“Look at all that food!” exclaimed Ben, staring hungrily at the feast spread out on tables in the courtyard. “I’m ready for my lunch.”
“You’ll have to wait till after the speeches,” hissed Zoe. “The opening ceremony’s about to begin.”
Ben and Zoe were standing with Mat and Yasmin – and Biza – at the front of a large crowd of locals, waiting for Pieter Ostrander to arrive. A reporter was already taking photos of the new buildings.
One of the workers they’d seen when they arrived was putting jugs of drink on the table. He smiled at Ben and sneaked him a piece of bread.
Ben tried to nibble it without being seen. “Thanks!” he said gratefully. “I’m sorry, I don’t know your name.”
“I’m Daud,” said the young man. He pointed to the other man who’d been helping him earlier. He was older, with greying hair, and stood on his own in the middle of the crowd. “And that is Talib. We work for Mat.”
Ben and Zoe were just introducing themselves when there was the roar of an engine and a sleek, sporty jeep drove through the gates. There was something large in the back, wrapped in brown paper. The jeep came to a halt and a tall, tanned man in smart, well-pressed trousers stepped out, beaming at everyone.
Mat brought him through the crowd. “Come and meet our competition winners, Pieter,” he said as they approached the children. “Ben and Zoe, this is Mr Ostrander.”
“I’ve heard all about you,” said Pieter Ostrander. “Well done! So what did you do to make sure yours was the best entry?”
Zoe felt Ben’s eyes on her. They realised they hadn’t worked out a story.
“We…um…wrote an essay on…” she began.
“…the problems facing the Giant Panda in the wild,” finished Ben.
That was clever, thought Zoe. They knew a lot about pandas – and how to rescue them!
“Fascinating,” said Mr Ostrander. “It’s good to see young people like you taking such an interest in endangered species.”
“Mat has told us all about you, too, Mr Ostrander,” said Ben. “He explained how much your company has helped him with the reservation.”
“Just doing a neighbour a good turn,” said Mr Ostrander. “We both have the same values. We want to protect what we have.”
“I think we’re ready now, Pieter,” said Mat. He called for silence. “Thank you for coming here today for the Grand Opening Ceremony of the Adilah Reservation!
Mr Ostrander will now say a few words.”
He spoke first in Malay and then in English for Ben and Zoe. The children gave each other a glance. Little did Mat know that their earpieces were translating every word.
Mr Ostrander turned to the assembled crowd.
“We are here today to open this wonderful place and I would like to say a few words to honour the man who made it all possible – Mat Ginting.”
Mat bent his head and shuffled his feet in embarrassment as Mr Ostrander sang his praises.
“And in conclusion,” Mr Ostrander said, “I declare the Adilah Reservation open for business.” He walked over to his jeep. “Now if your men could give me a hand,” he said. “I’ve got a present for you.”
Mat spoke over his shoulder in Malay and Talib and Daud went over to the jeep. They helped Mr Ostrander lift out the large, bulky package. It looked as if it was very heavy. Mr Ostrander cut the string and pulled away the paper. Everyone gasped as a wooden statue of an orang-utan was revealed. The reporter stepped forward and took pictures.
“It’s wonderful!” exclaimed Mat, stroking the polished wood. “It will have pride of place by the gates.”
“Now eat, everyone!” laughed Yasmin, pointing to the tables.
Ben didn’t wait to be asked twice.
As Ben and Zoe piled their plates with food, Mat came over.
“When this is all over, I’ll take you out into the reservation,” he said. “There’ll be time before nightfall.”
“Awesome!” declared Ben, giving Zoe a secret thumbs up.
They each knew what the other was thinking. They were going to make sure that Mat took them to Kawan’s old territory.