Preparing the Zoo for Christmas

Kingsley the Monkey: [Hey, what occasion are you guys celebrating? Toss a banana over here!]

I read the message and looked up at the monkey hill. Kingsley the Monkey and a big gang of monkeys were scratching their ears and chattering, all of them staring at the elephant enclosure. Many monkeys stretched out their hands, hoping an elephant would fling a banana their way, but the elephants ignored them and kept eating.

I grabbed a banana and hurled it toward the hill. Kingsley the Monkey leaped up and snatched it midair, already chewing before his feet hit the ground. He looked like he hadn’t eaten in days.

The monkey troop howled and squealed, begging me for more bananas. My hands were only so fast, so I tossed as many as I could. The whole hill rattled with noise like a little festival, and with the commotion from the elephant enclosure, that corner of the zoo suddenly felt alive.

Animals from nearby enclosures crowded to watch, and they filled the air with a nonstop chorus of chirps, squawks, and bleats. Luckily, the zoo was quiet today, with almost no visitors. Otherwise, anyone passing by would have been terrified.

The truth was, Sunnyside Zoo had been quiet for years, and the main reason was the stench. It smelled really bad. The whole place reeked of animal waste, and on top of that, many of the animals looked listless or openly hostile. No wonder people stopped coming.

In fact, only the holiday season drew a trickle of visitors. However, if the animals rioted on Christmas, that would be a disaster. Visitors would be at huge risk, and the animals would likely be shot.

I checked the calendar at that moment, realizing it was seven days until Christmas.

While I worried, conversation filled the group chat.

Ellie the Elephant: [That was delicious! I finally had a proper meal. She’s a good human!]

Kingsley the Monkey: [I agree. The way she tossed that banana is burned into my memory. My butt’s tingling!]

Wendy the Capybara: [Hey, guys. Last week, I found a rotten orange that was tasty, but it just crossed my mind to share the joy today.]

Thor the Tiger: [Interesting. That human really knows how to win beasts over. When I go out, I’ll be the first to kill her!]

Wait. Tiger, are you serious? That wasn’t right.

Then, a different voice spoke up in the chat, a voice I didn’t expect.

Benny the Elephant: [Thor the Tiger, that human is truly kind. Don’t hurt her.]

Thor the Tiger: [Kid, you’ll learn when you’re my age that human kindness often hides a loaded gun.]

Wendy the Capybara: [All these messages are making me sleepy. I’m going to take a nap.]

Kingsley the Monkey: [I think we should keep observing. Thor the Tiger, don’t be impulsive.]

Thor the Tiger: [Hmph.]

It was like a tiger’s roar echoed through the group, and the chat went quiet.

I shook my head and kept working. Normally, we could take a lunch break, but there was too much to do in the elephant enclosure. The urgent task was to restore running water. Without it, bacteria would breed, and the elephants would fall ill.

I spent two hours tracking down the person in charge and slipped him two hundred dollars. Finally, he opened the water valve for the elephant enclosure. From the fake-rock cave, a clear stream began to rush, water from the tap gushed down the rocks into the creek, and the flow swept toward the pool. In a few hours, the dirty water would drain away, and the elephants’ lives would be a little better.

The enclosure erupted. Excited calves raised their trunks and trumpeted, while bold elephants jumped into the stream without hesitation, splashing even though the water was cold.

On the monkey hill, Kingsley the Monkey craned his neck and shouted, “Oh-ho! Oh-ho!”