Zoo Read Online Free PDF Page A

ever so slightly. “How long are you going to sit up
there and gawk, love? You know staring is not very becoming for a
young lady. You must announce yourself. It’s only polite.” She sat
up straight in her chair and shifted a little to have a better look
at me.
    I blushed with embarrassment. “Sorry, Ms.
Derby.” My mother taught me to always say Ms., Mrs., or Mr. when
addressing my elders. When I asked my Mom why I never heard kids on
TV saying it, she said, “It’s a southern thing, Emma. Those Yankees
don’t know any better.” That always got a good eye roll from me.
Even though some of her remarks were ridiculous and unfounded
stereotypes, I missed them all the same. I hadn’t even been gone
for a full week at that point.
    “ Call me Auntie Josephine,
child.”
    “ Okay. Auntie Josephine.”
It felt odd calling her that, but she was so sweet, I couldn’t go
against her wishes.
    “ Now tell me, where do you
come from?”
    I told her my name and how old I was. I told
her about my accident and how crappy I thought our enclosure was
compared to hers. I kept talking and talking, and she listened
without interrupting me once. So I kept on talking, and then, I was
crying about being stuck in a zoo, about missing out on my life,
and about never being able to fall in love. I don’t know why I told
her so much, but it felt good.
    When I finished, she told me her story.
“I’ve been here for 49 years. Sometimes, I can hardly believe it. I
barely remember England. I was so young.” Her face was so full of
compassion for me and something else as she reflected on her own
life. “I was born into a wealthy family in London in 1831. We lived
on a large estate, and I got everything I ever wanted. My favorite
thing to do was to go to the opera. I loved the gowns and sitting
in our private box . . . ” She drifted off in thought for a moment
before continuing. “Right after I turned 16, I got very ill. There
was a small cholera outbreak. I caught it when I was helping my
mother volunteer as a nursemaid for the church.”
    “ That’s terrible,” I
whispered.
    “ I was brought here. I
tried to run away like everyone does, but it was no use. After a
year, they brought a companion for me. His name was Edward. We fell
in love, and he lived here with me for 26 years before he killed
himself. He slit his wrists with one of my hair pins.” Josephine
pulled a tissue from her cleavage and lightly dabbed her eyes. “I
loved him and he loved me, but it was never enough. He went mad.
I’ll never forget that day.” She sniffed and straightened up in her
seat. Then she plastered an insincere smirk across her thinning
lips and said, “Scared the knickers off the park visitors that
day.”
    “ Wow, I’m so sorry.” That
had to have been one of the saddest stories I’d ever heard. How she
had stayed sane was beyond me.
    “ Never you mind. That was
ages ago and the show must go on. So if you’ll excuse me, I must
get ready for my performance. Singing frees the soul, you know?”
Auntie Josephine shimmied over to her dressing room and closed the
door behind her.
    I took my cue and made my way back down to
the grassy floor of our enclosure. I couldn’t help but think angry
thoughts as hordes of people were looking into our tiny world. What
happened to Auntie Josephine and Edward was because of them. I
wanted to break their ugly pointing fingers right off their hands
and poke them in their spying eyes.
    Did I mention that I was angry?

MY SECOND ESCAPE ATTEMPT
     
    The time had finally come.
It was Sunday and the Keepers were coming soon. I had dreamt about
the moment all week. There were a million questions I didn’t have
answers to: Could this be the day that I
gain my freedom? Could I fit in amongst the people out there? Where
will I go? What will I do? How will I live on my own?
    After we filled our bellies with apples and
fish for breakfast—courtesy of Janice—we grabbed our weapons and
looked for the perfect hiding