pandas would be trouble.”

  Zoe groaned quietly as horrid Mr Pinch marched into the enclosure. This morning was getting worse and worse!

  Chapter Six

  Double Trouble

  Mr Pinch peered snootily round the enclosure. “I was expecting to find a real, grown-up zookeeper here,” he announced, narrowing his eyes at Zoe.

  Meep leaped on to Zoe’s shoulder and chattered angrily, and Zoe shot her little friend a warning look. Mr Pinch did not approve of Zoe and Meep wandering freely around the zoo and all the enclosures. Even when they were trying to help, he would grumble, “Miss Parker, this is a job for zoo staff – not a little girl and a naughty lemur!”

  “Stephanie went to give Alex his breakfast,” Zoe told Mr Pinch politely. “I promised to stay and watch the cubs while she was gone.”

  Just then Chi Chi let out an especially noisy squeal and thumped Mei Mei with her little paw. Mr Pinch glared at the bickering pandas down his long, thin nose. “I’ve heard all about the pandas fighting,” he announced. “I told Mr Higgins they would be a nuisance! But they won’t be causing trouble in my zoo for long.” He nodded his head bossily. “Mr Higgins wants there to be a special event on Friday, to welcome the pandas to the Rescue Zoo. Lots of important people will be there: visitors, news reporters, even the mayor! I won’t have the cubs being bothersome in front of them. If they are still fighting by then, I’ll start proceedings to send one of them to another zoo.”

  Meep gave a squeak of alarm, and Zoe stared at Mr Pinch in horror. “But – but Friday is just a few days away!” she stammered, glancing at the squabbling cubs. It seemed almost impossible that they would make friends by then.

  “Well, they’d better start getting along quickly!” Mr Pinch told her nastily. “Now, I’ve come to take some photos of the cubs so I can make posters for the event. I’d better get started. I’m very busy, as usual.” He pulled a camera out of his pocket and pointed at Chi Chi. “That one first.”

  He stepped over to the little panda. But as he held the camera up to his face, Chi Chi rolled away from him with a playful squeal.

  “Sit still!” Mr Pinch snapped.

  He moved towards Chi Chi again. But the cub gave another excited squeak and scampered quickly around Mr Pinch, so that she was perched behind him. Mr Pinch whirled round crossly – and cheeky Chi Chi turned a roly-poly through his legs, landing right back where she’d started!

  “That’s enough!” Mr Pinch spluttered, suddenly looking very hot and red. “I will not stand for such rude behaviour. I am the zoo manager! Well, if you won’t behave, I’ll take a photo of your sister first.”

  He turned to Mei Mei, who gazed up at him quietly. Next to bold, naughty Chi Chi she looked so timid and well behaved, so what happened next was even more of a surprise. The little panda poked her tiny pink tongue out at Mr Pinch!

  Chi Chi let out a delighted squeak of laughter at her sister being naughty. She scrambled over to Mei Mei and playfully rolled her around on the ground, squealing happily. When they sat up again they were covered in dirt, mud and bits of twig. Mr Pinch stared angrily at them. “Naughty, messy creatures,” he fumed. “I can’t tell them apart now!”

  Zoe looked at the cubs. She knew which fluffy bundle was Chi Chi and which was Mei Mei – even though the splodge on Mei Mei’s tummy was hidden by the mud! But something was different about them. The cubs were huddled close, whispering to each other. Their eyes were bright and excited. They’re having fun together, Zoe realised, suddenly feeling hopeful. They’re really getting along. And it’s because they both love causing trouble for Mr Pinch!

  The zoo manager scowled at her, his face very pink. “Which one is which?” he snapped. “I don’t have all day.”

  “That’s Chi Chi,” Zoe said, pointing. “She’s the older twin. And that’s Mei Mei. She’s a tiny bit smaller than her sister.”

  “Well, they’re both just as troublesome as each other, if you ask me,” Mr Pinch grumbled. “Now, where’s my camera? I dropped it over here somewhere.”

  He turned round to pick up the camera, muttering crossly. While he was looking away, Mei Mei leaned over to squeak in her sister’s ear. Chi Chi giggled…and just before Mr Pinch turned back the twins swapped places!

  Meep squealed with laughter and Zoe couldn’t help smiling. The cheeky pandas were just too funny, and she was so relieved to s
ee them starting to make friends. Mr Pinch narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously. “You’d better not be tricking me,” he warned her. “If you are, you’ll be in big trouble!”

  “I’m not tricking you, I promise,” Zoe said truthfully. After all, she thought, I did tell you the truth. It wasn’t my fault the babies switched!

  Mr Pinch scowled at the muddy pandas. “Now the little pests are going to be all dirty on my posters,” he grumbled.

  He held up the camera again. Straightaway the cubs took off! Chi Chi scampered playfully in one direction, towards the waterfall. Mei Mei padded the other way, past the wooden platforms.

  “Come back here this instant!” Mr Pinch shouted. But the cubs tumbled from one part of the enclosure to another and never stayed still long enough for the furious zoo manager to take their photos.

  Mr Pinch chased them until he was gasping for breath. Eventually he threw his hands in the air. His hat was tipped crookedly over one eye and his face was red and hot. “I give up!” he snapped. “Never, in all my years as manager of the Rescue Zoo, have I seen such naughty behaviour. I’ll be informing Mr Higgins about this.”

  He stormed out of the enclosure and down the path, muttering fiercely under his breath. As soon as he turned the corner, Zoe and Meep looked at each other and giggled. “That was so much fun,” the little lemur chattered gleefully. “Horrid old Pinch was as red as a raspberry!”

  Zoe grinned happily. Together the twins were double trouble! But she didn’t mind. All that mattered was that the sisters were starting to get along, and as long as they were friends they could both stay at the Rescue Zoo. She just hoped it would last.

  “Chi Chi! Mei Mei!” she called. “He’s gone! Come and finish your breakfast now.”

  The pandas bounded back over, and she bent down to give them both a cuddle. Chi Chi squeaked brightly up at her. Zoe laughed. “Yes, it looked like you were enjoying yourself!” she told the cheeky little cub.

  She shared out the rest of the apple and bamboo and held her breath, hoping the cubs would nibble their treats happily this time. But her heart sank as naughty Chi Chi snatched her sister’s apple and scrambled playfully away with it, while Mei Mei gave a cross little squeak. Chi Chi grumbled that Mei Mei was no fun – and suddenly the pandas were fighting all over again.

  “They’re still not getting along, Meep,” groaned Zoe. “I can’t believe it. I thought they were starting to make friends, but that was only when they were having fun teasing Mr Pinch. Now that he’s gone, they’re falling out just like before.” She glanced at the older cub, who was splashing around in the waterfall. “Chi Chi just wants to play and be naughty. She doesn’t understand that Mei Mei is quieter and doesn’t always want to join in.”

  Meep’s little nose wrinkled up anxiously. “What shall we do, Zoe?” he chirped.

  Zoe bit her lip, feeling very worried. “We’d better go and find Stephanie and tell her what Mr Pinch said. This is really serious. If the babies don’t make friends before Friday, one of them will be sent away. We can’t let that happen!”

  Chapter Seven

  Missing Mei Mei

  On Friday, Zoe flew into the cottage and dropped her school bag on the kitchen table. “Meep!” she called breathlessly. “I’m back. I ran all the way home!”

  There was a tiny squeak from the bowl of bananas on the worktop. Then Meep’s furry little head popped up, munching away. “Meep, you’re supposed to peel the bananas before you eat them!” Zoe told her friend, gathering him up for a cuddle. “Come on, let’s go straight to the panda enclosure. Today’s the special welcome event! Lots of important people will be arriving soon, all wanting to meet Chi Chi and Mei Mei – and Mr Pinch will be watching to see if they’re getting along.”

  Meep’s golden eyes were wide with worry. “I peeped into their enclosure at lunchtime, Zoe. They were still fighting!” the little lemur told her.

  Zoe sighed. “They haven’t stopped fighting all week, Meep. I think this is our last chance to make them friends.”

  She ran up to her bedroom and quickly swapped her uniform for jeans and a warm red jumper, and pushed a ball into her backpack. Otto and Benedict had loved playing with a ball; maybe Chi Chi and Mei Mei would too? As they set off into the zoo, Zoe sighed. Every day that week, as soon as she’d arrived home from school, she and Meep had raced to visit Chi Chi and Mei Mei. They had tried everything they could think of to make the cubs get along but nothing seemed to work.

  Once, Stephanie had let Zoe bring an old tyre into the enclosure for the sisters to play with. Chi Chi had loved it, but Mei Mei gave a frightened squeak whenever it rolled near her and Chi Chi had called her a baby. Another time Zoe had suggested they try a quiet game of sleeping logs. Mei Mei’s eyes had lit up, but Chi Chi snorted that it sounded boring. Yesterday Zoe had tried explaining how important it was that they make friends but Mei Mei didn’t seem to understand, and Chi Chi was too busy rolling in the mud to listen. Zoe hoped the ball worked – she wasn’t sure what else to try.

  The only time the twins had fun together was when Mr Pinch came to their enclosure. He had tried to take photos of them for his posters every day that week, and became crosser and crosser each time. As soon as he appeared, the twins would whisper mischievously and hide from him until he stomped away. In the end, Mr Pinch had to make do with some blurry pictures of Chi Chi’s paw and Mei Mei’s ear, which he was very grumpy about.

  It was a sunny afternoon and the zoo was full of visitors enjoying themselves. As Zoe and Meep reached the panda enclosure, a crowd of little girls was gathered outside, one of them holding a birthday balloon and wearing a sparkly badge. “Look at the little panda – he’s so cute!” she told her friends. “But I thought there were two? Mummy told me there were twin pandas.”

  “I can only see one,” another girl agreed, standing on tiptoes to have a better look.

  Zoe glanced over the fence. Chi Chi was huddled by herself in front of a big clump of bamboo next to the fence at the edge of the enclosure. “Mei Mei must be hiding from Mr Pinch again,” she whispered to Meep. “But why does Chi Chi look so sad? That’s not like her.”

  The party of girls took some pictures of themselves standing next to the fence, with Chi Chi in the background. As they rushed off to visit the hippos, Zoe pulled out her paw-print necklace and opened the gate. “Chi Chi, it’s us!” she called softly as they stepped inside. “Is everything all right? Where’s Mei Mei?”

  As she heard Zoe’s voice, Chi Chi looked up and let out a miserable whimper. Zoe and Meep hurried over to the little panda and Zoe knelt down beside her. “What do you mean, Mei Mei’s gone?” she asked. “Where?”

  Chi Chi sniffled sadly and crept behind the big clump of bamboo. Zoe peered after her and gasped. The bamboo was covering a big hole in the fence – a hole that the zookeepers hadn’t patched up. And Mei Mei had disappeared through it!

  Chapter Eight

  Panda Panic

  Zoe gazed in horror at the hole. “I don’t understand, Chi Chi,” she said, panic spreading through her tummy. “Mei Mei’s so shy. Why did she escape?”

  Chi Chi gulped and gave a little squeak. Zoe listened carefully as the little cub explained what had happened. When timid Mei Mei had found the hole in the fence, she’d decided to prove to her sister that she wasn’t a baby. She was going to squeeze through it and explore the rest of the zoo! But bold, brave Chi Chi had been too frightened to follow.

  Meep scampered over to the baby panda and gave her a comforting cuddle, while Zoe stroked her soft little head. “It’s all right,” she told her, trying not to let Chi Chi see how worried she was. “Mei Mei can’t have gone very far. We’ll find her, I promise.”

  Suddenly she heard a familiar, bossy voice coming down the path. “This way, this way! Follow me, everyone!” Mr Pinch called loudly. “The pandas are just around this corner.”

  Quickly, Zoe and Meep squeezed behind the bamboo with Chi Chi, so that they couldn’t be seen from the path. A huge, cha
ttering crowd of people was gathering outside the enclosure to meet the pandas. Lots of them were wearing important-looking badges, and some of them carried microphones or big TV cameras. Stephanie was there too, peering anxiously over the fence to see if the pandas were fighting or not.

  “So where are they?” asked a reporter with big square glasses and a green tie. “I can’t see either of them!”

  “They’re probably just having a little snooze somewhere,” explained Stephanie. “Baby pandas as young as Chi Chi and Mei Mei need lots of sleep.”

  “Ahem! Yes, well, I knew that, of course,” Mr Pinch interrupted pompously.

  Zoe’s mind was racing. She had to act fast, before Mr Pinch decided to come into the enclosure and start looking for the cubs. “Meep, we’ve got to find Mei Mei. She’s only small, and with such a big crowd of people here she must be frightened,” she whispered to the little lemur.

  “Maybe we should ask all those people to look for her too?” Meep suggested.

  Zoe shook her head. “We can’t let anyone know Mei Mei’s not in her enclosure. If the reporters find out a rare baby panda has managed to escape, it would be a disaster for the Rescue Zoo!”

  She turned to Chi Chi. “Stay here, and we’ll go and search for Mei Mei.”

  But the little panda shook her head stubbornly and squeaked. Zoe hesitated. “You can’t come with me, Chi Chi. What if someone saw you?”

  Chi Chi squeaked again and nudged her little nose against Zoe’s backpack. Zoe couldn’t help smiling. “OK – as long as you promise to stay very quiet and don’t pop your head out. And no tickling me!”