Meanwhile, the group chat was exploding.
Sweet Trunk: [Daddy, I’m eating an apple! It’s so sweet! I’m literally crying! crying emoji]
LittleNose: [Wow, cabbage! So much cabbage! And my favorite, papaya!]
SkyScreecher: [What’s all the noise about? My keeper just slapped me again. Day 56 of wanting to peck her eyes out!]
TigerClaw: [You foolish elephants. Remember this: behind every human’s kindness hides a rifle.]
MonkeyKing: [Hey, is it a party/over there or what? Throw a banana over here!]
I glanced from my phone to the monkey enclosure. The Monkey King and a troop of his followers were scratching their heads, staring intently at the elephants. Ma- ny of them had their hands outstretched, hoping for a stray banana.
But the elephants were silent, single–mindedly focused on their feast.
I grabbed a banana and hurled it towards the monkey enclosure.
The Monkey King leaped high into the air and caught it with one hand. Before he even landed, the banana was gone. He must have been starving.
The rest of the monkeys started hooting and hollering, all of them begging for bananas. I did my best, tossing as many as I could over to them. The whole enclosure erupted in a celebratory chaos. Between that and the noise from the elephants, this corner of the zoo was more alive than it had been in years.
Animals from nearby enclosures were all watching, a chorus of chirps, squawks, and growls filling the air. Luckily, there were very few visitors today; otherwise, they would have been terrified.
The truth was, this zoo had been deserted for years.
The main reason? The smell.
It stank. The entire park reeked of animal waste. Combined with the lethargic or aggressive behavior of the animals, it was no wonder visitors stayed away. The only time it saw any real traffic was during the Christmas.
But this Christmas, the animals were planning a riot.
This was a serious problem. The visitors would be in grave danger, and the animals would almost certainly be killed.
I did a quick mental calculation. The festival was only seven days away.
As I pondered this, messages continued to flood the chat.
Sweet Trunk: [That was so good! I finally ate a full meal! She’s a good human!]
MonkeyKing: (I agree! The way she threw that banana is burned into my memory. My butt is tingling!]
CozyCapybara: [Hello everyone. I ate a delicious rotten orange last week. I just remembered to share my joy with you all today.]
TigerClaw: [Interesting. This female human is quite skilled at winning over the hearts of beasts. When I get out, she’ll be the first one I kill.]
Wait, what?
Dude, that can’t be right.
That’s just wrong.
Thankfully, some of the other animals stood up for me.
LittleNose: [Tiger King, this human is really nice. Please don’t hurt her.]
TigerClaw: [You’re just a cub. When you’re my age, you’ll understand. Behind every human’s kindness hides a rifle.]
CozyCapybara: [So many messages. I get sleepy after reading one line. I’m going to take a nap now.]
MonkeyKing: [I think we should observe her a little longer. Don’t be rash, Tiger King.]
TigerClaw: [Hmph.]
