Ekin, Arlo and Reyan
The Scary Animal Hospital
Tap Next to start the night shift →
The Scary Animal Hospital
Tap Next to start the night shift →
Chapter One · 1 of 10
After school, Ekin, Arlo and Reyan crowded around the computer at Ekin's house to play their favourite game on Roblox, Animal Hospital, because in the game you get to run a whole animal hospital all by yourself at night.
Chapter One · 2 of 10
In the game, their characters walked up the long path to the hospital as the sun went down, and the tall building looked friendly and frightening at the same time, because every window was lit up like a row of warm eyes.
Chapter One · 3 of 10
Dr. Harlow met them at the door with a stethoscope around her neck, and she told them that tonight they would be her helpers, because a good vet never works alone when the night is full of patients.
Chapter One · 4 of 10
Ekin took the reception desk, because he is good at checking names, and Arlo took the ward, because he is calm with frightened animals, and Reyan took the medicine cart, because he never forgets where anything belongs.
Chapter One · 5 of 10
The first patient arrived: a grey cat with a sore paw, carried in by its owner, and Ekin wrote its name in the big book, because every patient must be written down before it can be helped.
Chapter One · 6 of 10
Arlo carried the cat gently to the ward, where the beds are small and soft, and he talked to it in a quiet voice, because a frightened animal listens to a calm voice much better than to a loud one.
Chapter One · 7 of 10
Reyan brought the right medicine on his cart, and he read the label twice, because in a hospital the right medicine matters more than the fast medicine, and Dr. Harlow nodded when she saw him check.
Chapter One · 8 of 10
While the cat rested, the waiting room filled with more patients: a rabbit with long ears, a green parrot that kept saying hello, and a slow turtle that had lost its favourite stone.
Chapter One · 9 of 10
Ekin checked each animal against its chart, because the chart says what animal it is and what is wrong with it, and a chart that does not match the animal is the first sign that something is not right.
Chapter One · 10 of 10
As the clock struck nine, Dr. Harlow said the night shift had truly begun, and the boys felt proud and a little bit nervous, because the hospital was theirs to look after until the morning.
Chapter Two · 1 of 10
The rabbit came first, because its ears were long and its chart said it had a cold, and Arlo wrapped it in a warm blanket so that it stopped shivering before Dr. Harlow listened to its chest with her stethoscope.
Chapter Two · 2 of 10
The parrot said hello to everyone in the waiting room, and Reyan gave it a small bowl of water, because a talking bird still needs to drink, and the parrot said thank you in a voice that sounded almost like a person.
Chapter Two · 3 of 10
The turtle was the slowest patient in the hospital, and it had lost its favourite stone, so Ekin put a smooth round stone beside its bed, because a turtle that has lost its home needs a new home to feel safe.
Chapter Two · 4 of 10
While the boys worked, the hospital's big Sanity meter glowed softly above the door, and Dr. Harlow explained that it shows how brave and calm the whole hospital feels, because a calm hospital helps its patients get better.
Chapter Two · 5 of 10
Every time they helped a real patient, the meter rose a little, and every time something frightening happened, it fell a little, so the boys learned that helping is the best way to keep the hospital brave.
Chapter Two · 6 of 10
A small dog arrived with a bandage on its tail, and it wagged its tail so hard that the bandage nearly fell off, which made Arlo laugh, because a happy patient is the best reward for a long night of work.
Chapter Two · 7 of 10
Reyan checked the dog's chart and found that its name was Biscuit, and he wrote the name on the board, because the board helps everyone in the hospital know which patients are waiting and which ones are already resting.
Chapter Two · 8 of 10
The waiting room grew quiet as the animals settled down, and the only sounds were the soft ticking of the clock and the gentle breathing of the patients, which made the hospital feel peaceful for the first time that night.
Chapter Two · 9 of 10
Then the front door opened again, and a tall animal stepped into the light, and Ekin picked up his pen, because a new patient always needs its name written down before anything else can happen.
Chapter Two · 10 of 10
The animal looked like a dog, but its shadow stretched far too long across the floor, and the boys looked at each other, because they had all learned that a chart that does not match the animal means they must stop and look very carefully.
Chapter Three · 1 of 10
The tall animal walked to the reception desk, and Ekin read its chart, which said it was a dog called Biscuit, but the dog at the desk was far too tall to be Biscuit, and its eyes glowed a little in the lamplight.
Chapter Three · 2 of 10
Arlo looked at the chart and then at the animal, and he whispered that the chart said Biscuit was small and brown, while the animal at the desk was tall and grey, because a chart that does not match the animal is the first sign of an anomaly.
Chapter Three · 3 of 10
Reyan counted the animal's teeth when it opened its mouth to yawn, and he counted far too many, because a normal dog does not have teeth all the way to the back of its mouth, and that was the second sign that something was not right.
Chapter Three · 4 of 10
Dr. Harlow said the word the boys had been waiting to learn: anomaly, which means a patient that is not what it seems, and an anomaly must never be treated like a real patient, because treating one can make the whole hospital frightened.
Chapter Three · 5 of 10
The boys did not shout and they did not run, because shouting and running would only frighten the real patients, and instead Ekin rang the small quiet bell on the desk, which is the hospital's way of asking for help without making a noise.
Chapter Three · 6 of 10
Dr. Harlow walked calmly to the tall animal and spoke to it in a soft voice, and she led it through the back door into the quiet room, because the quiet room is where strange visitors wait until the hospital can work out what they really are.
Chapter Three · 7 of 10
Behind them, the Sanity meter dipped a little, because a scare makes the hospital less brave, but it did not fall far, because the boys stayed calm and asked for help instead of trying to handle the anomaly themselves.
Chapter Three · 8 of 10
In the quiet room, the tall animal sat down and its shape grew softer and smaller, until it looked like a lost grey dog after all, because an anomaly is often just a lonely creature that wanted somewhere warm to go.
Chapter Three · 9 of 10
Dr. Harlow gave the lost dog a bowl of water and a blanket, and she told the boys that kindness is the best medicine for a lonely creature, because even a strange visitor deserves a warm place to rest.
Chapter Three · 10 of 10
The boys wrote ANOMALY in their notebook, and next to it they wrote the three signs they had found: the chart did not match, the eyes glowed, and there were too many teeth, because a good helper always writes down what he has learned.
Chapter Four · 1 of 10
Back in the ward, the grey cat woke up and its paw felt much better, so Arlo helped it stand, because a patient that can stand on its own is nearly ready to go home.
Chapter Four · 2 of 10
The rabbit's cold was better too, and Reyan brought it a bowl of fresh carrots, because a rabbit that is eating again is a rabbit that is getting well.
Chapter Four · 3 of 10
The parrot learned a new word that night, and it said the word hospital over and over again, which made the whole ward laugh, because a laughing ward is a brave ward.
Chapter Four · 4 of 10
Dr. Harlow showed the boys her stethoscope, which is the tool that lets a vet listen to an animal's heart, and she let each boy listen to the cat's heart, because a slow, steady heartbeat means the patient is calm and safe.
Chapter Four · 5 of 10
Ekin listened and heard the cat's heart beating like a small drum, and he smiled, because the sound told him more than any chart ever could.
Chapter Four · 6 of 10
While the ward rested, the boys tidied the beds and washed the bowls, because a tidy hospital is a safe hospital, and Dr. Harlow said that the best helpers are the ones who clean up without being asked.
Chapter Four · 7 of 10
A new patient arrived: a hedgehog that had rolled itself into a tight ball, and the boys left it alone in a quiet corner, because a frightened hedgehog needs time and space before it will unroll.
Chapter Four · 8 of 10
After a while the hedgehog unrolled and sniffed the air, and Reyan put a small dish of food near it, because patience is the kindest thing you can give a frightened animal.
Chapter Four · 9 of 10
The ward grew warm and sleepy, and the animals curled up in their beds, and the boys sat on the floor with their backs against the wall, because even helpers need to rest their feet during a long night.
Chapter Four · 10 of 10
Just as Ekin's eyes began to close, the lights flickered once, twice, and then went out, and the whole hospital fell silent, because the night was not over yet.
Chapter Five · 1 of 10
The hospital was dark, and the only light came from the Sanity meter above the door, which glowed red now, because a dark hospital is a frightened hospital.
Chapter Five · 2 of 10
The boys stayed close together, because staying together is the first rule when something frightening happens, and they held hands in the dark so that nobody felt alone.
Chapter Five · 3 of 10
From the end of the hallway came a sound like slow footsteps, and a tall shadow moved along the wall, and the boys froze, because the shadow was far too tall to be any animal they had treated that night.
Chapter Five · 4 of 10
Ekin remembered the rule from the notebook: do not chase it, do not shout at it, and fetch a grown-up, because a shadow that you chase can only lead you further into the dark.
Chapter Five · 5 of 10
Reyan ran quietly to Dr. Harlow's office, because he was the fastest runner, and he knocked three times, which is the hospital's signal for help.
Chapter Five · 6 of 10
Dr. Harlow came at once with a lamp, and the light showed that the tall shadow was only a coat hanging on a hook, swaying in the draught from an open window, because a shadow can look like a monster when you are already frightened.
Chapter Five · 7 of 10
The boys laughed, but their laughter was shaky, because being frightened is nothing to be ashamed of, and Dr. Harlow said that even grown-ups feel frightened in the dark sometimes.
Chapter Five · 8 of 10
Together they closed the window and switched the lights back on, and the Sanity meter climbed back up, because light and laughter are the best medicine for a frightened hospital.
Chapter Five · 9 of 10
But as the lights came on, they saw that the back door stood open, and on the floor there were footprints that were far too big for any animal in the ward, because something came inside while the lights were out.
Chapter Five · 10 of 10
Dr. Harlow locked the back door and said that the hospital would be safe as long as they stayed together and kept checking every patient, because the night shift was not over, and the next chapter of the night was about to begin.
Chapter Six · 1 of 10
While Dr. Harlow checked the locks, Reyan noticed a small door at the end of the hallway that he had never seen before, and on the door there was a number five, painted in gold.
Chapter Six · 2 of 10
The door was locked, but beside it hung an old photograph of the hospital from long ago, and in the photograph the hospital looked small and new, with a garden full of animals.
Chapter Six · 3 of 10
Dr. Harlow unlocked the door with a key from her pocket, because Room Five is where she keeps the hospital's oldest memories, and she thought the boys were ready to see them.
Chapter Six · 4 of 10
Inside Room Five there was a wall of photographs, and every photograph showed an animal that the hospital had helped, from a tiny mouse to a great horse, because the hospital had been helping animals for longer than anyone can remember.
Chapter Six · 5 of 10
On a small desk there was a journal, and Dr. Harlow opened it to the first page, where it said that the hospital was built for animals that had nowhere else to go, because every animal deserves a safe place when it is hurt or lost.
Chapter Six · 6 of 10
The boys understood at last why the anomalies came to the hospital, because the strange visitors were not monsters at all, but lonely creatures looking for a warm place, just like the lost grey dog.
Chapter Six · 7 of 10
Arlo pointed to a photograph of a tall grey dog, and Dr. Harlow smiled, because that photograph was taken many years ago, and the dog in it was the same kind of lonely visitor that came to the desk tonight.
Chapter Six · 8 of 10
Ekin wrote in the notebook that the hospital is not scary because of the animals, but because it is dark and lonely at night, and that helping makes it brave again.
Chapter Six · 9 of 10
As they left Room Five, the boys heard a soft sound from the waiting room, and they hurried back, because a hospital never truly sleeps, and a new patient may need them at any moment.
Chapter Six · 10 of 10
In the waiting room they found a tiny kitten, all alone and shivering, with no owner and no chart at all, and the boys looked at each other, because a patient with no chart is the hardest kind of patient to help.
Chapter Seven · 1 of 10
The tiny kitten needed a name before it could be written in the book, so the boys called it Lucky, because it was lucky to find a hospital on the coldest night of the year.
Chapter Seven · 2 of 10
Arlo wrapped Lucky in the softest blanket in the ward, and the kitten stopped shivering, because warmth is the first medicine for a cold, lonely animal.
Chapter Seven · 3 of 10
Then the front door opened again, and again, and again, until the waiting room was full of patients, because the word had spread that the hospital was open and that its helpers were kind.
Chapter Seven · 4 of 10
Ekin worked the reception desk faster than ever, but he still checked every chart, because a busy night is when mistakes are easiest to make, and a helper who rushes is a helper who misses things.
Chapter Seven · 5 of 10
A rabbit arrived with six ears, and Reyan spotted it at once, because a rabbit with six ears cannot be an ordinary rabbit, and he rang the quiet bell before the animal could reach the desk.
Chapter Seven · 6 of 10
Dr. Harlow took the six-eared rabbit to the quiet room, and the other patients never even noticed, because the boys had learned how to keep the hospital calm while they handled a strange visitor.
Chapter Seven · 7 of 10
In the ward, Arlo treated three patients at once, moving from bed to bed with his calm voice, and every animal he touched relaxed, because a calm helper makes calm patients.
Chapter Seven · 8 of 10
Reyan's medicine cart rattled up and down the hallway as he brought the right medicine to the right bed, and he read every label twice, because a busy night is no excuse for the wrong medicine.
Chapter Seven · 9 of 10
The Sanity meter glowed bright and steady above the door, because a hospital full of helpers who work together is a hospital that cannot be frightened.
Chapter Seven · 10 of 10
As the clock struck three, the last patient of the rush settled into its bed, and the boys leaned against the wall, tired but proud, because they had survived the busiest night the hospital had ever seen.
Chapter Eight · 1 of 10
The first light of morning came through the windows, and the hospital looked different in daylight, because the dark corners were just corners again, and the shadows were only shadows.
Chapter Eight · 2 of 10
The grey cat was ready to go home, and its owner carried it out in a basket, and the cat purred all the way to the door, because a patient that purrs is a patient that is well.
Chapter Eight · 3 of 10
The rabbit hopped out with its blanket folded neatly, and the parrot said goodbye in its almost-human voice, and the turtle carried its new stone on its back, because every patient leaves with something it did not have when it arrived.
Chapter Eight · 4 of 10
Lucky the kitten was the last patient to leave, and a kind family took her home in a warm coat, because the hospital found her a family, which is the best medicine of all.
Chapter Eight · 5 of 10
Dr. Harlow called the boys to her office, and she opened a drawer, and inside there were three small badges, because a hospital always rewards the helpers who stayed brave all night.
Chapter Eight · 6 of 10
She pinned a badge on each boy's shirt, and the badges said Junior Vet, and the boys stood a little taller, because a badge is not just a piece of metal, but a promise that they will always help animals in need.
Chapter Eight · 7 of 10
The lost grey dog from the quiet room came to say goodbye, and it was small and grey and ordinary now, and it wagged its tail as it walked out into the morning, because it had found a warm place after all.
Chapter Eight · 8 of 10
The boys logged out of the game, and they were back in Ekin's living room, with the sun coming through the window, and the computer screen went dark, because the night shift was over.
Chapter Eight · 9 of 10
They talked about the night all the way to school, because it was the scariest and the kindest game they had ever played, and they agreed that the scariest thing in the hospital was also the saddest thing: a lonely creature looking for a home.
Chapter Eight · 10 of 10
That night, Ekin wrote in his notebook that a hospital is not scary when you have friends beside you, and that the bravest thing is not to fight the dark, but to stay calm, check carefully, and help whoever needs you.