The Puzzled Penguin Page 4

  Gently, Zoe knelt down next to Pip. “Look at all the other penguins!” she whispered, making sure that Will was too busy feeding the other birds to hear her. “Do you see how much they’re enjoying their breakfast? They all love fish — just like you. Fish is a penguin’s favorite thing to eat!”

  Meep nodded wisely from Zoe’s shoulder. “Liking fish is one way to tell that you’re a penguin, Pip!” the little lemur chattered helpfully.

  “Another way to tell is by going swimming. Penguins love to swim more than anything,” Zoe added. “And I’m going to have a little swim right now!”

  Meep squealed and sprang off Zoe’s shoulder. He scampered quickly away from the lagoon and found a smooth, dry patch of rock to perch on. Meep hated getting wet.

  Zoe stood up and pulled her bright-yellow swimmies on. She had been to swimming lessons, but she wasn’t as good at going underwater as the penguins. The inflatable armbands would help her stay afloat! She put on the goggles, stepped out of her pink flip-flops, and walked carefully toward the edge. Behind her, Pip waddled a little bit closer too. The penguin glanced uncertainly at the water, but he wanted to stay near Zoe.

  The lagoon stretched out ahead of her, as perfectly smooth as a huge mirror, and sparkled in the morning sunlight. It was beautiful, but it looked very cold. Zoe took a deep, determined breath. Please let this work, she thought, and closed her eyes.

  With a big splash, she leaped into the lagoon. As she landed in the icy water, she gasped. Even with her wetsuit on, it was colder than she had imagined!

  From the edge of the lagoon, Will shouted, “Keep swimming, Zoe. You’ll warm up!” Meep cheered from his rocky seat, bouncing up and down. Even Pip peeped excitedly and waddled forward a little bit more. Zoe lifted up both arms to wave at him and began to swim in a circle around the lagoon.

  Suddenly, Poppy realized that Zoe was in the water. With an excited squawk, she called out to the rest of the colony. They whipped around to see. All at once, the penguins raced to the edge of the lagoon and dived right in to join Zoe! She giggled as they swooped right underneath her.

  Pip was getting closer and closer to the lagoon edge. The chick looked interested now, but a little bit nervous too. Zoe glanced around quickly for the younger penguins. “Poppy! Pearl!” she whispered as loudly as she dared. “We need Pip to jump in. Let’s all cheer for him!”

  The penguins bobbed their sleek black heads up and down, then shot back through the water toward the edge of the lagoon. Zoe watched them cheeping encouragingly, and waving their flippers in the air. The rest of the colony copied them, and soon every single penguin was calling out to the little chick.

  Zoe kicked her legs and swam closer to him. “Come on, Pip!” she called hopefully. “You’ll love it. Jump in!”

  Pip blinked his tiny dark eyes. Then he wriggled his fluffy little body bravely — and jumped! With a plop and a splash, he landed in the lagoon. Zoe held her breath as he disappeared under the surface, and the other penguins dived underneath to watch. What if I was wrong? she thought suddenly, her heart racing. What if he doesn’t like swimming? Her head was spinning with worry as she waited to see what Pip thought.

  Suddenly, a tiny, pale-gray shape darted right past her toes. With a splash and a very excited peep, Pip’s head popped above the surface of the lagoon! His feathery wings were fluttering so quickly, they were almost a blur.

  “Pip!” Zoe cried. “You did it!”

  The little chick peeped again and plunged back under the water, turning a nimble somersault before gliding away through the lagoon. Zoe had never seen him look so happy. It was as though Pip had been swimming for years instead of just a few minutes! The rest of the colony followed, swooping along after him. As they shot through the water, they left thousands of bubbles behind them, like streams of pearls.

  Meep bounced so excitedly he nearly fell off his rock, and Will cheered. “Wonderful, Zoe!” he called. “Your plan worked! I’m going to radio your mom so she can come and see!”

  Will disappeared into a small room at the back of the enclosure, grinning. Suddenly Zoe jumped and giggled. Something soft and fluffy was tickling her toes under the water! Then there was a tiny splash as Pip shot up and appeared right in front of her, cheeping happily.

  Zoe laughed. “You’re swimming, Pip!” she exclaimed in delight. “Now do you believe you’re a penguin?”

  The chick cheeped again and flapped his tiny wings excitedly. His eyes were bright, and his tail feathers were wagging happily. Zoe beamed, relief flooding through her. Her plan had worked. Pip loved swimming — and finally, he knew where he belonged!

  Pip swam through the lagoon, diving right down to the bottom and then shooting all the way back up to the surface. He wriggled his body to pick up speed, swimming faster and faster … and then leaped right out of the water, sailing through the air before splashing back in again!

  Zoe heard a voice gasp, “Oh, wow! Look, Mom — there’s a girl swimming with the penguins!”

  Zoe looked through the glass wall of the enclosure. The zoo gates must have just opened, as visitors were streaming down the path. As people spotted Zoe in the lagoon, they rushed over to watch. Lots of visitors pulled out their cameras and snapped photos of her, and Zoe waved at them shyly. Will came back out into the enclosure and settled down on the rocks next to Meep, looking pleased with all the attention.

  Suddenly Zoe froze. Behind the crowd of happy people she saw one very angry face coming down the path toward her. Mr. Pinch looked even angrier than yesterday. He pushed rudely through the visitors, scowling furiously at Zoe.

  “Miss Parker, this is a disgrace!” he snapped. “Is this your idea of selling tickets for the penguin-feeding show?”

  The crowd of visitors turned to stare at Zoe curiously. Zoe could feel her cheeks turning pink. The tickets, she thought. I’m in so much trouble.

  Then she felt something very small and soft brushing against her hand. She looked down. Pip rubbed his head against her, making a very happy peeping sound. Zoe couldn’t help smiling at the little chick. I did the right thing, she thought. I don’t mind getting into trouble with Mr. Pinch, if that’s what it takes to help Pip. But … maybe I can still do something to help Will and the show too!

  Zoe splashed across to the glass wall so that she could speak to the crowd over the top of it. “Hello, everyone!” she called. “My name is Zoe. As you can see, we have lots of beautiful penguins here at the Rescue Zoo. Most of our birds are Adélie, rock hopper, or emperor penguins. They’re all very friendly — including the colony’s newest member!”

  She pointed to Pip. The little chick twittered excitedly and dived under the water, gliding toward Zoe. As he reached her, he popped up above the surface again, right in front of the crowd. “He’s adorable,” whispered a lady with curly white hair, lifting her granddaughter up to see better.

  “This is Pip,” Zoe explained to the crowd. “He arrived at the Rescue Zoo two days ago, and he loves his new home already! If any of you would like to see more of Pip and the other birds, there will be a special penguin-feeding show at three o’clock today.” She glanced at Mr. Pinch’s furious face and took a deep, nervous breath. “Would anyone like to buy a ticket?”

  A little girl with a black braid was the first to reply. “Me, me!” she called eagerly.

  Her mom smiled and nodded. “We’ll take two!” she said. “These penguins are just so adorable.”

  Behind them, more people in the crowd nodded and called out. “Where can we buy our tickets?” asked a blonde lady wearing lots of pink lipstick.

  “There’s a little wooden hut on the other side of the path,” Zoe told them, pointing. “That’s where the tickets and the money box are. If you don’t mind waiting just a couple of minutes, I’ll jump out of the water and get dry. Then I’ll come right over!”

  The blonde lady tutted. “But you’re having so much fun in the water. It seems such a shame to make you get out now!” She turned to Mr. Pinch. “Excuse me,”
she said bossily. “I think I heard you say something about the show before. Why does this little girl have to sell the tickets? We can just put our money directly into the box and take a ticket ourselves. That seems much simpler to me.”

  The crowd murmured in agreement. Mr. Pinch stared in disbelief at the crowd. Before he could argue, the blonde lady reached into her handbag for her wallet and marched over to the hut. The rest of the crowd followed her, eagerly chatting about the show. Shaking his head angrily, the zoo manager shot a final glare at Zoe and stomped after them.

  Zoe couldn’t believe it. Will grinned at her. “Fantastic, Zoe!” he said. “You don’t have to spend the whole summer in the hut — the visitors are going to buy hundreds of tickets!”

  “In fact, it looks as though today’s show is going to sell out!” called another voice. Zoe turned to see her mom stepping into the enclosure, holding a big, fluffy white towel under one arm and a small box under the other. “I just walked past the hut,” she continued. “There’s a line of visitors stretching all the way to the hippo enclosure!”

  Zoe splashed to the edge of the lagoon and climbed out, dripping and shivering. Zoe’s mom wrapped the soft white towel around her shoulders. Zoe cuddled into it gratefully.

  “Now, you go and sit in the sunshine with Meep,” her mom told her. “You’ll be warm and dry in just a few minutes, and then I’ve got a treat for you both.”

  Zoe stepped into her flip-flops and went to sit by her best friend. She started to feel warmer right away. As she tipped her head back to enjoy the sunshine on her face, Meep leaped into her lap for a hug. “Meep, I’m still wet!” Zoe said, laughing. “You know you’ll be grumpy if your fur gets damp.”

  “I don’t mind,” Meep chirped, nuzzling his head against her. “I’m too excited, Zoe. Pip’s happy, and we get a treat!”

  “Even better, we don’t have to sell any more tickets!” Zoe added, grinning as her little friend started jumping up and down in excitement. “I can’t believe it, Meep. We’ve got our summer back!”

  They sat in the sun for a little while, watching the penguins swoop and glide in the lagoon. Zoe changed back into her summer dress and was soon dry and warm again.

  “Here you go, you two!” her mom called. “Come and have something yummy for a hot summer’s day.”

  Zoe made her way back over to the edge of the lagoon, with Meep scampering eagerly ahead. Zoe’s mom opened the little box and held it out to them. “There’s a strawberry ice pop for you, Zoe, and some frozen mango for Meep,” she said.

  “And I’ve got something special for the penguins too,” added Will, bringing out a larger box. He smiled proudly as he took the lid off and showed them what was inside. “Fish ice pops! I made them last night, from frozen sardines. Zoe, will you help me hand them out?”

  Zoe reached into the box and picked up a handful of the cold, slippery ice pops. As the penguins started splashing out of the water and waddling over to her, she placed them on the ice so that they could nibble and peck away at them. Zoe made sure that Pip had a big ice pop all to himself. “Eat it all up, Pip!” she whispered. “You’ve done lots of swimming this morning. You must be very hungry!”

  They heard a snooty voice behind them. “Well, it looks as though the penguin-feeding show is going to be a very popular attraction at the Rescue Zoo after all! I knew all along that it was one of my best ideas.”

  Zoe whirled round to see Mr. Pinch looking very smug. Will cleared his throat. “Er, Mr. Pinch. Actually, it was my —”

  Mr. Pinch continued loudly. “Yes, a truly excellent idea.” He spotted the fish ice pops in Zoe’s hand. “So if anyone deserves to relax with an ice pop, it really should be me.”

  Before Zoe could stop him, Mr. Pinch had grabbed one of the ice pops out of her hands and given it a big lick. Zoe’s mom and Will both gasped, and Zoe held her breath.

  Mr. Pinch chewed the ice pop thoughtfully. “Hmm … what an unusual flavor,” he commented, taking another bite. “Is it … apple? Lemon? No, strawberry! No, that’s not it …”

  Zoe glanced at the others. Will was grinning and her mom was trying very hard not to smile!

  “It’s a special new flavor,” Will told Mr. Pinch helpfully, winking at Zoe. “Homemade this morning to celebrate little Pip settling in so well.”

  Mr. Pinch nodded. “Very … interesting. Well, I’d better get going. I have a very busy day ahead, as usual.”

  They all watched Mr. Pinch as he disappeared down the path, still munching away at his fish ice pop. As soon as he was out of sight, everyone burst out laughing.

  “That was the funniest thing I’ve seen in a long time!” said Will, shaking his head. “Well, it serves the old grump right for pretending the show was his idea!”

  “Oh, dear — poor Mr. Pinch,” added Zoe’s mom, smiling. “I think we’d better keep this a secret, Zoe. He’d be so mad if he found out what was really in that ice pop!”

  Zoe grinned and nodded. “I won’t say a word,” she promised. But the next time Mr. Pinch shouts at me, she thought, I’ll just remember him taking a giant slurp of sardine-flavored ice pop, and I’ll feel much better!

  As Pip and the other penguins finished their treats and started diving back into the lagoon, Will picked up the box. “I’d better go and put these spare ice pops back in the freezer before Mr. Pinch comes back and eats them all!” he said, winking.

  “And I’d better get back to the hospital,” Zoe’s mom said, standing up. “One of the little bear cubs has hay fever. He’s been sneezing all morning! Do you want to come, Zoe?”

  “Can I stay here for a little bit longer?” Zoe asked.

  Her mom smiled. “You can do anything you want,” she said, ruffling Zoe’s hair. “You’ve got the whole summer to spend at the zoo.”

  As her mom left the enclosure, Zoe sat back down on the edge of the lagoon to eat her ice pop, dangling her feet in the cool water. Meep jumped onto her shoulder, clutching a piece of mango in his tiny fingers. They both waved at Pip, who was splashing happily in the middle of the lagoon. The little chick flapped his flippers before swooping under the surface with some of his new friends.

  Zoe licked her ice pop and sighed. “I’m so happy, Meep,” she told her friend. “Pip’s going to fit in perfectly at the Rescue Zoo. And now we can come and play with him everyday for the rest of the summer!”

  Meep chirped in agreement. “And can we see Bella everyday too, Zoe?” he added hopefully. Bella was a gorgeous polar bear cub who was just a few months old and was one of Zoe and Meep’s special friends at the zoo.

  “Definitely!” said Zoe. “And we can give Oscar his breakfast every morning, just like we promised him! I want to spend lots of time with the baby wallabies and the pygmy piglets too. And one night, Mom said we could have a sleepover under the stars and watch the snowy owls flying above us. I can’t wait!”

  Meep squeaked in excitement and Zoe scooped her little friend into her arms for a cuddle. She sighed happily. “Meep, I think this is going to be our best ever summer at the Rescue Zoo!”

  With special thanks to Natalie Doherty

  Zoe discovers that the Rescue Zoo might have to close. She must figure out how to save her home — or the newest arrival, a friendly seal pup, might end up homeless!

  Great-Uncle Horace has rescued a tiny, abandoned lion cub and brought him to the zoo. The cub is very lonely, but Zoe has a plan to help him feel right at home.

  Text Copyright © 2015 by Hothouse Fiction

  Illustrations Copyright © 2015 by Sophy Williams

  All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Inc., 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012, Publishers since 1920. SCHOLASTIC and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc. Published by arrangement with Nosy Crow Ltd. Series created by Hothouse Fiction.

  First published in the United Kingdom in 2013 by Nosy Crow Ltd., The Crow’s Nest, 10a Lant St., London, SE1 1QR.

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  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  First edition, September 2015

  Cover art by Sophy Williams

  Cover design by Mary Claire Cruz

  e-ISBN 978-0-545-84223-5

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