Text Copyright © Aleesah Darlison.

  Illustrations Copyright © Cheri Hughes.

  First published 2023

  Copyright remains the property of the authors and apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission.

  All inquiries should be made to the publishers.

  Big Sky Publishing Pty Ltd

  PO Box 303, Newport, NSW 2106, Australia

  Phone: 1300 364 611

  Fax: (61 2) 8330 9211

  Email: info@bigskypublishing.com.au

  Web: www.bigskypublishing.com.au

  Cover Design and Typesetting: Cheri Hughes

  Printed in China by Jilin GIGO International.

  Author: Aleesah Darlison

  Title: Super Sloth Episode 1: The Shar-Wolf of New York City

  ISBN: 9–781922– 896537

  Subjects: Middle Grade Fiction.

  CONTENTS

  1. Prologue

  2. Chapter 1

  3. Chapter 2

  4. Chapter 3

  5. Chapter 4

  6. Chapter 5

  7. Chapter 6

  8. Chapter 7

  9. Chapter 8

  10. Chapter 9

  11. Chapter 10

  12. Chapter 11

  13. Chapter 12

  14. Chapter 13

  15. Chapter 14

  16. Chapter 15

  Prologue

  On a wild and stormy night on a tiny island in the Atlantic Ocean, Romeo Fortez was born. His birthplace was a red mangrove tree. His mother, a pygmy sloth.

  As the storm raged around them, Romeo’s mother held her newborn baby tight. By the flash of a lightning burst, she saw him gaze up at her with adoring eyes.

  That instant, in the very heart of her, Romeo’s mother knew her son was special and would one day achieve great things. Just how special and how great, no one – not even his mother – could ever have guessed.

  This is the story of Romeo Fortez, aka Super Sloth.

  Chapter 1

  Escudo Island is a miniscule dot of rainforest and mangrove seventeen miles off the coast of Panama in the Caribbean Sea. The island is home to pearly white beaches, stunning sea caves and towering rock formations carved by wind and water. On this itty-bitty island lives an itty-bitty community of itty-bitty creatures found nowhere else in the world: pygmy sloths.

  Feel free to gasp, sigh, or shiver with delight if you wish. Sloths are cute after all, especially the small ones! This close-knit group of tiny tree dwellers were as sweet as honey-choc muffins, as cuddly as baby kittens, and as slow-moving as a rainy winter weekend.

  But one whippersnapper by the name of Romeo was not quite like the others. Don’t get me wrong. He was sweet and cuddly, but he certainly wasn’t slow. You see, something incredible happened to Romeo not long after he was born that transformed him forever.

  As is the case with every newborn sloth, Romeo had to take part in a naming ceremony. On the night this ceremony took place, all sorts of mystical events played out in the heavens above.

  First, as the sun set, its last rays shone through the wispy clouds, causing a fire rainbow to erupt across the sky. Second, the rising full moon was so powerful and so magical it was surrounded by a halo of white light. Third, a tremendous shower of shooting stars burst across the sky as lightning flashed, even though no storm appeared.

  With such spectacular forces at work, it was clear that magic was afoot, as if the earth itself was putting on a show to welcome the baby. With the sky awash with colour and movement, Romeo’s mother handed him to the sloth leader, Tajo, for the naming ceremony.

  Wearing a skirt of mangrove leaves, Tajo asked, ‘Who offers this child for naming?’

  Romeo’s parents, Derek and Imelda, glanced uncertainly at one another. ‘Us,’ Derek said. ‘We discussed this already, remember?’

  Tajo clicked his tongue. ‘I know, it’s just part of the ceremony. Now, play along.’

  ‘Oh, okay.’ Imelda laughed nervously. ‘We give this baby to you for naming.’

  ‘And what shall you call him?’ Tajo asked.

  ‘We wish to call him Romeo Alexander Anton Silverio Fortez,’ Derek said.

  A murmur of approval swept through the crowd gathered to witness the ceremony. And, if we’re being honest, to enjoy the feast of leaves and berries on offer afterwards.

  ‘That’s a lot of names for a little sloth,’ Tajo replied.

  Imelda smiled. ‘He’s big enough to carry them.’

  While the moon shone and the stars burst, Tajo dipped his claws into a bowl of crystal-clear water. He made the sign of the sloth on Romeo’s forehead, repeating the names he was to be given. Then he held the baby aloft, offering him to the universe.

  A loud BOOM! echoed throughout the forest. No one knew whether it was thunder, a celestial starburst, or Gregor, an elderly sloth who often farted at inappropriate times.

  Romeo gurgled and squirmed.

  The clouds covering the moon shifted, allowing its full strength to radiate down in a shaft of glittering light … right onto Romeo where it infused him with its glory and magic. Stars popped like fireworks. Fireflies danced, swarming and singing an ancient beetle song and filling the air with the golden glow of their voices and their bottoms. The snuggle of sloths shivered at the brilliance and power of Nature swirling around them.

  Recognising that something incredible was happening, Tajo lifted the baby higher. The light changed from gold to green to purple, swirling faster and faster until WHOOSH-FIZZLE-POP! The colours evaporated, leaving only the night sky and the pale moonlight.

  ‘Ahem.’ Gregor cleared his throat. ‘Pardon me.’

  As if waking from a trance, Tajo glanced around then lowered the baby sloth, handing him back to his mother. ‘It is done,’ he announced. ‘Welcome to the world, Rambo!’

  ‘Romeo,’ Imelda corrected him. Trembling all over, she checked her baby to make sure he was okay before turning to her husband. ‘What just happened?’

  Derek looked startled. ‘I was going to ask you the same thing.’

  Chapter 2

  Romeo grew quickly and he grew strong, though he was always destined to be small. He was a pygmy sloth, after all, and those little guys are only knee-high to a tree frog.

  Being vertically challenged didn’t stop Romeo from getting around, though. In fact, he was speedier than any sloth on the island. Unlike others who only pooped once a week, Romeo was also far more ‘regular’.

  It wasn’t only his rapid speed and digestion that made Romeo stand out. His intelligence and thirst for adventure also set him apart. While other sloths seemed content hanging around, snoozing, or cultivating algae on their fur, Romeo was forever exploring.

  The young sloth craved danger, regularly performing daredevil stunts to the delight and amazement of his less adventurous playmates. And while it often took all day for other sloths to feed, slowly picking leaves and savouring each one, Romeo always finished breakfast, lunch and dinner by sunrise.

  Our sprightly hero was also way cuter than other sloths and could entrance those around him with a mere smile. There was no denying it: Romeo had hypnotic cuteness powers. Like the time Gregor (you remember, the sloth with the farting problem) was trundling down his tree for his weekly poo-poo when Romeo zoomed past, accidentally knocking the elderly sloth to the ground. Gregor was most upset, but when he glared at Romeo, the young sloth gazed into his eyes, causing Gregor to forget (a) what he was cross about and (b) that he needed to poop.

  ‘Pardon me.’ Gregor farted, then climbed back up his tree.

  When his sloth companions proved too slow, Romeo sought alternatives. Other wildlife on the island included bats, opossums and rats with spikes, aka armoured rats.

  Yes, you read that right: rats with spikes. Yikes!

  Several fishermen lived on one side of the island and flocks of birds visited depending on the season. Even though the energetic youngster was surrounded by family and friends, he yearned for adventure and a faster pace. His parents spent hours discussing their son’s abilities, worried the island wasn’t enough for him.

  ‘It’s like he’s a … ’ Derek mused one day as he hung from a branch, watching Romeo race a dolphin in the river below. ‘What’s the word? It’s like he’s a … something … sloth. Starts with S.’

  ‘A super sloth?’ Imelda said. She had often thought as much herself, though hadn’t mentioned it for fear of putting into words what her heart already knew: a truth so incredible it would tear her son away from her.

  ‘Yes! A super sloth.’

  Imelda yawned. ‘He makes me tired just watching him.’

  Escudo Island would never be enough for Romeo. Imelda knew it. Derek knew it. The fears his parents held for him weren’t foreign to Romeo, either. Though he tried not to beat the other sloths in their games of jungle ball, tree hugging and beetle tossing, Romeo was always better, faster, stronger. Few sloths played with him anymore, which is why he spent most of his time with the other animals.

  ‘Incoming!’ a cry rang out through the rainforest.

  Not many tourists ventured to Escudo Island because it was so hard to get to. Still, some Panamanian companies brought boatloads of visitors every so often to swim or snorkel, to tour the fishing village, or purchase trinkets from the market stalls. It was here that Imelda had a stand selling seashell nec
klaces.

  Romeo farewelled the dolphin and dashed over to help Imelda set up shop.

  ‘This island is amazing,’ a female tourist said. ‘Don’t you think, Freddie?’

  The girl’s companion wasn’t convinced. ‘It’s pretty,’ he said, peering at Imelda’s wares, ‘but it doesn’t compare to New York. I bet nothing ever happens here.’

  Romeo, who was slothing in a chair behind the necklace table, couldn’t help agreeing.

  ‘Every day would be the same,’ Freddie continued. ‘It’s so sleepy. Like that sloth.’ He nodded towards Romeo.

  Who’s he calling sleepy? Romeo thought.

  ‘But New York is the city that never sleeps.’ Freddie sighed. ‘It’s literally bursting with life.’

  Romeo’s ears pricked up. A city that never sleeps?

  ‘It’s the biggest, the best, the fastest, the busiest city in the world. I miss it.’

  The girl nodded. ‘I see you’re point, but just enjoy your time while you’re here.’ She patted Freddie’s arm. ‘We’ll be home soon enough.’

  Right then, Romeo knew what he must do.

  Chapter 3

  BEEP! BEEP! BEEEEEPPPPP!

  ‘Out of the way, you loon. Can’t you see I’m driving here?’

  Romeo bounded back off the busy street and onto the sidewalk, overcome by the noise and pace of the city and the sheer number of humans and animals of all shapes and sizes that pressed around him. New York was a far, far cry from Escudo Island.

  The roar of the traffic bounced off the street and into the sky, almost as high as the buildings – which were pressed closer together than any of the trees back home. The sounds of cars, buses, footsteps, hoof steps, mooing, neighing, howling and tooting filled Romeo’s ears.

  And if that wasn’t enough, the lights, the colours, the gigantic TV screens with blaring music and advertisements all assailed his senses. One ad played on repeat, ‘Weird-Warp Industries: Your Future Today!’.

  It had taken Romeo a boat, a bus, a rusted bicycle, a logging truck driven by a crazy chicken, three taxis, two planes and a train to reach New York. Finally, he was standing in Times Square … where he’d nearly been run over twelve times already.

  ‘Who’s he calling a loon?’ Romeo muttered.

  ‘He might have been referring to me,’ a plump, well-dressed bird resembling a duck said. ‘I’m a loon, Pacific loon, to be precise. Clearly more attractive than the common loon and considerably more majestic than the yellow-billed loon, but I suppose that’s by the by.’

  ‘O-kay,’ Romeo said, struggling to follow the bird’s chatter.

  ‘Or he might have been talking to you.’ The loon prodded Romeo’s chest with his wing. ‘See, that long dark strip of tar? It’s called a road. Those boxes with wheels are cars. Cars go on roads. Humans and animals, when we’re walking, go on this thing.’ He tapped his webbed foot on the cement path beneath him. ‘This is a sidewalk. Walk being the keyword.’

  ‘Off the road, you feather-brained booby!’

  Romeo jumped as more shouting and horn blowing erupted nearby. ‘I wasn’t even on the road,’ he said.

  The loon sighed. ‘Drivers do that all the time here. You’ll get used to it. Besides, he wasn’t talking to you. He was talking to that blue-footed booby.’

  Sure enough, a blue-footed bird – obviously the booby – was scooting across the road, horns honking and feathers flying as he went.

  ‘There’s an animal called a booby?’ Romeo asked.

  The loon nodded. ‘Blue-footed. See? Check his feet. Dead giveaway. And a real booby, by the looks. He should fly, not walk.’

  The loon held out his wingtip for Romeo to shake. ‘Not from around here are you? The name’s Percival J. Winterbum. My friends call me Percy.’ He handed Romeo a card. ‘If you ever need new clothes, look me up. I’m a tailor.’ The bird scanned Romeo up and down. ‘I’ll help tidy that messy fur and get rid of the algae and bugs too.’

  Romeo took the card and glanced behind him at the moths fluttering on his back. ‘Oh, no. I need them,’ he said. ‘And the algae. They’re part of my ecosystem.’

  When Romeo turned back to the loon, the bird was already lifting off into the sky. ‘Sorry, got to go,’ Percy called from above. ‘Time waits for no loon.’

  Romeo took a deep breath. He had much to learn about the city, but first he needed a place to hang. He held up a torn piece of paper carrying the address of the Urban Sloth Treehouse Hotel where he was hoping to book a branch.

  Of course, Derek and Imelda had been dead against Romeo coming to New York. They feared for their son, but there had been no talking him out of it.

  ‘This is my destiny,’ he had told them.

  The he’d stowed away on a tourist boat, taking only a backpack and a few dollars with him. He didn’t even have a coat. No one needed coats or blankets on the balmy island of Escudo. Now, as the sun slid behind the skyscrapers and the wind barrelled along the streets, Romeo felt cold for the first time in his life.

  Can a sloth really find their destiny in New York? he wondered.

  Chapter 4

  ‘Hop to it, littlie!’

  Before Romeo had time to ponder his destiny further, he was caught in a tide of frogs, dogs and jogging hogs that jettisoned him towards Lower Manhattan. He could barely stay on his feet let alone the sidewalk as bodies pressed around him, all seemingly intent on getting to where they were going at the speediest rate possible. Advertisements for Weird-Warp Industries seemed to follow him everywhere – on billboards, taxi tops and on red double-decker tour buses.

  Romeo soon found himself at the famous Brooklyn Bridge, which was crawling with tourists and native New Yorkers. As Romeo admired the bridge, an earsplitting bellow cut through the buzz of the city. Hordes of humans and animals raced frantically towards him. Terror spiced the air, hotter than fried chillies dipped in wasabi.

  ‘What the heck …?’ Romeo gasped.

  The bridge swayed, the pylons and supporting cables tilting back and forth. Tyres screeched. Horns beeped. Screams erupted.

  While everyone else high-tailed it away from the bridge, Romeo ran towards it, curiosity outweighing his fear. From the corner of his eye, he noticed a cheetah doing the same. Intent on discovering what was wrong, Romeo ignored the big cat and took a running leap onto the footbridge siderail. He scurried to the top of the cables suspended from the apex of the bridge, peering into the distance.

  Then he saw it.

  ‘What the jeepers?’

  Romeo had seen many animals on his journey to New York and he’d learned about weird and wonderful beasts in Sloth School back home. Yet what he saw now defied any logic or teaching. This creature was colossal. It had dead, charcoal eyes, razor sharp teeth and a huge mouth. Its shark-like head melded perfectly into the body of a seriously muscular wolf body that stood on its hind legs. Wearing the torn remnants of yellow pants that seemed too small for it, the monster gnashed its teeth and foamed at the mouth.

  A shudder ran through Romeo. He’d never seen anything so terrifying.

  ‘Hey, kid!’ Romeo heard a voice below. He peered down momentarily, not wanting to take his eyes off the monster too long lest it attack.

  Spotting the cheetah he’d seen earlier, Romeo pointed a claw to his chest. ‘You talking to me?’

  ‘Yes, sweetie,’ the cheetah said. ‘Don’t be afraid, little one. Come here and I’ll rescue you. I won’t let that scary …’ she motioned to the weird half-shark, half-wolf uncertainly, ‘shar-wolf get you.’

  ‘I’m not a kid.’ Romeo stretched himself to his full height of fifty-three centimetres, ‘and I don’t need help.’

  The cheetah frowned. ‘You are moving quickly for a sloth, but you’re so teeny-weeny.’

  Romeo sniffed. ‘Didn’t your mother ever tell you not to underestimate what a small sloth can do?’

  One of the cheetah’s eyebrows lifted. ‘No, she didn’t.’

  The mutant creature at the other end of the bridge roared. The structure was now empty save for Romeo and the cheetah. Romeo noticed helicopters motoring their way towards them. In the distance, police and fire engine sirens whirred. By the look of the traffic banked up on either side of the bridge, it would be a while before help arrived.