Meerkat Madness
by Hannah Seymour aged 10
It was a cold, crisp morning and the Meerkats had just awoken. They had been planning their escape from the zoo for ages and hadn’t had much sleep. They cautiously emerged from their burrows and looked at the silent landscape. Today was going to be the day! One by one they started digging. The plan was to dig right out of the zoo!
After a day of tedious digging, finally they were free. Floss and Sunny, the baby Meerkats, were squealing with excitement. “We’ve made it,” Queen Meerkat whispered. She looked too stunned to speak. “Of course we did,” King Meerkat replied gently. “Patch, Amber, Paddy, scout the area for predators,” he ordered. The three of them scampered off. The Queen pulled herself together and they made beds whilst King Meerkat kept watch.
The next day Patch, Amber and Paddy were reporting what they had seen. They were wild with excitement! “ There were humongous towers and there were giants everywhere!!!” Paddy reported eagerly. “There were baskets full of food,” added Patch. “There were huge, fast things on wheels,” Amber recounted, shuddering. “That doesn’t sound like our old home,” Queen Meerkat replied worriedly. “Trust me, it’s fine,” Paddy replied.
They had been trekking for hours, and Sunny and Floss had to be carried. The Meerkat’s paws were hurting and their tails drooping with tiredness. They had scavenged food from boxes but it was dirty and smelly. Suddenly, Paddy saw an open bag outside a building. It was full of soft bedding and it looked very comfy. “Come on,” Paddy squeaked. “We could have a good rest.” They all climbed into the bag and burrowed deep into the bedding.
When they woke up they found that they were moving. They peeked through a gap in the bag and gasped in wonder. They were in a place full of green and bright colours. Then the bag was put down and the Meerkats were thrown back. The bag was opened and the man shouted in surprise when he saw them. Then he said “I’ve always liked Meerkats.” He still looked shocked enough to faint but at least he liked them! “Wait there,” he said and he stumbled off.
“What should we do?” Patch asked. “Let’s wait for the giant to come back,” King Meerkat replied. When the man returned he asked them a question. “Would you like to stay here with me, in the barn? It’s warm and I would give you food and water. I would arrange for a big, deep sand pit to be put in and I’m sure you’d like it.”
They moved into the barn that night. They made burrows to sleep in and soon it was looking very homey. “I think I might be the only farmer to have Meerkats in my barn,” he chuckled. He had heated the barn and now the barn was as cosy as it could be and the Meerkats had the time of their life.