Leah's Great Adventure

Leah’s Great Adventure

Author/illustrator

Kali Taylor

To my Dad for always giving me helping evidence.

Maple Leaf Writing Project

Brattleboro Vermont

Copyright 2017

One day 11 year old Leah Carter was watching the news after gymnastic camp.

“Hello everybody, we are live from the Maine Zoo and we are here to tell you that the wildlife center has rescued a polar bear that was found in the Maine coastal center,” announced the news reporter.

“Wow,” said Leah as she turned off the TV.

“Hi Leah,” said Leah’s mom bursting through the door. Her mom was coming home from the WNTW Poland Springs Weather Channel.

“Hi Mom,” Leah replied.

“Are you ready to go to the zoo so I can meet with the owner? I need to talk to him about an article for my weather channel,” said her mom.

“Yeah, So Mom, have you heard about the polar bear that was found in the coastal center?” Leah said while they got in the car.

“Yes, I know some scientists that are trying to figure out how the polar bear could have ended up here. I heard that they are taking the bear to Alabama to be tested and meanwhile they are taking care of him at the zoo,” said Leah’s mom.

I wish I could help the polar bear, Leah thought.

“Here we are!” Leah’s mom said as she got out of the car. As soon as Leah and her mom went in the front door, Eddie Johnson, the zoo’s director, started talking about the animals with her mom.

“Leah you can go look at the animals, I will be in the room next to the dolphins,” Leah’s mom said, interrupting Eddie.

I need to find the polar bear, Leah thought.

“Hey,” murmured a quiet voice. Leah turned and didn’t see anyone.

“Hey, we're down here,” said the voice again. Leah turned once more and looked down at the penguins. There were three penguins as tall as her waist in a glass cage with big ice rocks.

“Hi,” voiced one of the penguins.

“Oh, my gosh did you just talk to me?” Leah replied.

“Our names are Oreo, Jet and Blackie,” the penguins announced.

“How can you talk?” Leah asked.

“Please don’t tell anyone, we really need your help,” begged the penguins.

“Umm...ok,” said Leah, confused.

“We need you to get us out,” said Jet.

“Get you guys out, how?” Leah asked curiously.

“There’s an escape room that the zoo keepers come in through when they feed us, and we need you to go through it to let us out,” said Oreo.

“Are you sure you won't get caught?” said Leah. Leah looked around and saw all of the boxes of fish being loaded.

“Wait am I just dreaming?” Leah asked.

“No, this is real,” the penguins said, laughing at her.

“Leah, to get to the door that opens out into our tank. You need to go through the owner’s office. There should be a password keypad that opens a secret door in the wall that leads to our tank,” said Blackie.

“How do I open the secret door if I don’t know the password?” Leah asked.

“All you need to do is get him out of his office,” said Blackie.

“How do you guys know all this?” Leah asked, stopping in her tracks.

“We hear the directors, conversations,” said Jet.

“Ok I will do it only because I want to help you guys,” said Leah.

“Mom, one of the seals got out of their tank,” yelled Leah. Then Eddie ran over to his phone.

“We need back up on a runaway seal,” Eddie said while dropping the phone. Then Leah’s mom and Eddie ran out of the office. Leah raced around Eddie’s office looking for the password. Leah ran and bumped his desk and his keyboard slid off his desk and Leah spotted a sticky note on the bottom of the keyboard that said “2606”. Leah ran over to the keypad on the other side of the room and typed in “2606”. Then the secret door opened slowly and Leah slid right through the door and ran down the dark hallway. As she was running she could hear people screaming with confusion. Then she found a big door that said “Penguin” on the front. Leah pulled the lever up and the door slid open.

“That could have not taken any longer,” said Oreo.

“So why do you want to escape?” asked Leah holding the door open, out of breath.

“Excuse me, I am seeing a child in the penguin sanctuary,” said a serious voice in the distance.

“We will tell you later, we have to go,” said Jet.

“Why?” Leah asked.

“Someone saw you in here and is reporting you to the owner,” answered Oreo. Leah and the penguins ran out of the sanctuary through the hallway, and then through another wide hallway. They came to a stop when they saw flashes of light coming their way. The light got closer and closer. Then they heard voices.

“How did you get in here?” asked a nearsighted guard, looking right at Leah.

“I must have taken a wrong way,” Leah said. The guard ran past Leah and the penguins.

“Cool statues,” said the guard.

“Wow, that was close,” said Leah. So why do you need to escape?”.

“Well, have you heard about the polar bear that the zoo found?” asked the penguins.

“Yes,” answered Leah.

“Well that polar bear is “Riko”, the king of the North Pole. We all knew him before we were taken by the wildlife center and brought here,” explained the penguins, hiding behind a direction board.

“We need to get to him before humans destroy our home in the North Pole,” the penguins uttered quietly.

“Leah, it’s time to go,” said Leah’s mom as she walked out of Eddie’s office.

“Ok, I will be right there,” Leah replied.

“Don’t tell anyone our secret,” said the penguins.

“Ok, I promise,” Leah said.

“Bye Leah,” the penguins murmured quietly.

“What was the escaping seal about?” asked Leah’s mom. “ We looked everywhere.”

“Oh, yeah I was certain that a seal escaped when I heard an alarm near their habitat,”. Leah explained acting confused.

“Anyway did you have a good time at the zoo?” asked her mom as they got in the car and drove out of the parking lot.

“Yeah, I met some pretty cool animals. So can we go back to the zoo tomorrow?” begged Leah, smiling.

“Sorry Leah,you have gymnastics practice tomorrow,” Leah’s mom said.

The next day Leah’s mom dropped her off at the Eastern Stars Gymnastic Gym. Leah got out of the car and waved to her mom.

“Bye Mom,” said Leah.

“Bye Leah, I will pick you up at seven o’clock,” said Leah’s mom. Leah ran in the doors as her mom drove away, but she did not go up the stairs to her gymnastics practice. She walked to the back door and left the gym. Leah went to the crosswalk and ran across the street.

“Hey, you should not be running on the streets,” yelled a low mysterious voice. Then Leah turned around and kept running towards the zoo.

“Kid, come back!” yelled the voice. But Leah didn't stop running. Leah ran all the way to the door of the zoo and pushed the doors open.

“Hi Leah, I didn’t know I would see you here. Is your mom coming?” asked Eddie the zoo director.

“Nope, I thought I would just stop by and look at the animals...if that is okay,” said Leah running past Eddie. Leah ran into the building feeling the cool salty air hit her face.

They should be over here somewhere, Leah thought. Leah looked around and spotted the penguins standing like statues in front of the arcade sign.

“What are you guys doing?” Leah said, trying to make it look like she was not talking to anyone.

“We’re waiting to sneak into the zoo bus, so we can go get Riko, but the bus isn’t leaving til tomorrow for Alabama,” explained the penguins still frozen.

“I have to get back to gymnastics, see you guys soon!” Leah said while throwing them a two way radio that she had searched for in her mother’s closet before gymnastics . Leah ran out the door and down the street. She came to a sudden stop when a tall serious guy with a long pointed beard, came up to her.

“I believe I have seen you with animals at the zoo,” said the guy mysteriously.

“Nope, I don’t know what you are talking about sir,” Leah replied confidently.

That was weird, Leah thought, feeling unsafe. Then she took a deep breath and walked through the gym’s front door,to wait for her mom.

The next day Leah and her mom were sitting at the table enjoying their dinner.

“So Leah, I’ve got a promotion to work as a meteorologist in Alabama and if it’s okay with you I think we should move there.

“Oh my gosh, that’s great,” Leah said faking.

“We’re leaving tomorrow to look at homes,” said Leah’s mom excitedly. “You will be going to Alabama Central Elementary School, and they have a gymnastics team there too, I talked with your principal and teacher.

The following day in the early morning, Leah and her mom were packing to leave for the airport.

“Are you ready to leave?” asked Leah’s mom.

“I’m ready,” uttered Leah.

“Are you excited?” asked Leah’s mom.

“Yeah” Leah said, trying to be positive.

“What’s wrong?” asked Leah’s mom.

“I am going to miss my friends,” Leah quietly replied.

“It’s ok Leah, you will make new friends at your new school,” said Leah’s mom. Leah realized that she would be closer to the penguins which made her very excited.

When Leah and her mom were pulling out of their driveway, Leah saw the mysterious guy that she had ran into at the crosswalk the day before. He was standing next to a white shiny car.

Time passed and Leah and her mom arrived.

“We’re at the airport,” said Leah’s mom.

“How long is the plane ride?” Leah moaned.

“About five hours Leah,” said her mom. As Leah and her mom walked through the ticket line Leah saw the mysterious guy walking towards the plane entrance.

Oh, is he going to Alabama too?, Leah wondered. Leah and her mom entered the plane and were assigned to sit two rows away from the mysterious guy!

“Thank you for taking this flight to Huntsville Alabama with us. We will be taking off in ten minutes. All electronics being used must be on airplane mode and all phone calls must be on silent,” said the stewardess through the speakers.

“Mom, I have to go the bathroom,” said Leah.

“The bathroom is in the back of the plane” replied Leah’s mom closing her eyes. Leah walked past the mysterious guy on her way to the bathroom.

“I’ve got the girl seen with the penguins right on the plane,” said the guy talking into a cell phone. Leah speed walked all the way to the bathroom. When Leah came back from the bathroom, she sat down in her chair wondering about what he meant.

Who was he talking to and what does he want?, Leah thought. The time passed by and it was time to get off the plane.

“Leah we have to go rent a car,” said Leah’s mom. Leah and her mom got to the car shop and were waiting to get a rental for their first few days in Alabama. Suddenly Leah saw the mysterious guy standing next to a white van.

Why is that guy here? Leah thought. I think he is up to something!

Later that day, Leah and her mom were checking in at the Westin Hotel.

“Leah, I am going to go to the Realty Group just a few blocks away,” said her mom collecting her bag.

“Stay here and I’ll be back in a couple of hours, unless you changed your mind and want to come with me?” said Leah’s mom.

“No, but thanks” Leah said flopping on her hotel bed.

Leah sat up and moaned. “What am I going to do now?” Ring Ring! Leah got up and walked over to her bag were she had put her two way radio. It was a call from the penguins.

“Leah are you there?” said one of the penguins.

“Hi guys, what are you up to?” Leah answered happily.

“Taking the zoo bus was a great idea, we ended up at the lab that Riko was taken to,” said the penguins.“We need your help. We’re at 39 Crocker Avenue in a large warehouse.” Leah paused for a while.

“I will be there in fifteen minutes.” Leah remembered that they passed Crocker Avenue on the way from the airport and it was less than a mile from the hotel. Leah wrote a note to her mom that she was going to check out the new gymnastics studio and she would be back soon. Leah grabbed her two way radio and left the hotel. When she arrived at the warehouse she walked up to the front door and there was trash everywhere.

Is this the place where Riko and the penguins are?, Leah thought. Leah checked her map that she had gotten at the hotel.

“Yup, this is 39 Crocker Avenue,” Leah whispered to herself. Leah walked up to the door and pulled the lever on the door. Leah pulled it again.

“It’s locked,” Leah whispered, “I need to find another way,”. Leah took her two way radio out of her bag and called the penguins to unlock the door.

“Guys the door is locked, can you unlock it for me?” asked Leah, “Also how did you guys get in?”.

“We were in the boxes that the delivery men delivered the tools in,” said the penguins through their radio. Then the penguins pushed the metal door open and they brought Leah to where Riko was. Leah felt the cold air rush into her face.

“So how do we get Riko out of that cage?” Leah asked the penguins. Leah looked into the cage where Riko was lying confused and unconscious.

“We need to find the key,” answered the penguins. Leah and the penguins looked around the warehouse for the key when Leah spotted the key on the back door handle. Leah ran over to the door and as Leah unhooked the key from the handle, the mysterious guy and his crew burst through the door. The crew rushed into the warehouse as Leah jumped behind the door, and the penguins hid under crates.

“We need to get Riko out now,” Leah whispered into the radio.

“Got it,” the penguins answered quietly. Then the crew went to the back of the warehouse to get the tools that were delivered earlier that day.

“Ok, now we get Riko,” Leah said, peeking her head out from behind the door. As the crew was in the back Leah and the penguins unlocked the cage that Riko was in.

“Wow he’s big,” Leah said. Leah watched the fearless but silent, ten foot high polar bear standing on his back legs. Leah was amazed she would ever see a animal of such power right in front of her.

“Can Riko talk too?” asked Leah.

“No, he can’t,” answered the penguins softly.

Leah and the animals quickly left the warehouse and entered onto the street.

“Ok, I was thinking that I would bring you guys to the hotel that I’m staying in ,” Leah said. “But it might be hard to get you guys past the hotel lobby,”.