Free Panda Panic by Jamie Rix

dangerous day at all,” Ping said calmly. “In fact, as days-out go, I’d say it was rather boring.”
    And that, as Ping well knew, was exactly what his mother wanted to hear.

    Later that day, after a leisurely breakfast in bed, Ping, his mother, Mao Mao, and his twin sister, An, retired to lounge on their backs on a bed of rhododendron leaves, chewing bamboo and spotting cloud shapes in the sky.
    â€œFrog,” said An lazily.
    â€œChicken,” said Mao Mao.
    â€œSnow leopard,” said Ping.
    â€œWhere?” asked his twin sister.
    â€œCan you see the cloud that looks like the tall ranger’s hat?”
    An nodded.
    â€œIt’s next to that.”
    â€œHow do you know what a snow leopard looks like?” asked his mother, eyeing Ping suspiciously. “I thought I was the only one who’d seen one. Or am I wrong?”
    â€œHui told me,” lied Ping, speedily covering his tracks.
    There was a long silence while his mother stripped a leaf from her bamboo stick and chewed it seventy-two times before swallowing.

    â€œSo after yesterday,” she said at last, “would you say you’ve learned your lesson?”
    â€œWhich lesson’s that?” he asked.
    â€œ The wise panda searches not for what he does not have, but is content with what is his .”
    â€œYes. I would definitely say I’ve learned that lesson,” said Ping.
    â€œAnd the other?”
    â€œWas there another?” he asked.
    â€œ Master the art of boredom, and you will conquer the world ,” she reminded him.
    â€œDone that too,” he said. “I can be bored silly now and it doesn’t bother me at all.”
    â€œGood,” said his mother. “So you won’t be going off on another big adventure soon, then?”
    Ping smiled a knowing smile to himself as his thoughts wandered. And while he dreamed of exploits yet to come, somewhere in the background his mother’s distant voice called out, “Ping. You haven’t answered me… Ping? Ping! PING!”

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