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| >> Campfire Creative >> Fiction >> Activity >> ID #1693976 |   |
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| [Introduction]
CREATIVE CHARACTERIZATION: Campfires are a fantastic way to spark your muse and write a small amount in a very creative way. When you're in the middle of a writing a specific storyline, sometimes it's very exciting to dive outside those bounds and write something creatively different and unencumbered. That's where a campfire comes in. Many campfires are a continuing story that each addition adds to. For our purpose, we wanted each entry to follow a certain theme but not be restricted to follow many rules as far as furthering a storyline. As with any other activity, in this campfire creative all participants are bound by a small set of rules.  You have 48 hours to make your entry or be skipped eliminating you from the round. You should plan on making up to two entries depending on the number of participants. You cannot ask to be skipped or move your turn. Your entry must be at least 500 words but under 1000. You must adhere to the posted rating of this campfire: ASR.THE SETTING: The Zoo. THE PLOT: All of the animals in the zoo, who are usually the ones observed by the people who visit the zoo, have now become the observers of the people who have come to observe them. Of course, they discuss their observations with the other animals. MAIN CHARACTERS: 1. Ramona the Monkey: blainecindy - I love my WDC!   2. Lulu, another Monkey who is Ramona's best friend: eyestar  3. Bella, the Hippopotamus: SherryBPray4America  Sherry B4. Evelyn, the Flamingo: arakun the twisted raccoon  5. Cecelia, the Giraffe: saraiv 6. Leonard, the Lion: Steve -Bucket List done!  7. Milandra, a White Tiger Princess Megan Rose 10 Years  8. Raleigh, the Tiger: SoCalScribe  9.Candy, the Zebra: A.J. Lyle  10.Lazuli the Peacock: Fall  |
 blainecindy - I love my WDC!  Ramona was elated that the rain was over at last. The sun was peeking through the branches of her favorite tree. Now that the weather was sunny again, the people would start coming back to the zoo. The last two days had been pretty boring since the rain had kept the people away. Goodness knows, there was nothing to do without them! What would the zoo be without the people!Ramona was one of the Capuchin monkeys who lived in the zoo. Her favorite past time was to sit on the bottom branch of the largest tree and watch the people with her friend, Lulu, another spider monkey. The people never failed to fascinate Ramona. She was always amazed at how unique each one of the people were. "Have they come yet?" Lulu asked Ramona with a note of excitement in her voice as she swung onto the branch, landing next to Ramona. "Well, Lulu, if you had been out here, you would have known the answer to that question already. And no, they haven't come yet; the rain just stopped a few minutes ago. Give them time! They'll be here soon enough, so just try to relax!" "But you know how delighted I am when the people come, Ramona! They're so awesome!" Ramona looked at her and shook her head. "Lulu, you are so funny. Everything awes you. I swear you are just like a baby monkey, learning something new everyday. The people will come soon enough, and then you can gawk at them like you always do." "And you, Ramona? What about you? Don't think you're above a little "gawking" yourself! You are the worst of us all! Don't you pretend to be so high and mighty, Missy. Just wait and see -- when the people come you will be gawking just like the rest of us," Lulu laughed and pointed at Ramona. "Okay, okay, so I'll admit it. I do like to look at the people. Some of them are very interesting, and it seems like no two are alike. That is what is so amazing! And they come in all shapes and sizes, with different shades of hair and many colors of eyes. And the. . the. . things they wear!" "Clothing. It's called clothing, Ramona," Lulu nodded knowingly. "That's right -- clothing. Why do they wear that clothing, Lulu? I would think it would be so, so constricting, don't you?" This time Lulu looked at Ramona and shook her head. "Ramona! They're not like us. They don't go swinging from branch to branch, you know! All they do is walk down those paths. Sometimes the little people run." "You mean the children, Lulu, or kids, like some people call them. Now they are the most interesting of all the people. They giggle and laugh. And I love they way they try to imitate us. They're so funny. They're so, so uninhibited. They do whatever they want and say whatever comes to their minds. You must admit, they are quite amusing," Ramona smiled as she remembered the children. "Yes, they are my favorites, too," admitted Lulu. Then Lulu saw them -- a young couple with two children, each holding the hand of one of their parents, walking down the path toward the huge fence which ran around the monkey exhibit. The monkeys were on an island in the middle of the exhibit, with a large moat between the island and the fence. "Look, Ramona, look! Here they come!" Lulu shouted as she began jumping up and down. Ramona quickly spotted them. The she scampered up to the very top branch in order to see them better. She put her hand over her eyes to block out the sun. Yes, there they are, Ramona thought. I think they're coming this way! Oh, look at the little girl -- she's holding a pink balloon. Oh my, her father is very tall. Her mother has those dark things over her eyes. . now what do they call them? Hmm. . . Oh yes, sunglasses! Why do people do that? Then you can't see their eyes, which are so interesting to look at. Aha -- they're almost here! Ramona swung down to middle branch. Lulu scooted up the branch near her. The young couple and their children stopped right in front of the two monkeys. Soon the little boy was acting like a monkey, scratching his head and tummy. "Why do little boys do that, Ramona? They look so stupid!" Lulu asked. "I think they think they are imitating us. If they only knew -- we are the ones imitating them!" Ramona laughed so hard her belly hurt. Lulu joined her and soon they had their arms around each other, laughing and dancing around in a circle, just as two monkeys often do. SherryBPray4America Bella floated in her manmade pond with her nose just peeking above the water. Silly monkeys, she grumbled to herself. Look at them carrying on like a bunch of…primates.She blew some bubbles to calm herself. She mustn’t allow her irritation to show, she thought to herself, or else the other animals might begin to call her names again. She never let on that when they called her Bristly Bella, or Horrible Hippo, it hurt her deeply. Bella closed her nostrils and sank down to the bottom of the concrete tank to take a nap. She dreamed of a slow flowing river lined with lush green grasses to munch on. Even though she was sound asleep, she gently bobbed up to the surface every few minutes to breath. She awoke refreshed and yawned as she looked up into the trees to see what her neighbors were up to. That’s when she heard the little boy shouting, “Look at that big fat hippo. Boy, is it ugly!” Bella sunk down to the bottom of the tank and held her breath for as long as she could. When she came up for air the child was gone, but Lulu was laughing as she swung back and forth in the branches. “Hey, Bella! Did you hear what that darling little boy said? Wasn’t he cute?” Bella splashed the water onto her face so that no one would see her tears. “Yeah,” she mumbled, “I heard him.” “I didn’t think he was so cute, Lulu. Don’t you think he was rather rude, didn’t you?” Ramona asked. She climbed down the branch that hung down into the hippopotamus enclosure. “Really, Bella, don’t take it personally. He just a little child and doesn’t know any better. I think you are quite lovely—for a hippo, I mean.” Bella looked up in surprise. “Why, thank you, Ramona. That’s very kind of you.” Lulu began to chatter. “Well, I think he was adorable. Did you notice his shirt? It had a picture of a monkey on it!” She giggled. “You just can’t get any cuter than that.” Bella didn’t want to insult the monkeys now that they were being friendly, so she blew some bubbles while considering how to reply. She cleared her throat. “Lulu?” Lulu stopped scratching herself and looked down at Bella. “What?” “Would you have thought it was okay if that little boy said that you were hairy and your tail was ugly?” “Why in the world would he say something like that?” She jumped up and down, screeching. “Do you think I’m ugly?” “No, no. I was just giving you an example.” Ramona swung over to be near her friend. “Bella was just trying to show you how she felt. I think that little boy hurt her feelings.” “But…but..he’s people. People are awesome. People don’t do anything wrong.” Lulu’s bottom lip began to tremble. Ramona began to groom her as she spoke soothingly. “People aren’t always perfect.” Bella squinted into the sun that had peeked out from behind the clouds. “And besides, he was a young one. Like Ramona said, he doesn’t know any better.” Lulu smiled down at the hippo. “You’re kind of nice.” She laughed. “You know what? I don’t think you are ugly at all. As a matter of fact, I think you are a very handsome hippo.” A.J. Lyle Candy slowed her pace from a trot to a brisk canter, turning as she neared the fence in order to prance alongside it. Humans tended to enjoy her side profile the most. The soft light from the sun as it returned to warm them caused her stripes to shimmer, an effect that nearly all humans noticed and admired. There were some approaching at last! Candy was a social animal, and besides Bella - who spent most of her time depressed - there was really no one decent to socialize with. And she had to admit, she loved the attention. Especially little girls, Candy thought happily, they were the best! She pushed her nose out slightly to emphasize the gentle slope of her back and the way her stripes cascaded around her shoulders. The female humans usually commented on the design, and oh, how she loved their kind words. "Mommy! Daddy!" the small boy shouted as he ran up to the fence. "It's a funny looking horse!" Candy's eyes narrowed instantly. Funny looking? She couldn't believe her ears! Did he say funny looking horse? She bristled with indignation. She was not a horse! "What, are you crazy?" The little girl stepped up to the fence and peeked through the slats. "She is a Zebra. The body shape might be the same, but look at her stripes, they are so wonderful! Mommy look," she tugged on her mother's sleeve, "the stripes are moving!" Candy stomped her hoof in agreement. That's right, she thought crankily, you tell him! The tallest of the four, the father, chuckled and walked up behind the two children. He placed his hands on the boy's shoulder as he spoke. "Actually, honey, they aren't really moving, it just seems that way." "Why?" the little girl asked curiously. Candy came to a complete stop directly in front of them. She’d never thought to wonder about it before, but found she was curious as well. She had grown up at the Zoo, after all. "It's a defence mechanism. In failing light - like right now - they seem to shimmer to confuses predators." "I still think it looks weird." The boy grumped. "Come on, let's go see what's next, hmmm?" the mother suggested. The two adults and the boy turned away, but the little girl lagged behind. "Don't listen to him," she whispered, "you're beautiful to me." Candy waited until she was gone then trotted over to talk to Bella as she floated in the pond. "Did you hear that boy?” she asked indignantly. “He was so rude!" Bella pulled herself out of the water as she spoke. "I thought so too, you know. He said I was big, fat and ugly." Candy tossed her head. "He's just horrible!" Bella shrugged. "I don't know. I talked to Ramona and Lulu about it, we all decided he probably just doesn't know better." Candy nodded. "Maybe. I guess humans can’t all be perfect. Especially a boy as small as he was.” Bella chuckled. “You’re right, he was fairly small, wasn’t he?” Just then, something caught Candy’s eye. “Oh, look!” she said excitedly. “There’s more people coming!” Bella turned to look and then sighed. “It looks like a whole group of them, too.” Candy said good-bye to Bella and set off a fast walk. She hoped this next group would be as great as the little girl had been. SoCalScribe Raleigh lounged on one of the large rocks surrounding the pond in his enclosure. He was a white Bengal tiger, something which he was acutely self-conscious about. He had lived with many roommates over the years; some bred in zoos, like himself ... others captured in the wild. The ones brought in from the wild told him that white tigers were rare in the world; they were much more popular in zoos like this one, because people liked to see white tigers. But out in the wild, white tigers were weak, because their color is caused by a recessive gene mutation, and often leads to physical defects and a shorter life than their orange-coated brothers and sisters. Raleigh supposed that was why he had a touch of scoliosis and his eyes sometimes crossed, making it hard to see. The trainers and vets were always coming into his cage, giving him new medicines and treatments to make him feel better. He was getting older now, and the older he got, the more often they came.A little girl stopped at Raleigh's enclosure as her family passed by. "Mommy, look at that tiger!" It took Raleigh's eyes a moment to focus in on the source of the voice. He always had a hard time uncrossing them when he first woke up from a nap. "Yes, sweetheart. He's beautiful." "Why is he white? Aren't tigers supposed to be orange?" "He's white because he's a special tiger, honey. More beautiful and unique than any other tiger in the world." "He's so pretty!" "Yes, he certainly is. Now come along, we need to hurry if we're going to make it to the sea lion performance." Raleigh watched them go with mild amusement. He always liked the little ones; they were so amazed and awestruck by the beautiful creatures in the zoo. Last month, he shared the enclosure with a rare Sumatran tiger that was touring zoos around the country. She had a beautiful orange coat and was the picture of health and virility. She laughed at the treatments Raleigh received, and reminded him that he would be an inferior breed out in the wild. He was lucky he was in this zoo enclosure, because no tiger family out there would want him. While the Sumatran tiger was there, and ever since, Raleigh had been rather depressed. He had always longed to be released into the wild, and live the life cats of his kind were meant to enjoy. But after hearing the Sumatran tiger tell him he was inferior and would be shunned by the other tigers in the wild, he wondered if the dream was really worth it. Besides, living here meant he could see people like that delightful little girl from a few moments ago. Humans appreciated him. Humans loved him. Humans thought he was beautiful. Why would he want to be somewhere he wasn't wanted? arakun the twisted raccoon Evelyn twisted her long neck into an s-shape and preened her gorgeous pink feathers. She was so proud of those feathers. No other flamingo in the zoo had such beautiful pink feathers."That sure is a funny looking bird," said a little girl to her older sister. "The sign says it's a 'fla-ming-joe'. Does that mean its name is Joe and its on fire?" "No silly," the older girl said, rolling her eyes. "It's a fla-min-go and I've seen lots of them before. The people down the street have a bunch of them standing in their yard." Evelyn sighed. Why did humans have to use tacky likenesses of her species as lawn ornaments? If she ever escaped from this zoo, she would find all those plastic flamingoes and peck them to pieces. "Why does it have such skinny legs?" asked the smaller girl. "Doesn't it get enough to eat? Hey, bird, come here. I'll give you some popcorn." "No, don't," said the older sister. "We aren't supposed to feed the animals. It might make them sick." As if I would eat popcorn anyway, thought Evelyn. And why did humans always make comments about her legs? She didn't make fun of their short necks and the funny colored stuff that grew on their heads, did she? "I never will understand humans," Evelyn said to Bella after that two girls had gone. "They think you're too fat and they think I am too skinny. Don't they know we're both the size we're supposed to be?" "I guess not. They don't seem to know much about anything. Have you seen the stuff they eat? The signs say they aren't supposed to feed it to us, so it must be really bad. I would be really skinny if I had to eat that stuff." "Next time a human offers us some of their food, lets offer them some of ours. Maybe they'll put up signs that say, 'Don't feed the humans'". eyestar Back at the Monkey Sanctuary, Lulu and Ramona were hanging by their tails from a low branch and grabbing bananas and apples left by the zookeepers. Eating with her hands, Lulu kept binocular eyes out for new visitors.Soon a very hyper little red headed boy sped up to the cage, grabbing on the links with his fingers and proceeded to climb the fence. “Look, Mom, the monkeys are hanging upside down by their tails eating bananas,” he exclaimed as he tried to turn his head sideways. Lulu grinned, “Oh look, he is trying to be like us. Isn’t he cute?” “You mean impulsive like you, yes, but look, that woman is not too pleased.” Ramona mumbled with her mouth full. “She’s loud too.” “Right, her face looks just like my mom’s when I was not being safe and that tone! Oh I recognize it too.” grimaced Lulu. Humans are not so different from us at times.” “James, get down from there!” the woman pushing a stroller yelled, as a taller dark headed man came and hoisted him up, turning him upside down. The boy let out a loud whoop! Just then the baby in the stroller screamed, “want ‘nanna” and kept on wailing until her mom put something in her mouth. “Woah!” barked Lulu, dropping her food to put her hands over her ears. “Those human kids can sure screech. You’d think we were back in the forest. And what is that thing she put in the baby’s mouth?“ Ramona had dropped her apple too and swung up to the next branch for a better view. Lulu used her long arms to reach up and join her there. “Now, that is a really strange habit I’ve seen before. That plastic thing is called a soother. It is used to pacify screaming babies.” explained Ramona, shaking her head. “Uh? Why wouldn’t she just pick the baby up and feed it? Or at least give it something tasty to chew on? Like one of those juicy pop things that kids seem to enjoy, even though they drip all over!” Lulu covered her head with her hands and nodded in disgust. “You’re asking me? I can’t really fathom the minds of these adult humans. Little ones like that do not have teeth yet but why they don’t feed them is beyond me.” Ramona turned her head sideways. “That woman looks tired, or what’s that odd expression they use, “frazzled!” They both looked down at the family again. The mom was sitting next to the stroller and the man was holding the boy on his shoulders. The red head was waving and calling out to get their attention. Lulu and Ramona looked at each other and grinned. Lulu tagged Ramona, leapt to a higher branch and the game was on! “Look dad, the monkeys are chasing each other. They have really long arms and tails.” he giggled as he wiggled on his dad‘s shoulders. Lulu and Ramona liked entertaining the young ones with their acrobatics. They seemed to have more of a sense of fun. The little boy watched them swinging and tumbling until Lulu decided to stop and just hung by all fours on a branch. “Look at that one, dad. It just like a spider hanging there. It has a big belly and long legs! “ “You are right, James,” said the man. “That’s why they are called Spider Monkeys.” Lulu opened her eyes wide at this. “What does he mean I have a big belly? And comparing me to a ..a spider!! Well, that‘s it.” She swung up to the highest branch and turned away from the viewers at the fence. Ramona smiled and then, before she could go and comfort her friend, the screaming began again as the baby spit out the soother and used her lungs again to demand something better! “Mm, maybe babies know more than the grown-ups of the species!” she concluded and turned her attention to Lulu. “ Come on Lu’, she said, as she climbed up to Lulu’s perch. “It’s just the humans’ way. They have to judge and compare everything! It’s not personal!” ‘Well, it feels personal and I don’t particularly like spiders. Well… er, unless I have to eat one. Thank goodness we live here and they feed us our real food!” Lulu started to grin. She loved her food. “Besides,” Ramona continued as she pointed with a long crooked finger “have you seen the chubby little bellies of babies? They are so cute. And oh, maybe the belly thing is a compliment. Seems to me many humans carry one!” “Well ,yes, you could be right. And I am fit! In fact, I am the greatest acrobat here!” She stole a glance at Ramona. “Tag, you’re it!” she giggled and leapt off. “Oh ,Lulu, really, there is no one to entertain or imitate! You’re acting just like a ..child! Ramona began to laugh as she swung after Lulu to play as monkeys do. Princess Megan Rose 10 Years I am Milandra. I am a white tiger who lives at a zoo. Life is good here. I get fed well. I have a pond to swim in and there are of pretty green trees so I can lay down beside them and take a nap. A little blonde girl asked me if I was a Princess. I growled my reply but it wasn't loud. She just laughed. One little boy with red hair pointed at me and said: "Mommy, did that tiger get into the bleach?" The mother smiled and said: "No, she was born that way." One day I was taking a nap and a little girl with black hair said: "Here kitty, kitty." I just yawned and looked at her. DID SHE THINK I WOULD COME RUNNING? One man said he didn't like tigers. I had some leaves in my mouth along with some dirt so I flung them at the man. People laughed and applauded. One woman all dressed up in an expensive blue sun dress said I understood what the man said. She also mentioned I was smiling which I was. Raleigh is a beautiful white male tiger who lives in a cage next to me. He talks to me. He is lonely. I wish we could spend time together and talk more. I heard the zoo care givers say they would let me be in the same cage with him in a few days. We are the only two white tigers in the zoo. I was born in another zoo and transferred here. I was still a baby then. I am two years now. I am glad that Raleigh was just transferred here. Clara is a blond young woman that feeds me. I keep my distance but I nod my head to thank her. Ben is the Vet. He checks me over and is nice to me. I let him pat my belly and I roll over and purr. Maybe someday I will have that bond with Clara. She is nice. It is a hot day and I am in the pond so therefore I am nice and cool. One man said: "Hey! Are there any fish in there?" There is one in every crowd. Feeding time. Clara gave me a big steak from a huge fork that is several feet long. She smiles. "Hi, Milandra. You are so pretty." She smiles. I slowly crawl towards her and roll on my side like a house cat. Clara slowly reaches out her hand and I lick it. Clara giggles and she pats my head. Enough human contact. I go eat my steak that she left. Today, they put me in Raleigh's cage. He has a nice pond and several trees for shade like my cage. We smell noses and I play with a big beach ball and Raleigh rolls it back to me. A crowd of people. Showtime! Raleigh and I play with the ball for an hour and we playfully beat each other around. He licks my face and we take a nap side by side. People take pictures and say how cute we are. I know that. I think we are the most beautiful animals in the world. blainecindy - I love my WDC! Ramona was busy grooming herself when a large group of children came by. They were a third-grade class accompanied by their teacher. Now was the time to perform. "Hey, Lulu, look," Ramona shouted to Lulu, who was on the top branches of the tree. Lulu looked down and grinned. "Wow, Ramona, I don't think I've ever seen so many children here at one time," Lulu replied as she swung down to the lower part of the cage where Ramona was sitting. "I think we should give them a show!" Lulu exclaimed as she jumped up and down. "Yes, yes, my friend. But first I must finish my grooming. I do want to look my best after all. Lulu, could you get my back for me? I just can never seem to reach back thered." "Okay, Ramona." Lulu started to pick at Ramona's back. There was a little girl with blond hair who had on a pink dress with blue flowers, white knee high stockings, and black shoes. She was watching the monkeys with close attention. "Teacher? Why is that monkey picking at the other monkey's back?" "Well, Lisa, some scientists think that monkeys groom each other as a way of being friends; and then there are scientists tho think that one monkey will groom another monkey who is the boss." Ramona started laughing hysterically. "Can you believe it, Lulu! If they only knew -- to look nice, just like they do. Why else would they call it grooming, for heaven's sake! Sometimes humans can be so dumb," she began to laugh again. A little red-headed boy with freckles which covered his face and a baseball cap on his head raised his hand. "Teacher, teacher?" "Yes, Danny?" :"Why do monkeys jump up and down? Does that mean they are mad?" "Actually, Danny, it is believed that when the monkeys jump up and down they are actually doing their own kind of dance," the teacher answered. Again Ramona began to laugh, holding her belly as she did. This time Lulu joine her. "Oh. . oh. . oh. . it hurts to laugh; I'm laughing so hard, Lulu," Ramona managed to say. After a moment or two the two monkeys stopped laughing, looked at each other, and shook their heads. "Ramona, did you ever hear of such a ridiculous thing? We don't jump up and down to dance. We jump up and down to show we are happy and excited, but I wouldn't exactly call that a dance." "I know, Lulu, sometimes humans say the most ridiculous things. I wonder where they get these ideas. And now they are passing on that information to their young ones, so it will just keep going on and on. It is a very sad thing," Ramona shook head. "Come on, Ramona. I know what will cheer you up. Let's play tag -- it's your favorite game. You know how you love swinging from the branches." "All right," Ramona replied. Then she reached out and tapped Lulu on the shoulder and said, "You're it!" The chase was on. SherryBPray4America Bella heard the sound of many small feet on the sidewalk heading her way and groaned. She tried to make herself invisible by sinking down into the water until only her nostrils were above the surface. The children’s chatter nearly drove her to distraction as she waited until the group of school children moved on. After it was quiet for a while she cautiously rose to the surface. “Why do you always do that?” Bella looked up and saw Ramona hanging from the tree branch that hung over her enclosure. “Do what?” “Why do you hide? You always hide whenever you hear children coming. That isn’t very nice, you know. People come to the zoo to see all of us—including you.” “Children are rude. They call me names and even throw things sometimes. The big people are bad enough, but the little ones are impossible.” Ramona thoughtfully swung by her tail for a while before answering. “Well…maybe if you would cooperate, you know, be nice to them, they would be nice to you. If you act so grouchy all the time, people won’t like you.” “Good. I don’t want them to like me. I want them to leave me alone!” Lulu joined them, screeching with laughter. “Well, you sure are in the wrong place if you want to be left alone, girl. When you live in a zoo, people want to see you. They even pay to look at you.” “Well, I hate it! I hate the way they point their fingers at me. I hate the names they call me. I hate the way they stare at me. I hate it. I hate it. I hate it! I want to go home! I want my mama.” Ramona and Lulu exchanged glances. Even Lulu looked serious. “Bella, honey,” Ramona said softly. “you are home. The zoo is your home now.” Bella sunk underneath the water, but the monkeys could see bubbles rising up. “Is she crying?” Lulu leaned down to get a better look. “Yes, I think she’s crying.” “Oh, my. Poor Bella. She was just a baby when she was captured. I didn’t think she would remember living in the jungle with her family.” Ramona sat on a branch scratched her head. “What are we going to do?” Lulu began to absentmindedly pick through Ramona’s fur. “Well, for starters, maybe we could be nicer to her—you know, stop calling her Hateful Hippo and stuff like that.” “Well, I never called her names, but maybe I could try to be her friend.” She paused for a moment. “You know, I don’t think Bella has any friends at all.” “Well, of course not. All she does is stay in her pool and hide under the water. How could anyone be her friend?” “Has anyone ever tried?” Ramona sadly stared down at the concrete pool. “I heard one of the keepers say that they weren’t going to get another hippo because it was too expensive to maintain them…whatever that means. So, Bella won’t ever get a mate.” Lulu wiped a tear from her eye. “Poor Bella.” Fall Lazuli groomed his brilliant plumage with his peak, smoothing, plucking, wetting, slicking, until his feathers shone with the luster of some exotic beetle, all the while admiring his dazzling reflection in his water bowl.Some of the other creatures here were convinced that he was conceited, but of course he wasn't. After all, were not peacocks the most beautiful of all animals, and was not the fact that he was in a zoo, not out in the Wild, foraging and begging for bugs proof that he was far superior to any ordinary peacock? Oh yes, he was special, absolutely. No one could begrudge the loveliest of all creatures some time to admire his perfection - it was natural to admire beauty. Anyone who didn't understand was just plain jealous or dim. He had been brought here only last month, but with his superior, brilliant, mighty intellect, almost as wonderful as his appearance, he had figured out that the humans were astonishingly easy to train - all he had to do was strut, preen and generally be his charming self, and the humans, little and big alike, would feed him, keep his home clean, squeal, clap and aim their flashing black-or-silver things at him, presumably some form of crude human worship. All in all, this...Zew was much better than life before. Although sometimes he missed his companions back home. Occasionally, he found his existence here frustrating, without someone else who knew that admiring oneself in the water was an act of love, not conceit. For example, just before the time when the little humans first started coming to the Zew to fawn over him, he had tried to see himself in the large body of water the large grey lump of blubber inhabited, to get a better effect, only to find himself thwarted by the infuriating creature's backside. He had waited patiently for a minute or two, for the large animal to realize she was obstructing business and move on, but, to his horror, she had planted her obstinate backside there for the entire duration of the little ones' visit, and he was forced to present a less-than-glorious visage to them. He was mortified. Humiliated. Diminished. And it was all the lump of blubber's fault! "Stupid..." he tried to remember what it was that the other animals called her. "Horrible, horrid, horrifying, horrendous, hateful, hated hippo!...Wow." he stopped, surprised at the words that had come out of his beak. "I'm a poet." "What?" the lump of blubber had come rising to the surface, giving him a baleful look. "I thank you deeply....er, Hippo, for your generous assistance." He made her a sweeping bow, in the grand peacock fashion. He saw her blink. Maybe she was shocked by his grace and beauty? "What for?" "For showing me yet another of my great talents." With that, he bowed again and walked away, starting to write words on the dusty ground. He had a World-Class Poet Status to attain. A.J. Lyle Candy sighed heavily as the large group of humans moved on, already exclaiming over the rarity of a white tiger. She loved the attention she received from the spectators, of course, but as of late she had begun to feel lonely. There were few animals within the Zoo with whom she could relate, and the constant state of aggression which Bella the hippo demonstrated had slowly started taking its toll on her own emotions. She felt bad for Bella, and it was thoughts of how the addition of another hippo could have mended her melancholy which inspired her own current state of unhappiness. Bella received constant ridicule from the humans, and Candy was beginning to think it was their lack of understanding which caused the slight. They didn’t appreciate how Bella’s characteristics aided her ability to live in the wild, and they certainly didn’t see the beauty of her shape, or in the way she moved, or even in her miraculous ability to stay underwater for amazing lengths of time. The short and small of it was they didn’t require instincts and had digressed to a state of incomprehension. Candy was sure that a mate would cure Bella. Someone who would understand her, and would admire her for the same traits the humans thought funny. It was such thinking which had created an empty feeling within Candy, as well. If she had been living in the wild as nature intended, she would have been at the right age for having children. For the first time she could remember, she thought maybe she would have liked that. She shook her head and snorted loudly. The heat must have addled her brains. She would concentrate on Bella, for if nothing else, Bella’s habit of evading the notice of the human spectators could eventually have adverse reactions and perhaps even cause a lack of interest in the Zoo as a whole. What life would be left to Candy if such a thing took place? Absolutely none, that’s what. Candy took advantage of the lull between visitors to move within speaking distance of Bella. Perhaps she could lift her spirits some, if she herself commented on some positive aspects of the hippo’s appearance or personality. It was at least worth a try, she decided. “Bella?” she called softly. “Can you hear me under there?” A few bubbles floated to the surface of the otherwise still pond, but no movement followed. “I couldn’t help but notice you are upset. Would you like to talk about it?” she ventured. Slowly, Bella’s snout emerged from the water, her eyes coming to rest on Candy. “What do you mean?” the hippo asked defensively. “It can’t be any fun to just sit under the water all day. You should come out and talk with me. There aren’t any humans right now.” “Good,” Bella grumped. “You were right earlier, Candy. They’re horrible creatures.” Candy shook her head. “I think perhaps they just don’t understand you. They are ignorant of what is good and beautiful in our world, don’t you think? I mean, how could they possibly understand, surrounded as they are with their own comical and extremely scrawny forms?” Bella turned towards Candy, a glint of understanding dawning in her eyes. “You know, they are rather ugly, if you think about it…” Candy nodded and felt a small surge of hope. Perhaps helping Bella would help her feel better as well. And perhaps she would not feel quite so lonely if she had a friend. Of course, there was always the added benefit of yet another admirer, as well. Steve -Bucket List done! "You've got to be kidding me!" Leo roared, to his lady Rhona. "You want me to pretend that I'm not the king of the jungle. Just so some blubbering kid can look like he's the hero, scaring the mean lion away?" "Yes Leo, can't you see how brave the boy is? He's wearing a pretty good mane, he's got some good fangs, and look at those claws!" Rhona said to her mate Leo."Yeah he does look kind of fierce now that you mention it Rhona, but golly, you want me to turn my tail and run away. What will all the the other lions think of me? Have you thought about all the consequences of this action?" Leo continued arguing with Rhona, his beloved lioness. Meanwhile the kid is becoming bored with the whole scene and begins to stroll away, sure that the lion is just not going to play along with his game. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, Leo see's something that he just can't stand and hasn't overcome the fear of for all these years. His eyes began to bug out, his tail scurried between his legs, and Leo ducked for cover in the highest perch he could find. The boy was so amused by the scene that he did his growl again and felt like the king of the jungle right then and there. Feeling better about himself he ambles off with his mom, dad, and sister too. "Let's go see the snakes!" He bellowed as he waved bye to the lions in their special cages. "Oh Rhona! Get it away from me. Stomp on it, kill it, eat it if you must. Just get that furry beast away from me!" Leo roared pleadingly at Rhona. "Sure thing honey, you brave strong beast you." Rhona roars back ever so sarcastically. "Thanks for playing along to get Leo in the right frame of mind, Tiki." Rhona said to the tiny field mouse who was recruited to suddenly show up in the den, at just the right time. "It's always fun to watch that big fella scurry up to the highest perch. Did you see the look on that kids face? He's going to feel better about himself for years to come, knowing he scared away the big king of the jungle." Tiki squeaked to his friend Rhona. "See you later on Leo! Hope I didn't scare you too much." Tiki squeaked up at Leo, who covered his eyes with his paws. "Leo! Leo! It's safe to come down now. I scared that fierce field mouse away." Rhona roared up at her mate, Leo, who was only now beginning to creep slowly back down the way he came. "Thank you Rhona, you're my heroin, those squeaky beasts always give me the willies. But hey did you see the boy, he looked pretty proud of himself, so I guess it all worked out as you thought it might. You're so wise Rhona." Leo says and places a paw lovingly upon her mane as the two watch the sunset and enjoy each others company and a day full of people doing all those silly things. SoCalScribe Raleigh couldn't believe how happy he was now. Ever since the zookeepers had brought Milandra into his cage, he felt like the luckiest tiger in the world. All the other tigers he had met made fun of his rare white color, but now he had a friend who also shared his unique white coat! Now he didn't have to be self conscious about the way he looked, and could just have fun with his new cage-mate. He and Milandra spent the first several days frolicking around and enjoying one another's company. Raleigh hadn't ever had a playmate for more than a day or two at a time, so to have Milandra with him for this extended period of time was a real treat."I'm having a great time with you, Milandra." Raleigh said as he nudged the beach ball toward her with his nose. "Me too, Raleigh." She replied, playfully swatting the ball back to him. "Did you know that you're the only other white tiger I've ever known? I've been around to a lot of zoos, and I've never seen another one like us." "I've heard we're pretty rare." "We must be, if we're only now finding one another." "Well, we shouldn't waste the opportunity," Raleigh replied, knocking the ball back toward Milandra. Once they started knocking the ball around, a crowd started to gather and watch, cheering as the two great cats played around with one another. "We've got an audience," Milandra observed. "I guess we put on a good show," Raleigh laughed. "Maybe if we keep it up and keep drawing crowds, they'll let us stay together." "That would be wonderful. Good company, and making people happy just by playing around and doing what we'd normally do anyway." "I couldn't agree more," Milandra replied. "What could be better than this?" eyestar Lulu was still sad about Bella and was trying to think up something to cheer her up when she heard a strange noise. She looked over toward the fence and saw a woman with a little girl and a girl in a funny looking chair with wheels. On her lap, she held this machine from which this sound was coming. She swung closer to the fence.“Ramona, what is that noise? And why is that girl in that funny chair. She looks unhappy.” Ramona swung up beside her. “I think that is what they call a wheel chair. It is not like a stroller for babies. It is for people who cannot walk.” “Why can’t they walk?” Well, there is something wrong with their legs so they need help to get around.” Ramona said, shaking her head. “Oh, so the little girl can’t walk or run. Maybe that is why she looks sad.” Lulu did some twists and turns trying to make the girl smile. “And that noise?” “Oh, that is music coming from the machine. And it has words to it, listen.” The music and lyrics blared from the machine and Lulu was amazed. She was even more astonished when she heard the words: “I want a hippopotamus for Christmas!” Lulu looked at Ramona. ”Did you hear that?” Ramona nodded and both monkeys leapt and chattered excitedly. They heard laughter and when the music stopped, they stopped. The littlest girl, beside the chair, was laughing but the one in the wheel chair only smiled slightly. “When can we see the hippopotamus , Mommy? I’ve been waiting and waiting. I want to see a real one like the one my papa sent me.” “Right now, sweetie. See, it is in the pen next to this one!” the mother replied, pulling a pink stuffed animal out of the bag and handing it to her. Lulu was really excited now. “Do you see that, Ramona? I’ve got to tell Bella!” In a flash, Lulu was up the tree and swinging over to the branch overhanging Bella’s swamp. ‘Bella! Belll-aa! You’ve got to come up out of the water. There is a girl coming to see you!” Bella blew bubbles and said, “so what! I’ve seen girls before.” “Yes, but this one is in a wheelchair and has a toy hippo. She even has a song about you!” Bella grunted, yet was curious. “At least, come up so you can hear for yourself.” Lulu encouraged. “Here they are!” “Watch, mommy, that monkey looks like she’s talking to the hipotamus,” the little girl giggled. Lulu screeched too. “Sara, there is the potamus, just like the one in the big book you have. She’s even hiding in the water.” She put her fingers through the fence and put her hand over her eyes. “Peek a boo!!” Sara rolled the wheelchair closer and peered through the fence. “Mommy, she’s beautiful just my Ella. She held up the plush hippopotamus toy. I wish I could give her a pink bow too. What’s her name?” “The sign says Bella and that she’s young one.” said her mother. “Bella, here, Bella. Can you come out of the water? I came all the way just to see you. You have a beautiful name. Did you know that hippos are the third largest animal in the world? Of course , you do, you’re smart too. My daddy is in Africa and I miss him but he sent me this hippo. See?” Sara held up the toy for Bella to see. “Her name is Ella and she came with a whole book about hippos. It’s my daddy’s favourite animal too.” Lulu whispered, “Bella.” Bella had lifted her head and turned to face the girl, rather surprised that any one would want a toy of her, and that there was even a book about hippos. And did that girl call her smart? “Mommy, she’s looking at me. She understands me. Oh Bella, I wish I could come over and play in the water with you. I love the water. I can’t walk like you can, but I can swim and float in the water just like you. I even have a floatie that has a head like yours.” Sara was smiling. Lulu saw a tear Bella’s eye too. “Now, Bella, you just listen to this. It is my favourite song. It is a famous one and is even on youtube.” Sara turned on the machine and the song began. Bella didn’t know what to think. This girl actually liked her. And people made a song about hippos. She had no idea what a youtube was but it must be important as the little girl thought it was. As she listened to the song, which was catchy but,.well, she didn’t know what to think. She felt kindly toward this child, for some reason, and she began rising out of the water and heading toward the muddy slope. Lulu jumped up and down screeching for Ramona. “Look,: she whispered, ”Bella’s is getting out of the water!” Ramona joined Lulu on the limb and arm in arm sat smiling at, what they hoped, was a miraculous first step toward a happier Bella. Princess Megan Rose 10 Years Raleigh and I were having so much fun. He growled a couple of times and I thought that he is King of the Jungle. He can be my King. Tigers are prettier then lions anyday. I heard a little red headed girl say: "Mommy, why are there only two white tigers?" "Sweetie, white tigers aren't as popular as orange tigers and maybe like pandas, certain zoos get to have pandas and a white tiger may be one of those cases." The mother was holding a baby boy with blonde hair that smiled. You know humans do have cute babies. The little girl then asked her mother: "Where are the baby white tigers?" I just met Raleigh. I looked at Raleigh. He winked and I blushed. The mother answered: "They will have babies in due time. I am sure they will be cute." I had no doubt about that. Here comes a man taking pictures. Raleigh noded his head at me and said: "Let's pose for the camera." Raleigh and I sit down together and rubbed noses and he washed my ear. The man got his pictures and the people said we looked so pretty and were photogenic. I purred. Raleigh and I decided to jump in the pond. It was bigger then the pond in my cage. We shook water at the people. They laughed. A little boy asked why we weren't bathing suits. Humans! Raleigh and I looked at each other and laughed. No way would I wear a bathing suit. I would bite humans for trying. The sun was going down and it started to rain. People were starting to leave and Raleigh and I went to into the building in his cage and took naps. He laid down beside me. I don't know how long we slept. Clare woke us up to eat. She was in the cage with us. Raleigh woke up and growled. I told him it was alright. Clare is a friend. I went to Clare and she petted me. I licked her hand and she giggled. She then said Hello to Raleigh. Raleigh nodded and asked me if Clare would be his friend. I told him she would if he wanted her to. I stretched out and saw that the rain had quit. It was dark and Clare fed us our 50 pound steaks. "Good news. You two get to stay together. Milandra, you have made Ralrigh happy and the people here love you two. What do you think about that?" Clare was so happy for us. I love that human. I rolled over and Clare pat my belly. Raleigh rubbed noses with me. Yes, life was good. White tigers rule! blainecindy - I love my WDC! "Ramona! Ramona! Did you hear the news?" Lulu hopped over to the branch that Ramona was sitting on near the top of the tree."What news are you talking about, Lulu?" "I heard they're talking about closing the zoo?" "Closing the zoo? That' can't be true. Why would they want to do that?" "Something about a bigger zoo being built two towns over." "But what will happen to us?" "I didn't hear about that, Ramona. I've got to go and tell Bella about this." Lulu swung down to the bottom branch, looking for Bella in the water below. Ramona surveyed her home around her. The sun was shining through the trees. It had rained last night so there were rain drops glistening on the leaves of the trees. Everything was fresh and green. I can't imagine my life in another zoo, Ramona thought. I've lived here all my life. As a matter of fact, I was born in this zoo. All my friends are here -- Lulu and Bella and even that conceited Lazuli is my friend. They are always here to confide in and listen to my troubles, to help me when I'm down, and to rejoice with me with I'm happy. I can't replace good friends like these. And then there are the zoo keepers who have become my friends, too. They know which brand of food I like. What about the people. There are some people who come here on a regular basis. If I get transferred to another zoo they won't know where I am and then I won't get to see them anymore, either. Oh, this is terrible, just terrible! Small monkey tears began flowing down her cheeks as thoughts of losing her home went through her mind. It was too much for her to bear. "Ramona." Bella called to her as she emerged from the water below. "Hey, Ramona. Stop crying, girl. I've got some good news for you." "Yes, please do stop stop your sniffling," said Lazuli as he shook his head. "If there's anything I can't stand, it's a monkey who's bawling1" "Good news?" Ramona sniffed. "What's that, Bella? I could use some good news right now." "The zoo is not going to be closed, at least not permanently. It's going to be closed to six months while it's being renovated. When it reopens it's going to be bigger and better than ever! We are not going anywhere, Ramona!" "Oh, Bella!" Ramona began crying again. "But Ramona, aren't you happy?" asked Lulu. "Yes, yes, I'm so happy!" "Then, why are you crying?" "I'm crying because I'm so happy!" Remember: Where thou art, that is home. ~ Emily Dickinson blainecindy - I love my WDC! The End! © Copyright 2010 blainecindy - I love my WDC!, SherryBPray4America, A.J. Lyle, SoCalScribe, arakun the twisted raccoon, eyestar, Princess Megan Rose 10 Years, Fall, Steve -Bucket List done!, (known as GROUP). All rights reserved. GROUP has granted Writing.Com, its affiliates and its syndicates non-exclusive rights to display this work. |
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