The Eager Elephant (5 page)

Chapter Nine

A Watery Rescue

Zoe watched in horror as Bertie waved his trunk desperately in the air. He was wriggling and splashing around, trying to swim to safety, but something was wrong.

Bertie gave a frightened trumpet and Zoe gasped. “Meep! Bertie’s stuck in the mud!”

The little elephant was struggling in the
water, splashing and thrashing as he tried to get free.

Meep squealed with fear, and Oscar let out another bellowing trumpet. Zoe had to do something, and fast!

“Bertie! This way!” she shouted, waving her arms. “Head to me!”

But Bertie was panicking so much, he didn’t even seem to hear her. Zoe looked around desperately.

“I have to go in after him!” she said, starting to pull at one of her shoes.

“You can’t, there are hippos in there!” Meep squeaked in alarm.

Zoe knew that none of the animals at the Rescue Zoo would want to hurt her, but she’d never swum with the hippos the way she could with the dolphins and other animals. It was too dangerous.

“I have to do
something
!” Zoe gasped.

She grabbed a branch from the ground and pulled it up to the edge of the lake. Meep grabbed the end too, and together they held it out, getting it as close to Bertie as they could.

“Bertie!” Zoe called. “Grab this!”

Bertie saw the branch and reached his trunk out in the right direction, but he was too far away.

Zoe held the branch out as far as she could, but it was no good. Water was going in Bertie’s eyes and up his trunk, and he coughed and spluttered as he tried to keep his head above water.

“Someone help!” Zoe shouted, looking around desperately.

Then she heard an enormous splash. Oscar had jumped into the lake! Zoe stared in amazement as the big elephant strode through the muddy water. “Oscar’s coming, Bertie!” she cried, clinging to him. “Just hang on!”

When Oscar was close, he stretched out his massive trunk towards the little elephant. Bertie reached out, his small trunk twisting round Oscar’s huge one. With a great squelching sound, Oscar pulled Bertie out of the sticky mud.

Then he started walking backward, towing Bertie closer to the shore with every step.

Finally they reached the edge of the water, and Oscar pulled Bertie out.

“Bertie!” Zoe flung her arms around the elephant, and so did Meep, who for once didn’t mind that Bertie was dripping wet. Zoe took some big, deep breaths.

She felt very shaky but she was so happy that Bertie was safe!

The little elephant seemed just as pleased to be out of the water as Zoe was. He shook like a dog, then pressed up against one of Oscar’s huge front legs, his trunk curled around it, hugging Oscar as hard as he could. Oscar was stroking Bertie’s head with the tip of his own trunk
and speaking to his young friend in a gentle, reassuring rumble.

Bertie hugged his big best friend, then came over to nuzzle up to Zoe.

Zoe smiled. “You don’t have to say sorry, Bertie,” she told him, cuddling him back. “I know you just got overexcited when you saw the water.”

Bertie gave a tiny, nervous trumpet and Zoe shook her head quickly. “Oh no, Bertie, of course you don’t have to leave the Rescue Zoo! This is your home for ever, no matter what.
We all love that you’re an eager little elephant but we just want you to be safe. So when we get to the water-lily lake, you should stay in the shallow water until you get a bit bigger. OK?”

Bertie nodded, wrapping his trunk around Zoe’s middle to give her an elephant hug.

“It’s just lucky Oscar was there,” Zoe sighed. “And that he was brave enough to come into the water to get you.”

She reached up to pat the huge elephant’s side. “Will you tell me why you were so frightened of water?” she asked softly.

Oscar hesitated for a moment, then trumpeted shakily. Zoe listened as he told the story: how he fell into the river when he was a tiny baby himself, and was quickly swept away. “You can’t have been much older than Bertie,” gasped Zoe, and the big elephant nodded. “So that’s how you lost your family.”

“No wonder you didn’t like getting wet!” chirped Meep.

Zoe beamed at her huge friend. “But you rescued Bertie, even though you were
frightened,” she told him. “That was the bravest thing I’ve ever seen, Oscar.”

“Me too!” chirped Meep, and Bertie waggled his ears eagerly in agreement. Oscar gave a happy trumpet – and Zoe burst out laughing. “The water actually felt nice?” she repeated in amazement. “Well, maybe you and Bertie can go swimming more often – just not with the hippos!”

Chapter Ten

Bertie Gets the Sniffles

Three days later, Zoe and Meep were about to have a race along the zoo path. It was just getting dark and most of the visitors had already gone home. “Ready … set— Naughty Meep, you’re supposed to wait until I say ‘go’!” Zoe yelled, giggling as Meep sprang ahead of her.

Zoe’s cold was completely better now.
After her adventure with Bertie and Oscar, she’d been worried that her cough and sniffles might come back worse than ever. But she felt fine and the next morning she was ready to go back to school.

“Can’t catch me, Zoe! Can’t catch me!” chattered Meep cheekily, darting nimbly past some visitors who were clustered outside the giraffe enclosure.

Suddenly the mouse lemur stopped and cocked his head to one side, listening. “What’s that funny sound?”

It was a very strange, squeaky, snuffling noise
– and it was coming from the elephant enclosure.
What’s Bertie up to now?
Zoe thought, reaching for her paw-print charm and opening the gate.

Inside, David was kneeling down next to Bertie, patting the tiny elephant’s back reassuringly. Oscar stood close by, watching over his friend. And to Zoe’s surprise, her mum and Great-Uncle Horace were there too.

Lucy was rummaging around in her vet bag. “It’s in here somewhere!” she said, and finally pulled out a silver stethoscope. She put the earpieces in and listened to Bertie’s chest.

“Mum! Great-Uncle Horace!” Zoe called, rushing over. Suddenly she felt worried. “What’s going on? Is Bertie all right?”

Right at that moment, a noisy sneeze exploded from Bertie’s trunk! The little elephant jumped in surprise, looking all around him. “That was the funny honking noise we heard before, Zoe,” giggled Meep.

“I don’t think Bertie knows what a sneeze is,” whispered Zoe, grinning back.

Great-Uncle Horace and David were
chuckling too. “There’s nothing to worry about, love,” Lucy told Zoe, smiling as she packed her stethoscope away. “Bertie’s caught a cold, just like you! It’s not serious though. He’ll be back to normal in a day or two. He just needs some rest and lots of healthy food.”

“And perhaps the odd custard cream,” whispered Great-Uncle Horace, winking at Zoe.

“I think it’s time the cheeky little thing went to bed,” added David. “Zoe, do you want to help me tuck Bertie in?”

“And then it’s time for our dinner! Great-Uncle Horace and Kiki are joining us tonight too,” Lucy told Zoe.

Zoe grinned. “Brilliant!”

Oscar and Bertie were cuddled up in their cosy shelter, in a warm bed of fresh
hay and grass. David had even fetched some fluffy blankets to make sure Bertie was extra snug. Zoe helped the baby elephant curl up and then covered him with the blankets, so that just his head and trunk were peeping out.

“Sleep tight, Bertie!” Zoe whispered. “I promise you’ll feel much better soon.
Meep and I will come back tomorrow to see how you’re getting on. And Oscar’s here to take good care of you!”

As Zoe, Lucy and Great-Uncle Horace left the enclosure, with Kiki flying overhead and Meep scampering in front of them, Mr Pinch came marching up the path. “What is that honking noise?” he snapped. “I am trying to do some very important work in my office and I can’t be disturbed!” he announced, pushing past them and going into the enclosure. “I’m going to tell that naughty little elephant to keep the noise down!”

Great-Uncle Horace chuckled as they carried on walking home. “Something tells me Mr Pinch will wish he hadn’t done that…” he told Zoe, his eyes twinkling.

A minute later they heard another sneeze from behind them – and a huge, angry yell. Zoe bit her lip so she didn’t start laughing as Mr Pinch barged past them again. His face was red and his smart and usually spotless zoo manager’s hat was splattered with little drops.

“Elephant snot!” he cried, marching
back to his office. “Yuck!”

Meep giggled so much that he almost fell over. Great-Uncle Horace, Lucy and Zoe managed to hold it in until they got
back to the cottage. They rushed in, shut the door, glanced at one other – and burst out laughing. “That was so funny,” gasped Lucy, shaking her head.

“Ah, poor Mr Pinch,” chuckled Great-Uncle Horace.

Zoe grinned widely and hugged Meep. “Good old Bertie,” she added happily.

The Rescue Zoo’s eager little elephant was just as mischievous as ever – but she wouldn’t change him for anything!