Later that afternoon, when Miss Hawkins had taken the rest of Zoe’s class back to school to be collected by their mums and dads, Zoe and her mum decided to head to the zoo café to have a hot chocolate. As they walked there, Zoe thought that the zoo was looking really colourful and pretty, with red and orange leaves fluttering down from the trees. She heard a little squeak behind her, and looked round. Something tiny, grey and furry was scampering excitedly towards them!
“Meep!” called Zoe with a laugh. Meep was a tiny grey mouse lemur, with a long curling tail, bright golden eyes and a very cheeky face. He was Zoe’s best friend at the zoo. Lucy smiled as Zoe bent down to pick Meep up and give him a cuddle. “Where were you earlier?” she whispered to him so her mum couldn’t hear. “I thought you might come and see my class!”
Zoe had a special secret, which nobody else in the whole world knew, not even her mum. She could talk to animals! It made living at the Rescue Zoo extra exciting, because every time Zoe heard an animal roar, bark, grunt or hoot, she understood exactly what they were saying, and could speak back to them.
“I was going to come and see you,” explained Meep. “But first I had a little snooze. Then I felt hungry, so I had a snack. There are so many treats in the kitchen to nibble! I had a banana, an apple, some nuts and some seeds.” Meep rubbed his belly happily. “But then I felt sleepy again, so I thought I’d better have another nap!”
Zoe giggled. Meep’s two favourite things were sleeping and eating! Lucy had stopped to chat to the penguin keeper, so Zoe had a chance to reply. “That sounds like a nice day, Meep!” she said in a quiet voice, tickling his belly. “It’s probably just as well you didn’t come along anyway. Mr Pinch turned up and was grumpy with everyone. And you can never resist being extra naughty when he’s around!”
Her mum finished her chat, and when they got to the café she bought them two mugs of hot chocolate with extra marshmallows. They went to sit in a cosy corner, and Zoe gave Meep one of her marshmallows, which he nibbled happily.
“Wasn’t today fun, Zoe? It was lovely to have your whole class visit the zoo,” Lucy said, taking a sip of her drink. “And I loved Miss Hawkins’s idea about you all singing at the Spooktacular! You’ll be the stars of the whole show!”
Zoe stirred her drink carefully and avoided her mum’s eyes. She didn’t want to admit that she was nervous about singing in front of everyone. Luckily, Lucy didn’t seem to notice. “Oh, have you decided what you’d like your Halloween costume to be, love?” she asked. “We could start working on it tonight!”
Zoe felt much more cheerful as she thought about her costume. She loved getting dressed up at Halloween! “I haven’t decided yet,” she replied. “All I know is that I want to dress up as an animal! I went as a black cat last year and a frog the year before, so I need a new idea.”
“How about a spider or a bat, since that’s what your class has been learning about?” suggested her mum.
“I think half of my class are already planning to come as spiders or bats!” Zoe explained.
Lucy nodded. “Hmm, yes, you want to go as something a bit different. Well, we’ll think of something, Zoe! Why don’t you and Meep go for a walk around the zoo and see if you get any inspiration?”
Zoe smiled. “That’s a great idea.”
When they’d finished their hot chocolates, Lucy went to the zoo hospital to check on a poorly meerkat. Zoe and Meep set off in the other direction. Meep ran up her arm and perched on her shoulder. “Who shall we visit first, Zoe?” he asked.
“Let’s see…” Zoe looked around. “Well, down this path are the crocodiles, the zebras and the seals. A crocodile would be a fun costume! Maybe I could wear my green jumper, and make a special mask with lots of sharp teeth.”
“Yes! Or a zebra would be good too,” added Meep. “You’ve got your stripy black and white pyjamas, so you could wear those. And then you’d just need a tail and some ears.”
“I wonder what Star thinks?” said Zoe. They were just outside the seal enclosure, where one of Zoe’s favourite animals lived: Star, the seal pup. “Let’s go and ask her.”
Meep chirped eagerly. Gentle Star was one of Meep’s favourite animal friends too!
Zoe reached for the necklace she was wearing around her neck, and found the little silver charm in the shape of a paw print that dangled from it. She held the charm against a panel in the gate, and with a quiet click the gate swung open for her. Zoe tucked the necklace back under her jumper and smiled. It wasn’t an ordinary piece of jewellery, of course, even though it looked like one. Great-Uncle Horace had had it made especially for Zoe, and given it to her for her birthday. The charm opened every gate and door in the whole zoo, so she could visit any animal, whenever she wanted!