Koala Calamity. Jonathan Meres

      The girl looked disappointed. “Aw, Dad. Why not? It’ll be fun!”

      “You can’t drive a little buggy like this across town!” said the keeper, clapping his hands. “Be far too dangerous! Come on, fellers! Out you get now!”

      Dude, Bro and Squirt climbed reluctantly out of the buggy again.

      “Bye bye, bears!” called the girl as she and her father climbed back into the buggy and drove off.

      “We’re not bears!” hissed Bro, glaring after them. “We’re koalas!”

      “You tell ’em, mate,” said Dude.

      “How would they like it if we called them human bears?” said Bro.

      “Heh-heh-heh,” chuckled Dude. “Human bears. That’s funny, Bro.”

      Squirt glared at Dude until he stopped chuckling.

      “Sorry, mini-dude,” said Dude, sheepishly.

      But Squirt said nothing. He was too busy thinking. If they weren’t going to get a lift to the big zoo in the buggy, how were they going to get there?

      

ack in the tree, Squirt watched and scratched. Below, The Acacia Koala Sanctuary was gradually getting busier and busier. Camera-wielding tourists mingled with parties of excited school children. Young couples pushed prams. Toddlers toddled. Siblings squabbled. Elderly folk sat on benches, perfectly happy to watch the world go by.

      But Squirt wasn’t bothered about any of that. All Squirt was bothered about was where the big zoo was. And how they were going to get there. He knew that it was somewhere on the other side of the city. But how far? And which way?

      Squirt gave himself an extra good scratch and suddenly had an idea. If he climbed even higher he might get a better view.

      Squirt began scrambling up the tree. As he climbed higher and higher, the branches gradually got thinner and thinner and bendier and bendier. He’d never been this high before. But still Squirt kept on climbing and climbing – only stopping when he got to the very top of the tree. Then, clinging more tightly to a branch than he’d ever clung before, he peered into the distance.

      The city was truly enormous! Squirt knew it was big – but he didn’t know it was quite that big! Buildings rocketed into the air as far as the eye could see. Beyond the buildings Squirt could see green hills. And, in a gap between the hills, Squirt could just make out a splash of blue. The ocean! It had to be the ocean! Squirt had never seen the ocean before, but his mum and dad had told him about it. They’d never seen the ocean before either. But their mas and pas had. Because Squirt’s ma and pa’s mas and pas had once lived in the forests. The forests beyond the city. Somewhere out there, in the big, wide world.

      Squirt sighed. It had been a good idea to climb to the top of the tree. The view really was amazing. The one thing he couldn’t see though, was the big zoo.

      A breeze suddenly ruffled the fur on Squirt’s ears. The branch began to sway very slightly. But that was enough for Squirt, who immediately started climbing back down through the branches just as fast as he could. If there was one place he didn’t want to be when it got windy, it was the very top of a tree!

      “Come on, you guys!” said Squirt as he passed Dude and Bro on his way down.

      “Uh, what?” said Bro, cranking open an eye. “What’s happening?”

      “What’s happening?” said Squirt, scarcely able to believe his ears. “We’re going to the big zoo, remember?”

      “We are?” said Bro, stifling a yawn.

      “Aw, no,” said Dude, stifling an even bigger yawn. “We must’ve dropped off again, Bro.”

      “Guess so, Dude,” said Bro. “Pass me a eucy branch, will ya? I’ve fair worked up an appetite having that kip.”

      “No time for that, Bro,” said Dude. “Look, the little feller’s gone and gone.”

      “Uh?” said Bro. “What do you mean, he’s gone and gone, Dude?”