Library

Search

Home / Imagination Short Story / Preparing the Zoo for Christmas / Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

All Chapters of Preparing the Zoo for Christmas: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

16 Chapters

Chapter 1

After I started working at the zoo, I was added to a group chat called “A Hundred Ways to Kill a Human.” Every member had an animal as their profile picture. At first, I thought it was some quirky staff group. I even found it kind of cute.That was, until I realized they were discussing how to eat me.Pedro the Parrot: [The new human has beautiful eyes. I can’t wait till Christmas. I want to peck them out right now!]George the Gorilla: [Relax. There’ll be many visitors during Christmas. We’ll have more eyeballs than we can eat! Also, I’m calling dibs on her thigh.]Thor the Tiger: [Nobody’s taking her head, right? That’s mine.]Tucker the Elephant: [I’m a vegetarian, but I can crush her bones to dust.]My fingers trembled. Slowly, I lifted my gaze toward the elephant enclosure—the area I was assigned to.An elderly elephant was staring straight at me. Its eyes were dull and cold, filled with fatigue and resentment. Its massive body was covered in cracked, dry mud. Flies swarmed

Chapter 2

I scrubbed and shoveled hard, hauling mound after mound of dung out of the enclosure and scouring the food troughs that hadn’t been cleaned in days. By noon, I’d only finished about seventy percent of the job, but the elephant enclosure already looked worlds better. I didn’t stop there. I ran to prepare their feed next, only to find the supplies painfully sparse. There were mostly palm fronds and some dry, brittle hay. There weren’t even vegetables, let alone fruit.“Is this all the elephants eat?” I asked the woman working next to me. “The zoo isn’t short on funds, right?”“I wouldn’t know. I feed the capybaras. Their food’s worse,” she said hurriedly before rushing off.I pressed my lips together and grabbed as many bundles of hay and leaves as I could carry back to the elephants. When I returned, the group chat chimed.Ellie the Elephant: [She worked so hard cleaning that I thought she might be a good human. But as it turns out, she’s just like the others, feeding us dry hay!]

Chapter 3

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 chir

Chapter 4

I didn’t understand what it was saying, so I opened the group chat again to check.Kingsley the Monkey: [Oh-ho! Oh-ho…]The Egrets’ Shared Account: [What’s that silly monkey going on about? He almost made us fall when we passed by!]Kingsley the Monkey: [I’m sorry. I got too excited. I’m saying the human gave the elephant enclosure water!]George the Gorilla: [I heard it too. It sounds so familiar. That human really is… a good human.]Animals kept popping into the chat, arguing and commenting. I even saw a panda send a GIF with its paws together, like it was thanking someone. For some reason, my chest felt warm, and a small smile tugged at my lips.Then, the tiger showed up again.Thor the Tiger: [How naive! Food and water are ours by right. Those humans dangle a little treat and expect us to forget everything? If she dares show herself, I’ll rip her apart!]The chat went quiet for a long moment.After a while, Kingsley the Monkey asked, [What if she gives you your favorite—a

Chapter 5

Thor the Tiger: [Something’s off. A female human just gave me a huge slab of meat. It’s definitely poisoned!]His message dropped in the chat, and the whole group went wild. Some doubted it, while others thought the zoo was finally showing some mercy.Predators from nearby enclosures all turned their attention toward his cage. The lion from the next habitat even jumped onto the partition wall, craning his neck to peek over.Africana the Lion: [A whole slab of meat? Save me some!]Leopards, hyenas, and other carnivores began growling with excitement, eager for a bite. However, Thor the Tiger didn’t respond. His paws were already pressing down on that juicy steak, his self-control wearing thin.Just then, a congregation of white egrets flew overhead. Within seconds, new intel appeared in the chat.The Egrets’ Shared Account: [It’s that human from the elephant enclosure! She brought Thor the Tiger meat!]When the news got out, Thor the Tiger froze. He lifted his head and, with a ha

Chapter 6

I felt awkward under that gaze, so I excused myself. “I’ll go hand out the food. Make sure you chew your food.” Lots of animals in the carnivore section weren’t getting enough, so I had to hand out extra portions. It was just a little bonus snack. The animals cheered like it was a holiday. I clapped along with them and went to find the zoo director.Zane Mural, the director of the zoo, was in his office sipping tea. He wore thin gold-rimmed glasses, was tall and thin, and looked down-to-earth. When he saw me, he waved me over. “Are you settling in okay, Olive? You’re an expert. Our zoo got lucky hiring you.”I tried to sound concerned. “Everything stinks, and the animals barely have food. Is the park not getting funding? They’re practically starving.”Zane’s expression shifted for a moment, barely noticeable, before he forced a smile. “There’s nothing we can do. The county hospital can’t even pay its staff right now. Who’s left to fund us? Just focus on your work. Don’t worry,

Chapter 7

[That’s right! Kill the director, not Miss Fruit!] The others protested on my behalf.Thor the Tiger clearly held a great resentment toward humans. In fact, it wasn’t hard to see why. He’d been stuck in an enclosure for years, forced to eat rotten meat and drink filthy water, living a life worse than a dog. For a proud king of the jungle, that was absolutely intolerable and unforgivable. However, I didn’t dwell on it. I went home to rest.The next day, I went in as usual and found the staff busier than normal. There were extra people cleaning and trucks of fresh feed arriving, making the animals restless. Zane must’ve gotten scared. To keep things peaceful over Christmas, he’d finally scraped together some money and splurged a little for the animals.I smiled and joined the crew. Three coworkers came with me to clean the elephant enclosure and give the elephants a bath. Every other zookeeper was rejected by the elephants, but the elephants didn’t reject me. A young female elephant

Chapter 8

[How do I pierce it?][By nailing your lips shut.]…Today was the liveliest day at Sunnyside Zoo. Not only was the group chat buzzing, but the whole park was bustling as well. Every enclosure had finally been cleaned, and years of old filth had been shoveled away.Meals were suddenly rich and plentiful. Everything from vegetables to fruit and meat was laid out, and they even topped up the veterinary calcium tablets. Every animal found it unbelievable.Pedro the Parrot had fresh news. [I just saw the zoo director with his aide. Olive Green suggested treating us well because Christmas is coming, and animals should have a good holiday too. Oh, right, Olive is Miss Fruit.][Wow, Miss Fruit is at it again!]The animals were moved to tears. I snorted a little, but inside I still felt uneasy. They may be eating well for now, but what about after the holidays? Once the visitors were gone, the enclosures would likely slip back to the old state, and the animals would go hungry again.

Chapter 9

Kingsley the Monkey: [What? Why didn’t I get that treatment? Does Miss Fruit like felines? I can meow, too!]Pedro the Parrot: [I’ll go check. I can understand human speech!]A green-feathered parrot swooped over and landed on the branch beside me, cocking its head and eyeing me curiously. I cleared my throat and struck up a casual conversation with Thor the Tiger. “Thor, we meet again. I know you hate everything about this place, but it won’t stay like this for long. I’ll find a way to get you all a better life.”Of course, Thor the Tiger didn’t understand my words, but the parrot did. It began translating in the group chat, and animals gathered around, watching. Thor the Tiger also flapped his ears once or twice. I kept talking. “I’ll gather evidence and report this place. The zoo will improve. I didn’t take this job for no reason.”The parrot kept translating, and the chat exploded with noise.[What does Miss Fruit mean? Is she going to save us?][Wow, Miss Fruit understan

Chapter 10

“Scream, you filthy beast. I’ll make you scream!” Stanley kept picking up stones until he found one the size of half a human head. He hefted it, ready to smash it down when I lunged, furious, and shoved him away. He swung the stone back at my head and howled, “You witch!”Pain thundered through my skull, and I blacked out, warm blood gushing down my face. In my last fading vision, I saw Thor the Tiger in the pen throw his head back and roar, his whole body trembling.…I woke up with a splitting headache, feeling dizzy and disoriented. For a while, I couldn’t even remember who I was. After forcing myself to breathe and focus, the memories came back.My name was Olive Green, and I worked as a keeper at Sunnyside Zoo.A rush of panic hit me the moment I remembered the zoo. I checked the date. Christmas was one day away, which meant I’d been out cold for three days.I fumbled for my phone and opened the group chat. Thousands of messages flooded the thread, most of them about me.

PREV

NEXT

SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP

DMCA.com Protection Status