One Day at the Zoo

“Help me, help me.”

The sound was coming from the monkey cage. Bobby could hear it – but it was so faint. He was standing in front of the giraffe enclosure, when he heard it again. The voice sounded familiar.

“Help me, help me.”

Bobby slipped away from his mom, to see if he could figure out what was happening. All the monkeys were swinging from limb to limb and screeching – the same as they always did, when Bobby visited the Metro Zoo. But one lonely primate clung to the bars, and looked out at the crowd. Bobby looked at the monkey’s sad eyes, and thought he recognized something. They were pleading eyes – so pitiful and sad looking. Why was he not playing with the other monkeys?

Then he heard it again.

“Help me, help me.”

Bobby was sure the sound was coming from the lone monkey holding the bars. He thought he saw the monkey’s lips move. The voice was faint, and it did sound familiar.

As one of the keepers passed, Bobby asked him, “What is the name of that monkey? The one all by himself.”

“Oh, that one. He’s a mystery. Just showed up in the cage one day. We can’t figure out how he got here.”

“How long has he been here?” Bobby enquired.

“Six months. Actually, he showed up April 20. The day of the annual open house.”

Twelve year-old Bobby went white. Now he knew why those eyes and voice sounded so familiar. April 20 was the day that Bobby’s best friend, Tommy, went missing. Weeks of searching never turned up a trace of Tommy. Tommy was a fanatic about the zoo, especially the monkeys. He disappeared while visiting the annual open house.

“MOM!” Bobby shouted, but he knew no one would believe him.


(299 words)

Entry in:

ID: 896794   (Rated: 13+) Daily Flash Fiction Challenge  Enter your story of 300 words or less. Note new starting time! by arakun the twisted raccoon