Word count: 1,898
Rating: K+ (for mild elements of gore)
Genre: Horror/Suspense Fiction
Background: I had three random images: A cracked egg, a T-Rex, and a ticket-stub. I made a story out of them. A small homage to my partner, who used to dream of T-Rex's chasing him when he was little.
Link to the Short Story - The Zoo (you can also read and review this story, as well as others, on my FictionPress )
The Zoo
Today was the day. Oh yes, it was going to be a day!
Simon was going to see the tigers!
His mother had been planning this trip to the zoo for the past week now, and Simon’s excitement had been building and building and now, on this day, the day, he could hardly contain himself.
Simon leaped from his bed, thinking he’d save his mother some time by dressing himself today. Then he bounded his way downstairs (making as much noise on the hardwood as possible) to the breakfast table. He hoisted himself onto a chair, and sat, bouncing up and down.
“When is it going to be time to leave?”
Mom glanced at him from her position near the stove where Simon could smell eggs cooking. “You in a rush?”
Simon rolled his eyes. He wanted to say, “Duh!” but he couldn’t say that to his mother. Instead he said, “I’m just really excited.”
Mom smiled. “That’s good - I’m excited too. We’ll leave after breakfast.”
“But I don’t want eggs.”
“Hush,” she said as she placed a plate of scrambled eggs and cheese with a side of crustless white toast in front of him. “Eat your breakfast - I’m going to finish getting ready and then we’ll be on our way to the zoo.” Mom planted a kiss on his head.
Simon made a face and took a bite from his toast, continuing to wriggle on the chair as his mother disappeared into her room, coffee cup in hand.
Even though he always had to sit in the back seat, Simon liked car rides. The zoo was in the city, Mom had explained, so they had to take the big highway to get there, and she hoped he was ready for a long drive.
Oh, he was ready. What was a long ride in the car compared to the whole week of waiting at his boring house to see the tigers?
The highway was the biggest road he had ever seen. There weren’t just four lanes but maybe a hundred. The car was moving too fast to count. Simon stared out the window in awe as they passed by complexes of houses, hills, industrial buildings, more hills, and -
“Cows!” shouted Simon. He placed both hands on the window pane and pressed his nose up against the glass. “Look, Mom, cows!”
“I can’t look, Simon, I’m driving.” Yet he saw her turn her head a little just for a moment. “Yes, there are people who own cows out here and let them graze in the grass on the hills.”
Simon smiled. “Will there be cows at the zoo?”
“You’ll just have to wait and see!” she teased.
Simon crossed his arms. “Fine. I’m going to see the tigers anyways!”
His mother gave a little laugh and pushed a stray lock of her brown hair back behind her ear. “Yes you are!” she said. She smiled at him in the rear-view mirror. Simon smiled back. Soon enough, their little faded blue car was pulling into an enormous parking lot with a sign that read -
“What’s that say?”
“Sound it out,” his mother said as she turned a corner, headed towards some free parking spaces.
“Zoo Parking - All Day,” Simon read out loud, a touch of pride in his voice. Then he shouted, “We’re here! We’re here!”
They pulled into an empty space. “Almost,” said Mom, turning off the engine and unbuckling her seatbelt. “We still have to get tickets to enter.” She opened her door.
Simon quickly unbuckled his seatbelt, jiggled the door handle until Mom unlocked it, and made to leap out of the car but Mom grabbed a hold of him. He looked up at her.
“Hold my hand until we’re at the ticket booth, okay?”
“But mom!” Despite his protest, he took hold of her hand, her thin one enveloping his small one, and he was glad that he did - as they walked from their car, he had to squeeze real close to her as a large Sedan took a turn a little fast.
As promised, once they reached the ticketing area, his mother released him and he all but bounced to the end of one of the lines. His mother caught up with him and he stood with her, moving when the line moved, gazing at all the different people all around him with a funny mix of wonder and a little fear.
“It’s our turn,” his mother said.
He snapped his head forward and saw the ticket booth, the smiling woman behind it, her blonde hair pulled back in a tight bun and his fear dissipated. Simon rushed up to the counter, stood on his tiptoes and said, “I’m here to see the tigers!”
The woman smiled wider and then his mother was behind him, leaning towards the glass pane.
“Hello! I need two all-day tickets - one child’s and one adult’s - please.”
Simon watched his mother transact the ticketing business, straining to see over the counter. When finished, she handed him his ticket.
“Hang on to that until we get to the man behind the little gates - see him?”
Simon nodded and he dashed towards his new destination. There was still another line to wait in, so Mom had a chance to catch up.
Once they reached the man in the tan suit, he asked, “Tickets, please!”
Simon grinned and handed the man his ticket. “I’m going to see the tigers!”
“Oh yeah?” the man said absently, taking his mother’s ticket.
“It’s his first time here,” his mother said.
The man looked at Simon as if he had seen him for the first time. “Welcome to the Zoo! Let me get you a map,” he fished around in a satchel at his side and produced a brightly colored paper. “Our most popular exhibit currently is the Meerkat exhibit.” He opened the map and pointed somewhere in the middle of it.
Simon didn’t know what a meer-cat was, so he asked, “Are they related to tigers?”
“The tigers are over with the large cats - after the ostrich exhibit,” said the man in the tan suit and then he turned to the people waiting behind them.
Mom’s hands began ushering him forward but Simon needed no further invitation other than the gate guard now paying attention to someone else.
“Hold my hand until the meerkat exhibit,” Mom tittered.
“But mom!” Despite his protest, he took hold of her hand, her thin one enveloping his small one, and he was glad that he did - as they walked amidst the swarms of other people, he was jostled several times and if he hadn’t been holding onto his mother, he would have been swept away by the tide.
“Do we have to see the meerkats first?” he almost whined.
“It’s on the way to the tigers. Besides, the other exhibits might be less crowded once we get the most popular exhibit out of the way first.”
Crowded it was, but they sidled up right next to the glass. Simon was amused with the little Meerkats - they weren’t much bigger than he was and it was funny how they stood up on their hind legs and seemed to wriggle all over one another. They seemed to eat bugs and lay in the sun a lot.
“Okay, we saw the Meerkats. Tigers now?” Simon tried out his pleading puppy face (he’d seen kids at school use this on their parents with usually a good amount of success).
Mom chuckled. “Well maybe I want to see the monkeys first.”
“Mom!” Simon whined.
Mom chuckled. “Alright, alright. Monkeys after the tigers.” She fished out the map and unfolded it. “This way,” she pointed forward and to their left a little. “Just past the ostrich exhibit.”
“Alright!” Simon shouted and he took off in the direction Mom had indicated. He made sure to keep her in sight though, stopping in short bursts to check to see if he could still see her behind him. Sure enough, it was less crowded getting away from the Meerkat exhibit.
Simon stopped suddenly to let his mother catch up to him. “Mom, what’s an oss-trid?”
“An ostrich is a very large bird that doesn’t fly and lives in Africa,” she said.
“Like a flamingo?”
“Kind of...but it’s bigger and not pink.”
For some reason Simon felt very uneasy. “Are they dangerous?”
“Not as dangerous as tigers can be,” Mom said.
Simon was silent. The uneasy feeling was growing stronger.
“We’re almost to the ostrich exhibit, Simon.”
A large fenced-off grassy area was in sight and as Simon neared it, he suddenly felt like he was remembering something...
He closed the distance to the fence. And then a monster closed the distance on the other side.
This was no bird. This was the monster from his nightmares. The huge black and white monstrosity waggled its neck and clacked its beak and Simon screamed.
Darkness consumed his senses but the danger was not over. He knew that the T-Rex was going to get him this time. Nearly every night the T-Rex chased him down, getting closer and closer to eating Simon in one, big chomp and swallow and he had willingly walked into its trap at the Zoo. He was a goner.
The T-Rex in this dream not only had teeth and creepy little arms, but also feathers and a snake-like neck and it was with this new addition to its neck anatomy that made it possible to finally close the distance and take a hefty bite out of Simon’s left side. He screamed again and tried to wriggle out of the bind the monster’s jaws had him in but it was no use and his blood was spilling out over him, making him shiver because it was so cold.
It was the thought that his blood was ice-cold that jostled him out of the blackness.
Still screaming, he somehow opened his eyes.
His scream turned into a little whimpering moan as he realized he was lying in a very white room with a tube stuck into the crook of his arm. He was hooked up to a machine that was whirring and beeping.
Simon was in a hospital.
“M-mom?” His shout came out in a hoarse grunt.
His mother came dashing into the room from a door to his right that led to a hallway. “Simon! Oh, you’re awake! Oh, honey!” She dashed over and held him in her arms, rocking him lightly.
A man in a white coat came in and asked how he was feeling.
“I - I just wanted to see the tigers,” he wailed.
Mom released his grip on him. From her purse, she pulled a stuffed tiger and set it on his lap. “I’m so sorry, sweetie. I’m sorry.”
He touched the fuzzy stuffed animal and cried harder.
“We have a few more tests to run to make sure he doesn’t have a concussion from the fall and we need to make sure to alleviate any lasting shock but then you ought to be able to take him home. But keep an eye on him when you do, and let us know if anything seems off.”
“Thank you, Doctor. I will, Doctor.”
Simon looked at his mom. “I’m never eating eggs again. Never!” And he threw the stuffed tiger across the room.
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