Sunshine Zoo #1: Monkey on the Loose

by Sir Ryan Dale

  Chapter Six: Riding the Rails

  The train’s whistle blew from far away, signaling the howler monkey’s impending doom—that is, unless I could get on that train somehow.

  “Yaw, yaw,” I yelled, sitting on the back of the ostrich. “Come on, big guy! We have a train to catch!”

  The ostrich didn’t move. Using his beak, he just pulled up grass from the ground below him.

  “Giddyup!” I yelled, desperate to get him moving.

  Again, he didn’t budge.

  “There’s no time for this,” I said. Growing desperate, I reached back and grabbed one of his tail feathers. “I hope you’ll forgive me,” I said, before giving the feather a yank. The ostrich sprang forward with a loud “Squaaawk!”

  I quickly found that the big bird was impossible to steer. I was simply too busy holding on for dear life. We soon leapt over a fence, right into the next animal enclosure. A rather grumpy lion gave a swipe of his paw as we bounced by him. He then sprang to his feet and began to give chase.

  “Go, go, go!” I shouted, as I looked back at the big cat that was pouncing right behind us. He kept up for a little bit and even managed to take another swipe at us but, ultimately, we were too fast for him and he gave up the chase.

  We bound over a second fence; but we were out of the frying pan and into the fire. We began to splash across a shallow pool of water filled with alligators. Water kicked up behind us while jaws snapped at us from all sides.

  I leaned forward and yelled at the ostrich. “This isn’t much fun!” Finally, we cleared the water and leapt over the next fence.

  The piercing sound of the train’s whistle greeted us as we sprang through a row of trees and steered alongside the racing train. The mischievous monkey was jumping up and down in one of the passenger cars.

  “Get as close as you can and I’ll jump on the train!” I said to the ostrich, as if he could understand me. He obviously couldn’t understand—or at least chose not to listen—as he began to turn and run away from the train.

  “No! Wrong direction!” I shouted, as I reached back and plucked another tail feather.

  The ostrich squawked in pain and then turned and ran straight towards the train. I was convinced we were going to run right into it, until, at the very last second, the ostrich came to a screeching halt, lowered his head, and sent me flying into a passenger car. I tumbled across a seat and then came to rest on the hard, metal floor. Thankfully, I had made it onto the train, but had painfully scraped my knees and elbows in the process. Ignoring the pain, I quickly pulled myself to my feet and began to look around.

  “Where are you, you troublemaking fur ball?” I hollered, as I began hopping over seats, making my way to the front of the passenger car. He was nowhere in sight. There was no time to worry about him though. First thing’s first, I needed to stop the train.

  When I came to the front of the passenger car, I figured one good leap would get me into the engine room. I stood up on the railing and steadied myself for the jump. “Here goes nothing,” I said, closing my eyes and preparing to leap.

  Suddenly, a loud cry bellowed from behind me and the monkey sprang upon my back. We both fell forward; luckily, we landed on the floor of the engine room of the train.

  “Get off me!” I cried, as I wrestled with the monkey; but he clung to me, pinning me to the ground. I managed to scoot my legs up and kick him off me. He rolled to the floor and then scrambled over to the front of the engine room. He curled up and huddled there, shivering.

  It was then that I saw him for what he was. “You’re not the mischievous little rascal that everyone has said you are. You’re not intentionally letting the other animals out of their cages; you’re simply trying to find your way back into your own. You’re just scared, aren’t you?”

  The monkey let out a screech as if he understood.

  As the wind whistled past us, I suddenly became aware of the racing train around me. Quickly, I sprang to my feet, ran to the front of the engine room, and looked out at the tracks ahead. The bridge at the top of the hill was now fast approaching and I could see that a section of the track was missing. I then looked down and searched the controls in front of me.

  “There you are!” I said, spotting a big red button labeled “Emergency Stop.” I then formed a fist and punched it.

  Chapter Seven: Dangling in Midair

  After pushing the emergency stop button, the train’s brakes locked up. Losing my balance, I was flung forward and out through the open window. I then began to slide down the front of the train. I manage to grab hold of a flag that hung off to the side and I held on for dear life. The train finally came to a halt, with the engine hanging half off the broken tracks. I found myself dangling from the train, just over the waterfall, with sharp rocks jutting out of the water some thirty feet below.

  The flagstick I was holding began to break. “Somebody help!” I hollered. The words “Sunshine Zoo” were written on the flag, which whipped above me in the wind. Other than that and the rushing water below, there were no sounds and, particularly, no sounds of rescue. “Help me!” I cried again desperately. Suddenly, I felt the flagstick snap and I began to fall to the rocks below.

  Before I plunged to my demise, a furry hand appeared out of nowhere and grabbed hold of one of my wrists. The howler monkey had snatched hold of me.

  “Boy, am I glad to see you!” I said, looking up at my rescuer.

  He let out a few screeches and continued to hold on tight.

  It wasn’t long before Mr. Chisum appeared and pulled me up the rest of way, safely out of danger.

  “Are you alright?” asked Mr. Chisum, looking me over for wounds.

  “I’m a little shaken up,” I confessed. “But I’m fine now,” I turned to the howler monkey before adding, “thanks to my hero.”

  The howler monkey gave out a yell, then jumped into my arms and gave me a hug, undoubtedly thanking me for saving his life too.

  Chapter Eight: The Passing of the Torch

  After all the excitement with the howler monkey, and a few more adventures that involved putting more animals back into their cages, Mr. Chisum, Ashley, and I decided to call it a day. As soon as we closed the zoo for the night, we headed straight to the hospital to check on the status of my uncle and see how he was recovering after being sat on by an elephant earlier that day. We sat in the waiting room at the hospital, anxious for news about his condition. It had, of course, been a long day, so I was half-asleep by the time the doctor appeared.

  “Folks,” said the doctor, waving at us to follow him, “you can see him now. He’s a little groggy. He’s been through a lot today and has multiple injuries, but he seems eager to speak with all of you.”

  I wearily followed everyone to the hospital room and stepped inside. To my surprise, my uncle looked more like a mummy than a man. He had bandages wrapped from the top of his head all the way to his toes. He did have one free arm, which seemed to be the only part of his body that wasn’t broken.

  “There’s my crew,” he said, his voice half muffled.

  “How are you feeling?” asked Ashley, sitting down next to him and looking him over.

  “I feel as bad as I look,” confessed my uncle, “but at least I’m alive. How many people can say that after being sat on by a four-thousand-pound elephant?”

  “Well, we sure are happy you’re going to be okay,” said Mr. Chisum. “Sunshine Zoo can’t survive without you.”

  “Well it’s going to have to,” said my uncle, “at least until I get back on my feet.”

  “But how will we run the zoo without you?” asked Ashley.

  He turned his head painfully to look at me. “That, my dear niece, is where you come into the picture.”

  “Huh?” I replied confused, as I looked into his bandaged face. “What do you mean?”

  He reached over and grabbed his safari hat from the nightstand next to his bed. He then placed it gently on my head and said, “You, Beverly, are now in charge.”


  “Me?” I couldn’t believe my ears.

  “Of course you,” said my uncle. “You’ve been all over the news today, rescuing the giraffe on the highway and the monkey on the train. Kid, Sunshine Zoo is a mess, no doubt about it. It’s going to take someone who is bold, courageous, and has the spirit to get it back up and running. You’re just what the zoo needs right now to get it back on track.”

  I tipped up the hat on my head and stood speechless.

  “Don’t worry, kid,” said Mr. Chisum. “I’ll be your right-hand man.”

  “And I’ll help too,” said Ashley. “Those animals have never been in better hands.”

  “Then it’s settled,” said my uncle. “Beverly Trail is the new head zookeeper. May Sunshine Zoo truly shine under her leadership!”

  Everybody’s eyes fell upon me—my uncle’s, Mr. Chisum’s, Ashley’s, and even a couple of nurses’. I smiled wryly and then said, “Sure, why not? We’ll make Sunshine Zoo the best zoo in the world. No doubt about it!”

  The adventure continues with Sunshine Zoo #2: A Hungry Bear

  Enjoy Chapter Zero

  Chapter Zero: Greystone Zoo

  Luke Longhorn stared down his head zookeeper with fury in his blue eyes. “Where are my corporate sponsors?” he yelled. “I need money, lots and lots of money!”

  His zookeeper, a man who bore many scars on his face and wore an eye patch, stood next to the door holding a clipboard. “There’s one here now, a Chad Peppercorn from Peppercorn Ice Cream. He’s waiting to speak with you in the lobby.”

  “Oh, Peppercorn Ice Cream is good stuff,” said Luke Longhorn as he sat down in his big chair behind his big desk. He quickly grabbed his safari hat and put it onto his neatly trimmed blond head. It bore the name Greystone Zoo on the front of it, along with a few corporate logos littered about. “Well, send him in, Greenwood; time is money you know, and money is all that matters.”

  While Greenwood disappeared through the doorway to retrieve Chad Peppercorn, Luke Longhorn took hold of a framed picture on his desk and looked it over. It showed him posing in Africa, holding up a lion cub he had just captured. “I sure wish my safari days weren’t over,” he sighed to himself. “Owning animals in a zoo just isn’t as much fun as hunting them in the wild.”

  “Sir,” said Greenwood, showing back up at the door with someone tagging along behind him. “This is Chad Peppercorn of Peppercorn Ice Cream.”

  A skinny kid, not much more than twenty years old, entered the room. He held a big grin on his face which sat in the shadow of a hat which was shaped like an upside down strawberry ice cream cone.

  Luke Longhorn sighed in disappointment at the sight of Chad Peppercorn. He would have rather seen an older man dressed in a suite, preferably with dollar bills sticking out of his pockets. “Well, come on in Mr. Peppercorn and take a seat.”

  “Please, Sir, just call me Chad. Mr. Peppercorn sounds too formal to me.”

  “Fine, Chad, take a seat.”

  Chad quickly did so. The two men were quite the opposite of each other. Where Chad was young and skinny, Luke Longhorn was older and quite muscular.

  “So, Chad what do you have for me?” asked Luke Longhorn. “Do you want to buy a billboard in the zoo; plaster the name Peppercorn Ice Cream right above the penguin pool, I suppose?”

  “Actually, Sir, I was hoping I could open an ice cream stand here at Greystone Zoo. I could sell Peppercorn Ice Cream along with a few other items like hot dogs and potato chips.”

  “We already sell ice cream,” said Luke Longhorn, who began to tap his large fingers loudly upon his desk. He then took in a breath to calm himself and continued. “But, I’m a nice guy and I’m willing to strike up a deal. What do you say I let you open up your ice cream stand on a trial basis? Say, if after ten years, if it’s doing well, then I’ll let you keep some of the profit.”

  Chad’s ice cream cone shaped hat began to slide slowly down the side of his head, almost as if it were melting. He quickly straightened it up and then said, “That’s not exactly what I had in mind.”

  Luke Longhorn dimmed his eyes. “Well, what exactly did you have in mind?”

  “Twenty-Five percent of the profit.”

  Both Luke Longhorn and Greenwood began to laugh.

  “And…” said Chad, interrupting the two men’s laughter. “I would like to put a Peppercorn Ice Cream patch on every workers outfit. In exchange for the advertisement I would provide uniforms free of charge.”

  Both Luke Longhorn and Greenwood began to laugh harder. Luke Longhorn pointed down to the many corporate patches that already littered his shirt and said, “Kid, do you see all these dozens of patches I already have? These are from real companies who have donated real money to the zoo and asked for nothing more than advertisement.”

  “I see,” said Chad with a sigh as he stood up. “Well, I guess I’m just wasting my time.”

  “Oh, no, no, no,” said Luke Longhorn as he rose from his chair, walked over to Chad and began to walk him towards the door. “You, Chad, have not wasted your time…” Luke Longhorn lead him out the door, “…you have wasted mine!” Luke Longhorn slammed the door shut.

  “Young people,” laughed Greenwood. “They’re such dreamers.”

  Luke Longhorn walked back over to his desk and angrily pushed everything off of it. He then spun around and said, “Greenwood, I’m tired of having a second rate zoo where I have to beg corporations to make ends meet. I need the biggest zoo, the largest zoo, the zoo with the most visitors. I’m Luke Longhorn, for heaven sakes, I deserve the best.”

  “The problem, Sir,” said Greenwood, looking back down at his clipboard, “is that Greystone Zoo has no room to grow. We have enough money, yes. We have enough staff and enough food for the animals but we’ve simply run out of room.”

  “Then we need to find another zoo,” said Luke Longhorn, “a bigger zoo, a better zoo.”

  “Actually, Sir,” said Greenwood. “I do have an answer.” Greenwood pulled a flyer from his clipboard and handed it to Luke Longhorn.

  “What’s this?” asked Luke Longhorn, looking it over.

  “It’s a flyer from Sunshine Zoo,” said Greenwood. “Apparently about a week ago the owner got sat on by an elephant and is laid up in the hospital.”

  “You don’t say,” said Luke Longhorn turning up an evil grin.

  “Seems that he put his niece in charge of the zoo—made her head zookeeper, and here’s the kicker, she’s only ten years old.”

  “Is that right?” said Luke Longhorn, broadening his dastardly grin even wider.

  “She’s the one who sent out these flyers to other zoos in the area, asking for help. She says they are running out of food for the animals and are in urgent need for donations.”

  “Isn’t that a shame,” said Luke Longhorn, dimming his eyes. “Sunshine zoo must be in a whole heap of trouble.”

  “Seems to be,” said Greenwood.

  Luke Longhorn’s grin burst into a toothy smile. “If its help that they want, then help they shall get,” he said. “I’ll be more than happy to feed all those hungry animals for them, and with a ten year old girl running the show, I’ll be more than happy to take her zoo away.”