You hear peacocks screaming at all hours. The zoo has no peacocks.
There are three identical animals standing next to each other. None of them are taller or shorter than the other. The guests will still know which one is the mommy, the daddy, and the baby.
The food in the break area seems to be donuts, leftover bags of chips, and half-eaten birthday cake all at once. There has never not been food on the table.
The bruises on your legs appear even if you are standing completely still. The cuts on your hands appear underneath the heaviest gloves. You can never find the band-aids.
No one remembers what an un-kinked, neatly rolled hose looks like. It is believed to be just a fairy tale.
Every time you begin to wash them, a new dish appears. There is always one more dish.
The zoo review says that your animals are asleep, dead, pacing, and invisible all at once.
An animal is standing in its pool. The guests ask you why it has no water.
You no longer remember what you’re supposed to call the area where your animal lives. The wind whispers a new name each day.
You ask a guest not to smoke. As you turn around, 10 more have lit cigarettes in his place.
Even in your deadest sleep, you hear the echo of banging on glass. The nightmares may never cease.
Hello you hear. The zoo isn’t open and no one is around. Hello you hear. None of the birds around you talk.
The young girl with the red raincoat goes missing every tuesday. Have you seen her? It hasn’t rained in weeks.
Where are the penguins they ask. What happened to the penguins they ask. The zoo has never had penguins.
You are guiding guests to the exit during closing time. Out of your eye you see a couple turn the corner. When you turn to find them it is a dead end and they are gone.
Your keys open every door in your area except one. No one goes there. Behind the door you hear laughter.
One keeper has been there since the zoo first opened. They care for the animals no longer there.
The children are quiet as they get off the train ride. What did they see. What do they know.
Zoo Gothic
Published
konekorambles 