Listen to Zoo - read by the author

 

They're closing down the zoo due to poor visitor numbers. Jon's devastated. He loves the zoo. Always has. Ever since we were children. He's called three times already with ideas about how to save it from closing. Four, actually, including the initial, stuttering, outraged narration of the article in the evening paper.

It's almost midnight and Jon calls again. A different idea this time. Cathy passes me the phone and mouths that she's going up to bed.

'What about pandas?' Jon says. 'People love pandas. They could put on a panda show called Pandamonium.'

'Why not?' I reply.

Jon makes a noise of surprise. He was obviously expecting me to try and talk him out of it. But it's late and I'm tired and I want to be upstairs with Cathy.

'Give them a call,' I say.

'I will,' says Jon. 'First thing tomorrow.'

'The early bird catches the worm,' I say.

'Damn right,' says Jon.

He hangs up without saying goodbye, like he always does. He seems happy now at least.

Pandamonium. What will they say? Probably nothing. They'll think he's mad and put the phone down. What do they know?

Anyway, it's better than Flamingo Bingo.

Don't ask.

 

© Andrew Michael Hurley 2008