Erika's Brush with Death

Erika's Brush with Death
or
Fun at the Ostrich Pen



The time was the late eighties. I was six and Erika was four. Life was wonderful then.

Erika was about to turn five, and we were celebrating the event by visiting the Oklahoma City Zoo. I had never been there before. There were exotic animals to watch and fun to be had. I was excited.

But it was more than the zoo. Even at the age of six, the true woman in me had emerged. The most exciting part of the day was the shoes. I had been waiting over a year to wear them -- since my sister outgrew them. Maybe I had been waiting longer than that.

They were pink slip-on sandals with Strawberry Shortcake on them. How I coveted those shoes, ever since my sister got them. She wasn't even the big Strawberry Shortcake fan that I was. But now it was my time. They were still a bit big on me, but I was determined to wear them that day.

The day was sunny, the weather prime. The animals were out and about. We saw them all -- lions, giant tortoises, zebras, giraffes. Then we came to the ostrich pen. The ostriches were far away, and I was too short to see them, but too old to be on my dad's shoulders.

Then I had the most brilliant idea.

Slowly, step by step, my Strawberry Shortcake sandals and I began to climb the fence. I had made it about two feet up when the worst possible thing happened! My shoe slid right off my feet . . . and right into the ostrich pen!

Immediately feeling the great loss, I began to wail! "My shoe! My shoe!" My dad quickly discovered what was going on and began brainstorming solutions.

My uncle thought of one first. Quickly he scooped up my cousin and lowered her by her ankles into the ostrich pen. She managed to grab my shoe, only to discover one of the ostriches had the intention of grabbing her.

She started screaming. My uncle pulled her up, but he was too slow. The ostrich grabbed Erika's shirt and began pulling the opposite direction. It became a tug-of-war between my uncle and the ostrich. Suddenly, there was a large RRRIIIIP! and my cousin was free (minus a bit of her shirt).

I got my shoe back, and we all ended up with an interesting story to tell our children.