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The line at the zoo entrance was annoyingly long. Miorine found herself feeling on edge as the line seemed to be moving at a snail’s speed for what felt like thirty minutes now. The biggest saving grace was how excited Suletta seemed to be about the whole thing, they hadn’t visited a zoo before, and Suletta had a fascination with the various animals of Earth that she had never seen in person before.
Another factor that helped was that Suletta and Miorine rarely ran out of subjects to talk about, which made the time go by faster. They’d spent most of the time talking about various aspects of work and plans they had about decorating the house, as well as future vacations they wanted to take. Still, something about waiting in line caused Miorine’s frustrations to rise.
“How long does it take to pay for tickets?” Miorine scoffed. “Am I missing something, or are people just purposely taking longer than they should be?”
“We’re almost there,” Suletta said while putting her arm around Miorine, which somehow worked to put her more at ease - it almost always worked to put her at ease.
Once they had finally purchased their tickets and made their way beyond the revolving gates, Suletta gasped and began running forward across the stone walkway towards the central area, “it’s so beautiful!”
Possibly remembering that Miorine did not have the same level of stamina as Suletta had, and that Miorine wasn’t going to survive the trip if they ran at full speed from exhibit to exhibit, Suletta brought herself to a stop and reached her hand out to Miorine. “Where should we go first?” Suletta asked. They both glanced up at the path sign that pointed in several directions. “It looks like we can go see the aquatic animals, tropical animals, desert animals, or arctic animals.”
“Hmm, maybe we start from left to right?” Miorine posited. It would save them a lot of time if they just chose an area and went for it.
“Okay, so that leads us to the tropical animals first,” Suletta said. “And here’s a map! It says we’re right here, so if we follow path 4 to path 8, we’ll loop back around to the next leftmost section.”
“Here’s path 4,” Miorine said, pointing a few steps beyond them.
“Let’s go!” Suletta said, as they followed the aforementioned pathway. The first animal they saw was a capybara, as mentioned on a small signpost positioned in front of the gate. “Wow, they even have a little description here about them. It says capybaras are avid swimmers. They complete most of their actions while swimming. Like eating, diving underwater, and even sleeping. The way their faces are structured allows them to remain largely submerged underwater, with only the tips of their heads staying above it.”
“Makes sense,” Miorine said. “If you look at their eyes and nose, they’re located flat across the top of their heads.”
“I see it!” Suletta squealed.
They glanced at the four capybaras resting along the rocks beside the large pond in the middle of the exhibit. One got up suddenly and made it’s way over to the edge of the rock -
“That one is about to jump!” Suletta said, and sure enough, the small capybara dove into the pond, popping up from under the water a few feet away. Suletta clapped and Miorine shook her head in amusement, she would never grow tired of Suletta’s excitement over little things.
“We’re not from Earth,” Miorine explained, as a bystander walked by looking confused by the heightened reactions. Miorine pulled out her phone and held it up to reveal Suletta and Miorine’s faces staring into the lens, the small resting capybaras just visible behind them. Noticing this, Suletta immediately defaulted to trying out various poses. Miorine chuckled softly, “ you dork .”
“Mom will love these,” Suletta mused, once they had finished capturing several photos.
“Alright, goofball,” Miorine said, “let’s see what else is here.”
Up next were aardvarks, river hogs, and buffalos - all of which Miorine and Suletta happily read the factoids about and continued to fill Miorine’s phone with photo memories. Miorine had expected she would enjoy the trip, but she hadn’t expected she would enjoy it this much. Suletta seemed to have that effect on just about any event - her joy was infectious.
“Okay, here is the bird exhibit,” Suletta read aloud, as they made their way to a large building. They walked inside the open area, with a large net resting above their heads, and glass covering the side. Some birds flew around the net, while others remained behind the glass barrier, and others still switched between both locations. There was a soft trace of music surrounding them as they observed the various birds in the exhibit.
“That one, the one called a cockatoo, it looks familiar for some reason - “ Suletta said, cocking her head a little to examine the bird that was resting on a branch and looking over at Suletta and Miorione through the glass. “I don’t know why. Anyway, I think it’s my favorite!”
The bird blinked at them.
“I don’t know what you mean by familiar, but it does have an attractive quality to it,” Miorine agreed. “Huh. Interesting.”
Miorine glanced at the paragraph of information about the bird, while Suletta had already started reading aloud -
“Affectionately referred to as ‘velcro birds’, cockatoos thrive on being with their companions. Despite their small size, they are determined and spirited animals. Their beauty is also a strong quality they hold. Quick, let’s get a picture before it moves away,” Suletta said, as Miorine pulled out her phone. “There let’s keep it right in the middle of us. Perfect!”
Miorine snapped the photo just before the cockatoo had flown away. They continued on to learn about the other birds surrounding them. Once they had made it past the bird exhibit, they were onto the monkey exhibit, which looked to have the most aesthetically pleasing entrance thus far, complete with wood carvings of monkeys next to the engraved sign above them. Miorine wondered if the extra effort was placed into this exhibit because monkeys were so popular on Earth, and it was likely considered one of the major attractions of the zoo.
With all of that in mind, Miorine had expected a bit of disappointment when she walked inside, but it didn’t come. The monkeys were among the liveliest of the zoo animals, alternating between swinging on jungle gyms, eating food, and picking bugs off of eachother. One particularly large gorilla was even perched right in front of the glass, lifting itself onto it’s large arms occasionally and eating casually, as if there wasn’t a group of interested tourists watching it’s every move.
Miorine turned to see Suletta mimicking the monkey’s poses, a few onlookers laughed, including Miorine, while others turned their noses up and sped up to get past them.
“Hey look, mommy,” one kid said, tugging on his mom’s shirt, “that lady is acting just like the monkey.”
Miorine snapped a photo of Suletta, who didn’t notice Miorine until a few seconds later, when she waved and returned to Miorine’s side.
“Having fun?” Miorine teased.
“Oh yeah,” Suletta said. “Monkeys are very silly creatures. What is that one called? They move very quickly.”
Miorine walked along the stands of information, coming across one that matched the appearance of the monkey Suletta was pointing to. “Spider monkeys. It says here they are named after spiders, because they move like them. They use their tails for multiple purposes, including hanging from objects and hugging their friends. They also like to drop waste under where they sleep to act as nutrients for soil beneath them.”
Suletta’s eyes widened as she joined Miorine’s side again. “Really? It says that? Although, I guess they do have to poop just like any other animal does.”
“As long as you yourself don’t plan on stepping in their sleeping quarters, it’s not such a bad thing. The nutrients are quite helpful to the Earth,” Miorine said, poking Suletta in the side, who laughed.
“You have a point there. Hey, that’s interesting too…it says they don’t have any thumbs?” She held up her own hand, as if imagining the scenario. “How strange.”
“Yeah, I see that,” Miorine said, glancing over at the monkey that was now jumping from one tree limb to the next, “I wonder how they pick the berries and nuts they eat. Apparently, that is their primary source of food.”
“Maybe they curl their hands up like this,” Suletta said, demonstrating the movement herself as Miorine couldn’t help but laugh when she began to pretend to eat with her hands bent at the most awkward of positions.
“You might be onto something. Come on, let’s check out the next exhibit.” They made their way to the reptile exhibit. “Be prepared, these aren’t supposed to be as cuddly and friendly as the other animals we’ve seen.”
“Oh, I’m sure they’re fi - ahhhhhAHHHH - “ Suletta jumped back as the first snake they encountered rose up and hissed at them, it’s tail shaking behind it.
“Don’t worry - it’s behind the glass. It can’t come after you,” Miorine said.
“Still, it’s scary,” Suletta said, moving her hand from protectively shielding Miorine’s body back to Miorine’s hand.
“Well, I told you these would be a little more intimidating,” Miorine said as they walked to the next snake, which was curled in the center of the enclosure. She made sure the teasing tone of voice was getting through, “but you didn’t listen, did you?”
“I should know by now that you’re always right,” Suletta said, clearly enjoying the banter.
“Yes you should,” Miorine said as they made their way to what appeared to be the next set of snakes.
Several minutes later and they found what appeared to be the final animal in the tropical section of the zoo. A Japanese racoon dog known as a tanuki. Miorine glanced at the picture - which for some reason had a striking resemblance to Suletta. Suletta turned her head when Miorine suddenly began to laugh.
“What?” Suletta asked. “What’s so funny?”
“This animal looks just like you, with it’s little fluff of hair pointing out, and it’s big eyes staring innocently. Wow, to think we would see an animal that looks so much like you here.”
“You really think so?” Suletta asked, glancing at Miorine with the same doe-eyed expression as the racoon dog in the painting.
“Alright, let’s find out more information. Japenese racoon dogs. They remain invariably loyal to their partner and love to be in close proximity with them, often snuggling for comfort, and can be considered quite social creatures, though they often keep their social group small, and sometimes they can be said to be mischievous on occasion. See, sounds just like you,” Miorine said with a smile. “The cockatoo may be your favorite, but this animal is definitely mine.”
“Aww, I am very happy to hear that,” Suletta said.
After they had finished viewing all of the tropical animals at the zoo, they came across a small train. Suletta glanced at Miorine, “Maybe we should pay for a ride. It says the train takes you to the aquatic animals and gives you a small tour on the way. If we did that,” Suletta looked at the map, “we could take the train to the desert animals after we get there. It only costs five dollars to ride the whole day. Plus, it sounds like fun.”
“I’m sold,” Miorine said, and they made their way over to the metal line that weaved around like a maze, there was nobody in line now, as the train was getting ready to depart, something Miorine was relieved about as she’d already gotten her fill of waiting in lines for the day.
“Taking the train?” the conductor asked.
“Yes sir,” Suletta said, as Miorine and Suletta handed him the money and took the last available seat section.
“All aboard the Animal Express,” the conductor announced through the speakers located on the ceiling of the small open-sided train. “Through this journey, we will come across elephants, zebras, snow leopards, and giraffes. Don’t forget to stop by the elephant ride and giraffe feeding exhibits before you leave today.”
Miorine and Suletta exchanged glances, they would have to make a special stop for those exhibits.
It was nice that they had the entire row to themselves. The row was quite large, so Miorine wondered if they had arrived at a different time they would’ve been forced to pack in beside a number of people. This was much better, Miorine and Suletta were able to snuggle as they had the room to spread out more.
After a moment, the train suddenly jerked forward, though the movement felt smooth.
“Woah - that scared me a little,” Suletta said.
“Look over there - “ Miorine urged, as they passed the large line of trees that had been blocking their view just seconds before. It was a wide open range, closed off only by a small fence so the train and animals were divided from one another. “Zebras, I think.”
“You would be correct,” a man said, turning around to face them.
The woman sitting next to him turned around too. “You must be one of those tourists from that other planet, the one that opened up free transportation through space, and gave Earth all kinds of resources.”
“We are. I’m from Mercury, and my wife Miorine is from the planet where the school of Asticassia is located at. That’s the school that provided part of the funding for the whole endeavor. In fact, Miorine is the one that made it all possible.”
Miorine felt her cheeks warming up from embarrassment, “well, I wouldn’t go that far, there were a lot of people involved - “
“Miorine’s always selling herself short, she was the driving force behind the change. She likes to be humble, but the truth is she has done so much,” Suletta said proudly.
“How wonderful! My husband and I are always talking about how happy we are that something like that happened during our lifetime. You, young lady, should be proud. Don’t be afraid to brag about your achievements, especially one that has helped so many pepole.”
Miorine smiled, “thank you. Hearing that means a lot.”
Suletta gave Miorine a small squeeze and they spent the rest of the ride watching as various animals were brought into view, listening to the fun facts shared by the conductor and making their own comments. After the ride was over, they took a break to eat lunch. Miorine couldn’t believe how overpriced the meal had been. She’d almost decided against eating at all, until she heard Suletta’s stomach grumble and knowing how she needed to eat a lot more than Miorine to sustain herself for the day, she couldn’t forgo it.
After eating their meals, they’d made sure to stop at the giraffe exhibit and were given the chance to feed them food bits that had been pressed together into a large square. Suletta had a difficult time getting over just how green and bumpy the giraffes tongues had looked. It had given Miorine an uncomfortable feeling when she thought about feeding them herself though.
“Come on, they don’t bite, and look how long their tongues are!” Suletta said. She passed the feed over to Miorine, who shook her head.
“That’s alright, it was enough watching you do it,” Miorine said.
“Give it a try,” Suletta said. “It’s not as gross as it looks, I swear. You’ll enjoy it.”
“Fine, I guess I can try,” Miorine said, grabbing the food from Suletta’s hand. The giraffe slowly wandered towards her, then rolled out its tongue. She placed the food onto its mouth and was surprised to find the giraffes tongue wasn’t sticky and gross, in fact, it hadn’t really felt like much of anything as it only grazed her fingers.
“See, that wasn’t so bad,” Suletta said.
“No, I suppose it wasn’t,” Miorine agreed. For some odd reason, she had enjoyed it. “I guess I’m not the only one who needs to start listening to someone more.”
Next, they arrived at the elephant rides. The elephants looked even taller up close, but the ride itself looked plenty safe, as each rider was seated on a long chair-like saddle with handles on the sides to keep people from falling off.
Suletta smiled at Miorine, who smiled back, as they waited for the ride to start. Then suddenly, they were pulled forward, jostling a little to the side every few steps.
“This is so fun!” Suletta said. Just then, the elephant took a large step over something and raised its trunk upwards. “Woah - “
Suletta and Miorine had both hugged the side of the railing and blocked one another from falling out. The ride became even wilder when they came across a large pool of water, in which the elephant dove its trunk down and then, as the guide had warned ahead of time, they were drenched in water. Not Miorine’s favorite feeling in the world, though they both laughed about the situation anyway.
Luckily, the workers had also provided towels before the trip, so they weren’t dripping wet the entire time and had been able to warm up a little too.
Once the ride was finished, they explored the remainder of the zoo exhibits, which had begun to light up as the sky darkened.
“There’s still an hour before closing time, want to check out the gift shop?” Suletta asked as they neared the exit.
“Sure, why not?” Miorine said, following Suletta inside. The shop was filled with just about anything someone could imagine buying that was animal related. Miorine was sure she would have loved visiting the shop as a child -
“Oooh - I have to get one!” Suletta said at once, stopping in front of a stuffed animal cockatoo.
“Where will we put it?” Miorine asked. She didn’t want to quell Suletta’s excitement, but sometimes she had to step in when Suletta was ready to throw their money at anything, it was the only reason they still had money in their savings account. Her stipulation was that if Suletta could posit a good enough argument for something that felt frivolous to Miorine, then they could buy it, otherwise it was probably best kept on the shelf in the store.
“How about in the bedroom? We could put it on the top shelf of the closet…”
Miorine could tell Suletta was trying to hide how much she wanted the stuffed animal, it was one of Miorine’s weaknesses, and it wasn’t the most frivolous purchase, especially when it was a souvenir of the day’s outing and was going to make Suletta happy.
“Alright, well if you’re buying one. I might as well too,” Miorine said, grabbing the Japanese raccoon dog plushie a few rows down. “It would be hard to resist something that reminds me so much of you,” which put a large smile on Suletta’s face.
“Today was a good day,” Suletta said suddenly as they walked out of the gift shop upon purchasing their new items.
“Today was a
great
day,” Miorine mused. It had all been as close to perfect as a day could be.