An Unexpected Hero Read online

  First published by Allen & Unwin in 2021

  Text copyright © Anh Do, 2021

  Illustrations by Peter Cheong, 2021

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. The Australian Copyright Act 1968 (the Act) allows a maximum of one chapter or ten per cent of this book, whichever is the greater, to be photocopied by any educational institution for its educational purposes provided that the educational institution (or body that administers it) has given a remuneration notice to the Copyright Agency (Australia) under the Act.

  Allen & Unwin

  83 Alexander Street

  Crows Nest NSW 2065

  Australia

  Phone: (61 2) 8425 0100

  Email: [email protected]

  Web: www.allenandunwin.com

  ISBN 978 1 76052 640 5

  eISBN 978 1 76106 233 9

  Cover design by Kristy Lund-White

  Text design by Kristy Lund-White

  Set by Kristy Lund-White

  Art direction by Anton Emdin

  CONTENTS

  ONE

  TWO

  THREE

  FOUR

  FIVE

  SIX

  SEVEN

  EIGHT

  NINE

  I live in the year 2050, and the

  Things weren’t always like this. The world used to be an awesome place full of happy animals.

  But in 2030, a TERRIBLE THING happened … the rich animals of the world voted to STOP HELPING THE POOR.

  After the vote, rich animals became even richer. They showed off their

  They bought GIANT TVs, fridges and furniture. More stuff than they could fit in their homes.

  They threw out truckloads of stuff to make way for new things.

  But instead of sharing with the poor, the rich animals threw everything in the bin, creating

  All of this didn’t make the rich animals any happier. In fact, they started fighting each other. Fighting about who had the most money …

  And who got the best parking space.

  Over the years, all these small fights turned into BIG fights … and these big fights turned into wars, lots of wars, RAGING ALL OVER THE WORLD.

  Meanwhile, the poorest animals had to scavenge just to eat, and things got so bad that they began fighting each other for scraps.

  Our beautiful world, once such a wonderful place, started to fall apart.

  But ... it’s not all bad...

  There’s still HOPE that everything can be turned around. There are still good animals in the world. Animals like my mum and dad.

  They are scientists who work on cures for animal diseases.

  Last year they found the cure for Chicken Pox. And just last month, they got rid of Mad Cow Disease!

  My parents are kind, caring pigs. Ever since I was a tiny piglet, they taught me to ALWAYS HELP OTHERS.

  My parents are the reason I wanted to join

  CHOC stands for Creatures Helping Other Creatures. It was created by a bunch of animals who want to make the world a better place.

  It used to be called ‘Protection Of Others’, or POO … hahahaha! I like the new name much better.

  CHOC’s motto is:

  They are experts in helping animals in trouble. From small acts of kindness …

  … to full-on rescue operations.

  CHOC animals have the skills to TREAT THE SICK …

  And to REBUILD after natural disasters, like earthquakes or hurricanes …

  They also have the skills to protect and DEFEND animals from evil forces.

  I applied to join CHOC as soon as I was old enough!

  And now, after three years of training, it was finally time for my CHOC GRADUATION CEREMONY! Soon, I’d find out which CHOC team I was in!

  The best graduates are in the A team. The next best are in the B team … all the way down to the Z team.

  I was more nervous than the time the elastic broke in my swimming shorts.

  But I tried to stay positive. I didn’t want to let my parents down.

  ‘This is the BIGGEST DAY of your life, son!’ said Dad.

  ‘We’re so proud of you!’ Mum added. ‘VERY, VERY, PROUD!’

  ‘Umm … thanks Mum and Dad,’ I replied. I wished we could talk about something else—anything else!

  The problem was, Mum and Dad seemed to think I’d get into one of the top teams. Maybe not A or B … but at least C or D.

  But I knew that was GOING TO HAPPEN.

  I joined CHOC because I wanted to help and protect other animals. But in my three years of CHOC training, I barely even went outside.

  I was ALWAYS on kitchen duty.

  Chief Instructor Carmel believes in animals PLAYING TO THEIR STRENGTHS … and she saw my strength as CLEANING!

  I was trained to cook, clean and wash up!

  There’s nothing wrong with cooking and cleaning, but not ALL day, EVERY day. And not when you want to be outside training with everyone else!

  The only good thing about being in the kitchen was that it was where I met my three best friends, Danielle Duck, Chelsea Chicken and Barry the Goat.

  While the other animals were learning how to RACE through an obstacle course …

  Me and my friends were picking vegetables.

  While the others were learning how to use WEAPONS to DEFEND the world from evil … … we were stuck sweeping the gym.

  When the other animals were learning how to SCUBA DIVE …

  … we were cleaning out the bins.

  Eventually, we got sick of watching the other animals train outside. So we started teaching ourselves how to be CHOC WARRIORS too!

  We used whatever we could for training. It took heaps of practice, but I became really good at using a broomstick like a staff.

  I spent so much time mastering the broomstick that my pals gave me the nickname

  Danielle Duck is amazing at practising something over and over until she’s really good at it.

  After weeks and weeks of training, she mastered using a TEA TOWEL like it was a Kung Fu whip!

  Danielle became so amazing that we started calling her

  She loved her new name and began dressing like a Kung Fu Master!

  Chelsea is one CHARMING chicken.

  She is kind and really funny. she’s great at telling jokes!

  As well as being extremely charming, Chelsea has a hidden talent … she is awesome at fixing things with her cool Mixy Fixy. It is a super gizmo that has every tool in one device!

  We thought she should be called Handy Chicken, but she wanted to be called

  … so that’s her name now. She even has a CHA CHA CHICKEN DANCE!

  is a total daydreamer, but he is very good at RAKING LEAVES!

  He is so good, he can rake leaves that haven’t even hit the ground yet.

  We wanted to call Barry ‘The Raking Goat’, but he liked his real name better. So we just kept calling him BARRY!

  Anyway, back to graduation night …

  As we pulled up at CHOC headquarters, the news came on the radio.

  ‘Troops have moved into position, bringing us ONE STEP CLOSER TO WAR...’

  Mum turned the radio off. ‘I don’t want to listen to bad news tonight,’ she said.

  ‘Imagine if you make the she added excitedly.

  ‘I’m not going to make the A team, Mum,’ I replied.

  ‘Maybe not,’ said Dad. ‘But I’ve got a feeling in my snout you’re going to make the son!’

  I think Dad must have a BLOCKED SNOUT.

&n
bsp; All of us CHOC graduates were sitting on stage, waiting for the team announcements. I felt

  It didn’t help that I was sitting between the TWO BIGGESTANIMALS in my CHOC class.

  All our mums and dads were sitting in the audience. They were very excited.

  I looked around and saw my friends …

  It seemed like we were waiting forever before CHIEF INSTRUCTOR CARMEL finally joined us on stage.

  She looked around to see if anyone was laughing …

  Still no one laughed.

  ‘Tough crowd,’ said the Chief Instructor. ‘Okay … enough hilarity from me, it’s time to announce the teams.’

  ‘Let’s start with our top graduate for 2050,’ said Carmel.

  Leon pumped the air with his paws and roared so loudly that Barry’s parents

  ‘Joining Leon are Tasha Tiger and Brayden Bear,’ said Carmel. ‘Leon, Tasha and Brayden will be defending the north wall.’

  ‘And now,’ she continued, ‘we have the B TEAM … Wendy Wolf, Rory Rhino and Bella Buffalo.’

  ‘Next up, the C TEAM...’

  I looked into the audience, where Mum and Dad were crossing their trotters.

  ‘The C team are … Harry Hippo, Billy Bull and … Gary Gorilla.’

  I could tell my mum and dad were trying really hard to HIDE THEIR DISAPPOINTMENT.

  On and on and on it went … through D, E, F … and still my name wasn’t called.

  My friends’ names weren’t called out either.

  Still nothing.

  My parents weren’t crossing their trotters anymore. They seemed REALLY WORRIED.

  I looked across at Kung Fu Duck. I’d never seen her look so sad. Of all us, she was probably the most skilful. But she was often overlooked in favour of the bigger animals.

  Eventually, we were the ONLY ONES left on stage. Me, Kung Fu Duck, Cha Cha Chicken and Barry the Goat …

  We didn’t need Chief Instructor Carmel to tell us which team we were in …

  Mum and Dad tried to look excited … but they weren’t fooling anyone.

  ‘The Z team has a very important job … ’ Carmel told the audience.

  I looked at my friends hopefully. Maybe the Z team would be better than we thought!

  On the way home, my parents didn’t say a word. I didn’t either.

  I was disappointed.

  Keeping headquarters clean? That’s all we’d done during our three years of training!

  Okay, we weren’t as strong as Leon Lion or as quick as Charlie Cheetah, but we were capable of so much more than cleaning.

  The problem was, no one ever gave us a chance.

  Mum turned around. ‘You haven’t disappointed us, Piccolo. We’re just sad for you. We know how hard you’ve worked. Regardless of the team you’re in, we’re sure you’ll do well.’

  ‘But Mum, it’s cleaning!’

  ‘Things need to be cleaned, Piccolo,’ said Dad.

  They both gave me a smile.

  Tidying CHOC headquarters was exactly the same as our training …

  ‘I’m sick of being stuck in here!’ said Kung Fu Duck.

  Barry stopped eating for a moment. ‘So, what are we going to do about it?’ he asked.

  ‘We’ll keep doing our OWN training!’ I replied.

  ‘Yeah, I’m with Pow,’ said Kung Fu Duck. ‘If we keep practising, one day we’ll get out of the Z team and move up!’

  ‘What? Move up to the Y team?’ said Cha Cha Chicken. ‘Who cares? It’s just a letter.’

  ‘Not just to move up,’ I said to the others. ‘But to be ready to HELP others. As best we can. I mean, isn’t that why we all joined CHOC in the first place?’

  ‘Not me,’ said Barry. ‘I joined CHOC because I thought it was a chocolate factory-’

  The blast outside KNOCKED US ALL TO THE GROUND.

  We scrambled to our feet and looked out the window … We couldn’t believe what we were seeing.

  The explosion HAD DESTROYED ENTIRE BUILDINGS. There were FIRES BURNING EVERYWHERE.

  Chief Instructor Carmel suddenly appeared on the Com screen. She looked very worried.

  The three of us ran to the screen.

  ‘Yes, Chief Instructor Carmel, we’re here!’ I replied.

  ‘Oh!’ Carmel exclaimed. She looked even more worried. ‘Is anyone else with you?’

  ‘Nope,’ I replied.

  ‘Just us,’ chipped in Cha Cha Chicken.

  Carmel’s eyes widened with horror. ‘Surely there’s SOMEONE ELSE I can talk to?!’ she exclaimed.

  ‘Nope, definitely just us,’ I said. ‘Is everything okay out there?’

  ‘No, it’s not,’ replied Carmel. ‘I can’t believe I’m saying this, but … the fate of the world is in

  She was not her usual calm self. In fact, she was very UNCALM!

  ‘Here’s what needs to happen,’ Carmel continued. ‘See that old cupboard in the corner?’

  We all turned and looked at the cupboard …

  ‘It’s time to open it. Because it’s not a cupboard, it’s a TIME MACHINE!’

  ‘I told you to STOP WHOAING!’ said Carmel. ‘You need to use the time machine to go back to the year 2030.’

  ‘That’s when the world’s richest animals voted to stop helping the poor—THE MOMENT OUR WORLD CHANGED.’

  ‘You must go back to that meeting and convince the rich animals to change their minds before that fateful vote.’

  ‘How do we do that?’ I asked.

  ‘Simply tell them THE TRUTH … if the animals of the world stop helping each other, THE WORLD WILL END IN 2050.’

  I asked in horror. My friends looked horrified too.

  ‘Yes,’ said Carmel. ‘Unless you stop it. Take a look outside!’

  It was awful. We could barely see anything beyond CHOC HQ.

  ‘I NEED TO SEE MY PARENTS before we go,’ I said. ‘I have to check that they’re okay.’

  The others were also desperate to see their mums and dads.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ said Carmel. ‘But there’s no time. YOU MUST GO NOW.’

  ‘But how do we know they’re okay?’ Cha Cha asked.

  We all nodded, tears filling our eyes.

  ‘The time machine is easy to use,’ Carmel continued. ‘Just select the year you want to travel to – 2030 – then pull the lever.’

  I nodded, trying to block out my fears and concentrate on what Carmel was saying.

  ‘The time machine is solar-powered and it has just enough power to get you to your destination. Once you arrive, it will start recharging straight away. It takes eight hours to get back to full battery, depending on sunlight.’

  Another huge explosion rocked the building.

  ‘I have to go,’ Carmel said. ‘YOU’RE OUR ONLY HOPE, Z team … Good luck.’

  Then the Chief Instructor disappeared from the screen.

  My friends and I looked at each other with total disbelief.

  ‘I feel sick,’ said Cha Cha Chicken. ‘You three go on without me.’

  ‘No way!’ I said. ‘No Cha Cha Chicken, no Z team!’

  ‘Think about our families, our friends.

  They’re all relying on us. ARE YOU IN?’

  ‘We should take our weapons,’ I said. ‘Just in case.’

  I grabbed my broomstick, Kung Fu Duck’s towel, Cha Cha’s Mixy Fixy and Barry’s rake, and shoved them in a big bag. Then the four of us, and the bag, squeezed into the time machine.

  I studied the controls and set the year to 2030 …

  ‘I feel like I did that time I got stuck in the washing machine,’ said Barry.

  But worse than the dizziness was our worry for the world we’d left behind.

  ‘Do you think our friends and family are okay?’ Cha Cha Chicken asked.

  ‘Remember what Chief Instructor Carmel told us,’ I said. ‘WE MUST HAVE HOPE. If we complete our mission, they’ll be okay. Everyone will be okay.’

  I opened the time machine door …

  We were on the edge of a fo
rest.

  ‘What are WE wearing?’ Cha Cha asked.

  ‘What are YOU wearing?’

  Our clothes had changed!

  ‘This is crazy!’ said Kung Fu Duck. ‘How did the time machine change our outfits?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ said Cha Cha, ‘but mine’s a little tight!’

  ‘WE LOOK RIDICULOUS,’ said Kung Fu Duck.

  ‘I actually think you look really cool,’ I said to Kung Fu Duck.