𝘀𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘀. owen grady

⟩ 6

Petting Zoo⤵

''There we go.'' 

Grunting, I rose from my kneeled position. Knees aching for being in such a place for so long. My ankles popped as I stood. Looking down, I sighed, wiping my hands off with a spare rag I had tucked into a spare pocket. 

The Brachiosaurus stood with a call, nervously moving about in the cramped space. Moving over, I unlatched the gate and allowed the animal to return back to the main area, along with its buddies. 

Kids had screamed in excitement at the return of Bubbly. The baby Brachiosaurus I had previously been working on, also one of the fan favorites. Bubbly was fond with the children, continuously being happy and allowing rides with the young ones. 

I watched as kids pestered their parents about getting rides on the baby dinos, slouching myself against the wall. The cold stone hitting the skin of my back through the thin jacket over my shirt. A simple faded brown flannel over a white shirt. Perfect for living on a dino island. 

My eyelids had fallen. I wished to fall back asleep. After being woken by Masrani at an ungodly hour, I was sent to the Petting Zoo to take a look at Bubbly. Apparently, she hadn't been eating. Nobody knew why and Masrani instantly put me up for volunteer. He added that he'd like for me to get around the park some more. 

I haven't been anywhere besides the side road leading to my bungalow. With the hefty amount of food stacked in the fridge, I wouldn't need to go anywhere for a while. Hand-washed clothes came out more comfortable than if one were to use machines. The current outfit I was wearing was sleep worthy, thanks to hand-washing.

With a propped leg, I draped my arm across my knee. Nothing had been significantly wrong with Bubbly, just a simple stopper on eating because her food was different. She felt that the leaves, berries and other plants used before were more nutritious for her than the newer ones. 

At the sound of footsteps, I opened my eyes again, lifting my head from the wall behind me. From around the corner, a lady had made herself shown. Dressed in a beige jacket with the sleeves rolled up to her shoulders and slacks of the same color. Boots marked her feet, clean with little to no stain in sight. 

''Oh!'' She smiled. Her ginger braid bobbed against her shoulder. ''There you are! I just wanted to thank you for Bubbly.'' Throwing a thumb over her shoulder, she dropped her hands. ''Masrani was right. You do have a way with these creatures. What do you do?'' She leaned against the wall, shoulder pressed tightly against stone. ''Read their minds?''

No, I don't read their minds. And I don't read the minds of others, either. Far from it. Simply, I observe. Much like the animals at the Safari Park, the animals here weren't much different in emotions and eating orders. It was a simple knowledge of schedule and everyday things for these creatures. 

I smiled. ''If I did, I could tell you the thoughts of a T-Rex.'' 

She laughed in return.  With a short nod, she pushed herself off the wall. ''I'm sure Bubbly is waiting on those berries. Good job, Miss Stone.''

Kimberly left the room. Her name tag almost blinded me when she walked in. 

If Masrani had told me that he'd put me up to something like this, I would've opted to volunteer for a different time of day. Waking up at 5:30 to be working for two hours on nothing but pure adrenaline, didn't seem the most efficient way of waking up. Or working, for that matter. Bubbly had been there to wake me again when I started falling asleep on her. 

I leaned back, enjoying the ecstasy of the chilly wall hitting my back. The thin layers of clothing that I helplessly threw on at five in the morning didn't do much to protect it. I started to fall asleep again, getting used to the chills running down my arms and embracing them like a blanket.