The Polar Bears' Escape

By Alex Casey

Hudson grows up absolutely loving life at the zoo with his mother and performing for his adoring human fans. However, things quickly take a turn for the worse as everything isn't as it first seemed. After Hudson spends time removed from his mother, a mysterious human attempts to aid the polar bears to make a daring escape. The bears embark on a dangerous journey to return to 'The Circle', a place where polar bears can live in peace. On their way, they make unlikely allies and attempt to overcome betrayal and humans with dark intentions. Can Hudson and his mother hatch a plan to escape their imprisonment at an evil circus? Will they be able to outrun a swarm of angry humans desperate to return the bears to the zoo? For Hudson to succeed, he is going to need a lot of help.

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Alex Casey
• Release date: Feb 28, 2021
• ISBN: 9781393474531

Book preview

The Circle

D:\acase102\My Documents\Bear Globe.jpg

As the months rolled on, Mother continued to spend more time behind the wall. I worried that there might be something very wrong with her. I asked if she was sick but she just waved me away, dismissing my concerns. Every day, a different batch of humans would come and visit us. I thought Mother was rude not to come out and greet them but I didn’t dare confront her.

I always awoke with a smile, eager to meet a fresh set of joyous faces. Sometimes I would play in my fountain or climb the ledge. Other days, I would roll around with my vast array of toys, frolicking in the shallows. Whatever I did, the humans couldn’t seem to get enough of it. I spent the evenings curled up with Mother, planning different ways to make the humans happy or listening to her stories about the Circle.

‘The Circle is where I used to live,’ she said. ‘It’s near the top of the world. It is where I was always the happiest. There were many other polar bears there. We lived without care in a vast, open space, bigger than the eye can see. Can you imagine it?’

I stopped and considered Mother’s question. It honestly sounded a little frightening. The unknown scared me. Everything felt within my control at the zoo and I guess that’s how I liked it.

‘But how did you eat, without Erik to feed you?’ I asked.

Mother laughed. ‘There is no Erik out there in the Circle! In fact, there are no humans at all. Mostly, we ate delicious, succulent seals that we caught ourselves.’’

I gasped at the idea of a world with nobody to perform for and without Erik to look after us. That didn’t seem like a nice place to me. I squinted over at the neighbouring seals, barely visible as they sunbathed on the rocks in their own enclosure. Despite my best efforts, I was unable to push a lingering thought from my mind. What would a seal taste like? A sudden instinct to eat one quickly washed over me, and Mother knowingly laughed.

‘Hmm... I’m so sorry to tell you that, Hudson. Now you’ll never be able to look across at the seal enclosure again without having the same hunger pangs I’ve had every day since I’ve been here. Fish don’t quite cut it for me, I’m afraid.’

‘Mother, did you make many friends in the Circle?’ I wondered, eager to distract myself from the undeniable hunger in my stomach.

Again, she chuckled. ‘The other polar bears and I kept to ourselves. That was how we liked it. We hunted alone, using our noses to find seal lairs. Maybe one day, I’ll teach you.’ She sighed. ‘Alas, I’m not sure we will ever make it out of the zoo. So I suppose I’m glad you are enjoying yourself here.’

I nodded and snuggled more tightly against Mother’s soft, warm fur, feeling reassured and content. As I drifted off to sleep, I thought about the Circle. I absolutely adored everything about the zoo but felt that maybe I could go there just once, as long as Mother was by my side.

The Birthday

I woke up with a start and immediately shoved Mother with all my might. My heart was beating out of my chest. ‘Wake up! Wake up, wake up, wake uuuupppp!’

Mother groaned and slowly opened her weary eyes. ‘Happy birthday, my love,’ she grunted.

I bounded up and ran towards the door. Erik had promised me a big feast as a birthday treat and the unmistakable smells wafted pleasantly into my nostrils. I sat and waited for what felt like an eternity before the door finally opened.

I almost fell over as I took in the wondrous sight - the biggest array of food I had ever seen. There was cod, trout, salmon and even rat and eggs. ‘Come on, Mother!’ I called. She ambled over, muttering something about how nothing compares to the freshly caught seals of the Circle.

D:\acase102\My Documents\Bear Feast.jpg

Erik stood above us as we ate, his hands grasping the platform railing. We barely noticed his presence but I made sure to look up at him a couple of times to let him know how much I appreciated the delectable food he’d brought us. He gazed back happily and I let out a groan of satisfaction as I gulped down more food. Despite Mother’s previous protests, I noticed she was gorging herself too. Could life get any better than this?

Mother and I ate until we could eat no more. My stomach felt like it was ready to explode and I collapsed against Mother’s side. As we reclined there, satisfied and unable to move, another trainer called Felicity joined Erik on the platform. This wasn’t unusual – many different trainers interacted with us from one day to the next.

None of them compared to Erik. I could see in their eyes that they were just doing a job - nothing more, nothing less. With Erik, it felt different. We had an intense connection, an unbreakable bond. It almost felt like he was family.

Felicity waved at us with a grin. ‘Well, what’s all this, Erik?’ she asked. ‘Have you been spoiling these lucky polar bears again?’

‘It’s young Hudson’s birthday. He’s two years old today. I thought I would bring him something a little bit special, that’s all.’

Erik seemed a little embarrassed, like he was in trouble for caring about us. Felicity spoke more softly this time. ‘Well you know, turning two is a very important birthday for a young polar bear. It’s almost time to consider the...’ Felicity trailed off as Erik placed a warning hand on her shoulder.

‘I know it is. Hudson is ready. We’ll finalise the preparations and move ahead with the plan within the week’, he said quietly.