Part Two: Patience Goes to Canada
The airport was a very large place, almost a city all by itself. By the time the little panda got there, a plan was working itself out in her mind. She would have to find someone to make-believe she was knapsack again. And, that might have worked, too, if she hadn't gotten very, very lost. Soon, she found herself far away from where there were people to whom she might tell her story, people who might help her.
There she was amid piles of suitcases and wooden crates and metal boxes with holes in them. She was a very, very long way from the bamboo forest now, and she wasn't at all sure she could find her way back even if that was where she wanted to go. And to make matters worse, she was quite hungry and she was sure her sack lunch wasn't going to last out until she found her mommy and daddy. So, the little panda sat down and began to cry.
"Pssst, mate, what use are tears, eh," said one of the metal boxes with holes in it. "You don't 'ear me blubberin' 'cuz me stuck in this 'ere cage, do ya?"
"Who said that," asked the little panda. She looked all around but all she could see were the suitcases and crates same as before.
"I'm over 'ere," said the metal box with the holes.
The little panda saw a small brown finger-like digit wiggling in one of the holes of one of the metal boxes. "What are you doing in that box, please," asked the little panda.
"Been tryin' to figger that one out meself. One minute, I'm happy as a clam, sittin' there in me gum tree munchin' on some foraging. You know, eucalptus. And then, quick as you please, they snags me, put me in this 'ere box, and ships me off. So what's yer story?"
The little panda told her story, not at all sure she should be talking to someone in a box with holes in it.
"Well, don't that beat all. 'ere I'm about to head off in another plane bound for who knows where, like it or not, when alls I want is to be back in me own patch, and that's just what you wants to do. Well, there's no goin' back fer me now." There was a long silence.
The little panda thought about this. Had she gone too far to turn back to her bamboo forest now?
"Would you do me one, would you look at the label on this 'ere crate and tell me where they be shippin' me?"
The little panda went over to the metal box and climbed up on top of it so she could read the tag. "This end up," she said, reading the label.
"Well, that's nice. Wouldn't do to be going topsy up. Any other tags?"
"Yes, it says: 'Property of the Toronto Zoo.' And then there's bunches of stickers showing some animals."
"roos, most like. So, so, the Toronto Zoo. I 'ere that's a good one if ya gotta go live in a zoo."
"Do you think my mommy and daddy would have been sent to the Toronto Zoo?"
"Could be. Tell ya what, if you can get the latch open, you can come in 'ere and keeps me company. This 'ere is a big cage and I wouldn't mind sharin' for the trip."
To Be Continued.
This story was written by AngelPie_Mouse exclusively for Guiding On The Go!
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