z

Young Writers Society


Escape From Alphabet Zoo



User avatar
440 Reviews



Gender: Female
Points: 6836
Reviews: 440
Wed Nov 25, 2015 4:15 am
View Likes
Wolfi says...



Escape From Alphabet Zoo™

Image

The Founding of the Zoo
Doctor Abcde Wxyz is a wealthy man. You know who he is, I’m sure, so unless you live under a rock you don’t need me to pronounce his name for you.
Spoiler! :
Greetings, rock-dweller. Abcde Wxyz is pronounced as so: [AB•sid WICKS]. Don't you dare make me spell out his middle name. Ask Siri.

You know him as the guy that successfully brought back the Saber-tooth Tiger, the Dodo bird, the Zanzibar Leopard, and the Wooly Rhino from extinction, among other animals. Everyone suspects he has baby dinosaurs hidden somewhere, too. But that’s all old news. Since then, his team of scientists have also developed genetic-altering technology with astounding results.

His most popular invention is the PigmaPet™ technology. Wouldn’t you like to dress up your dog for Halloween, but avoid the tacky fabric that Fido despises? Just mix the appropriate PigmaPills™ into your dog or cat’s kibble, and you’ll instantly start to see your dog’s fur change color. There’s the PigmaSafari Pack,™ featuring tiger stripes, zebra stripes, leopard spots, or pink flamingo feathers. The PigmaSuper Pack™ offers countless superhero costumes, and the exclusive PigmaGlow™ makes your pet glow in the dark. The effects are temporary, of course, and completely harmless. In the next few months, Dr. Wxyz’s team will be releasing PigmaScale,™ for aquarium fish and certain reptiles, and bird owners are eager for the release of PigmaWing™ next year. Nothing has been patented for humans just yet, but it’s only a matter of time.

Even with these incredible successes, Dr. Wxyz is still hunting for new ways to expand his company. Preferably, he wanted to do something with both animals and the alphabet (it’s a well-known fact that Dr. Wxyz adores those twenty-six letters that run in his blood), but he had no idea what that something was. That is, until his four-year-old daughter Lmno brought him a crayon drawing of a zebra with the Starbucks insignia scrawled on its flank.

“Daddy?” Lmno had said, pouting with bright red lips. “Don’t you like it?”

Her father gently laid the zebra drawing on his desk and wiped his forehead. “My dear girl,” he said. “This is brilliant!”

How hadn’t he thought of it before? At first, he simply felt foolish that it hadn’t crossed his mind. His technology could do anything, anything! He could use PigmaPills™ to advertise McDonald’s golden arches on an elephant’s skin. What about the alphabet? Perhaps he could use alliteration, like an elephant advertising eBay! Or a dodo bird for Dell Taco!

“My little lemon,” Dr. Wxyz crooned, lifting his daughter into his arms. “Would you like to have an Alphabet Zoo?”

“We already have a zoo in our backyard, Daddy.”

“Yes, yes, but that’s not an Alphabet Zoo. That’s just a zoo.” He swept his hand across the room like a paintbrush. “Imagine, Lmno! A penguin for Pepsi, a zebra for Zale’s, and a saber-toothed tiger for Subway! Twenty-six of them, with the sponsor cash pouring in! Companies like Geico that already have animal mascots wouldn’t need them, of course, but imagine how many would!” He sat his daughter down at his desk and pranced around the room, gesticulating wildly. “A saber-tooth tiger exhibit, the Subway sandwich insignia glowing on its fur, soon to be the star of commercials and billboards and t-shirts and coffee mugs and snow globes! Tourists begin flocking to our zoo, eager to pay money to see the real thing! Companies like Subway would pay fortunes!”

“I like Subway,” Lmno said.

Here’s where you come in.
Twenty-six animals and twenty-six company sponsors have funneled together into the basis of Dr. Wxyz’s Alphabet Zoo on Pigma Island, located one hundred and fifty miles off the coast of Hawaii, and you are one of those animals.

You wake up each morning, eat your food, and enjoy an hour of blissful peace and quiet as the PigmaPills™ settle into your system and the familiar tingle spreads across your skin. Then the park opens and you’re ushered into your exhibit. Through the glass you can see the the tourists and their flashing cameras. Sometimes men with bigger cameras come to take videos of you, paying particular attention to the annoying markings on your flank.

What’s wrong with that?
Several things, in fact!
1) Side effects: remember how we said that the PigmaPills™ are completely harmless? When used sparingly and on cats and dogs, they almost always are. But in this case, these various animals are being exposed to the same chemicals every single day, and to say the least, it’s not healthy. Different animals experience different problems. In Dr. Wxyz’s excitement, Alphabet Zoo was set up in a miraculously short time. Scientists had less time to perfect the PigmaPills™ as they’d like, especially because they are for such diverse creatures.
2) You can’t avoid taking the pills: otherwise, you’d go hungry. It’s the zookeepers’ number one job to make sure you eat those pills.
3) No drinking water during display time: in order to keep the Pigma™ colors as vibrant as possible, water is not allowed until night time, as it tends to dilute the color. Naturally, this will affect certain animals more than others.
4) The limelight: the excessive and relentless exposure to the world is certainly taxing, as you can imagine.
5) And overall: let’s be honest. You’re treated less as a living being and more as a walking advertisement. Dr. Wxyz, an animal lover, would have never expected it to turn out this way, but for the twenty-six unfortunate animals at Alphabet Zoo, nothing will change.

Unless you’re brave enough to fight the system.

Escape!
Depending on their personality, some animals may be perfectly content with living in the zoo. After all, they're practically celebrities. Otherwise, most would rather risk the chance to get out of there and avoid the pills and the tourists.

Cruise ships and supply cargoes arrive every morning and leave every evening, some to Hawaii and some to the mainland (the U.S.). When I make the map of the island, after having the list of different animals and knowing where they are, I’ll post it here and show which animals can have contact with one another and somewhat plan during nighttime. Generally, the zoo is in alphabetical order.

What will the animals do once they're free? Their Pigma™ colors will have worn off, for sure, but that's hardly a disguise. After the Alphabet Zoo explodes with news reports about their missing animals, anyone can put two and two together - that zebra wandering around the park probably didn't escape from any old zoo. It's up to these animals to hide as well as they can until they can be reunited with their kind if they want their freedom forever. Being free from the exhibit bars is one thing. In the real world, it's an entirely new challenge.

Character Slots
As you can see, all characters have been filled in by now, and the unclaimed letters have been set as NPCs. However, those who still would like to join certainly may. Just let me know which NPC character you'd like, and I'll reserve it for you. If you're new to storybooking, this is a great one to begin with!
Spoiler! :
ZOO ANIMALS:

Allstate the Anteater (NPC)
Bank of America the Bobcat (@Steggy)
Converse the Caracal (@TheFantasy14)
Domino the Dodo Bird (NPC)
Ebay the Emu (NPC)
FedEx the Fossa (NPC)
Gillette the Giraffe (NPC)
Hallmark the Hammerhead shark (NPC)
Intel the Impala (NPC)
Jack in the Box the Jellyfish (NPC)
KFC the Kingfisher (@Wolfie36)
Leapfrog the Lion (@Pretzelstick)
McAfee the Mongoose (NPC)
•Nintendo the Nabarlek (Reserved for @TheIllusiveIntellect)
Oakley the Okapi (NPC)
Pepsi the Python (@caliginous)
QVC the Quail (NPC)
Rosebella the Red Panda (@Justlittleoleme2)
Spotify the Smilodon (@Wolfie36)
Target the Tapir (@Steggy)
Uber the Umbrellabird (NPC)
Verizon the Vulture (NPC)
Walgreens the Wooly Mammoth (NPC)
Xerox the Xenurine (@TheIllusiveIntellect)
Yahoo the Yak (NPC)
•Zale the Zorse (Reserved for @Cynder)


Character profile:
Remember, the company name and your animal species must begin with the same letter!
Code: Select all
[b]Name/Company Sponsor:[/b] (The name of the company is the official name of your character.)
[b]Animal Species:[/b] (can be an extinct animal, just be sure to check with me first)
[b]Appearance:[/b] (how is the company advertised on your animal? Describe the design)
[b]Personality:[/b]
[b]Reason they want to escape - or don’t:[/b]
[b]Strengths:[/b]
[b]Weaknesses:[/b] (any side effects from the pill?)
[b]Description of their exhibit:[/b]


Questions? Interested in joining? Head over to the DT!
Last edited by Wolfi on Wed Jan 13, 2016 12:12 am, edited 4 times in total.
John 14:27:
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.
I do not give to you as the world gives.
Do not let your hearts be troubled
and do not be afraid.





User avatar
440 Reviews



Gender: Female
Points: 6836
Reviews: 440
Sun Dec 20, 2015 7:17 pm
View Likes
Wolfi says...



KFC the Kingfisher
KFC didn't feel hungry that morning. For whatever reason, her gizzard hurt. Maybe it was because she had just watched Leapfrog the Lion transform into his usual rainbow coat. Just like every morning, his agonized roars were still echoing in her ears.

In the pond below she could see flashes of a dozen silver fish as they darted back and forth in the water. Tantalizingly. Daringly. Eat me, they said. Before she realized what she was doing, KFC was leaning forward on her perch, instinctively tensing her tiny muscles to leap off the branch and dive into the water, anticipating the little silver fish wiggling in her beak and sill squirming as they slid down her throat to her gizzard.

As if on cue, her gizzard bubbled in discomfort. Bleah. That's right, she reminded herself, I don't feel like eating. She straightened herself back up on her perch, and turned again to look over at Leapfrog. The poor guy had collapsed in the tropical sunshine, moaning out loud. For yet another day, the horrid Colors had taken over his fur and shattered his strong spirit. KFC spread her own wings in front of her, satisfied that her speckled aqua blue plumage was still there. She didn't even feel the tingling that always came with the arrival of the Colors as hues of disgusting red and white seeped along her feathers. The sun was well above the horizon, so what was the deal? Where were the filthy Colors? Were they gone forever?

At the thought of such an idea, KFC unfurled her wings and dropped from her perch, chirping excitedly. Leapfrog and Intel the Impala both perked up when they heard her. Intel wandered to the edge of her exhibit and cocked her head. 

"No Colors!" KFC screeched loudly and happily in reply.

"Yet," Leapfrog growled.

KFC immediately returned to her perch and shot him an impervious glare. "While we're waiting for a chance to escape this zoo, there's no use moping around. Have hope, comrades!"

To her dismay, Leapfrog only seemed more distressed. He dropped his massive head to his paws, the white smears below his eyes gleaming with tears.

KFC shuddered. Poor guy... This has got to end. We must find a way -

KFC was startled by the nearby voices of Two Legs. Three of them had climbed the ladder to the top of her dome, and one was pointing at her and gesticulating angrily. "Why hasn't this one changed?" he was saying. "Hasn't it eaten the pills?"

Timothy, as KFC knew him, sheepishly fingered the buttons on his white KFC safari polo with one hand and readjusted his red KFC safari hat - complete with feathers - with the other. She heard him mumble in reply with something about "fish" and "not hungry." 

KFC's eyes narrowed. These stupid, stupid Two Legs. What in the name of the Great Horned Owl was Timothy talking about? They didn't seem to mind that the king of the jungle next door had white smears under his eyes. That was fine. Apparently what wasn't fine was that KFC wasn't all red and white. 

KFC's tiny heart boiled with anger. The third Two-Leg was leading the others back down the ladder now, and for a moment KFC was hopeful. But then she saw that they were on their way to the back door of the exhibit, and weren't done with her yet. Unlike the others the third Two Leg was holding something long and tubular... what was that?

"Kentucky!" Intel squeaked. "It's the dart! Be careful!"

The dart? KFC's mind swirled. The dart had bitten her once before, stinging her in the shoulder and then using its venom to numb her body. When she had woken up after the dart, it had been the first time the Colors had come to her feathers. 

"No!" she cried, her voice shrill and defiant. "I won't let them come back!" She saw her aqua blue and orange feathers out of the corner of her eye, and in a surge of pride and anger she dove from her perch, straight towards the back door. 

Just in time, the door parted to permit her exit as the startled Two Leg dart-wielder stepped through. She thought then she was free - not quite. 

She was stuck inside a transition cage. The Two Legs had added it in case she escaped the large exhibit, it seemed. She fluttered around madly in the tiny space, throwing her body against the second door. If only, if only... Freedom was so close!

Then all at once, both doors opened. Frantically, KFC dived for the second door, but already it was swiftly closed. Now there were two Two Legs in the tiny space, and one crazy bird. 

"Can you grab her or something?" the Dart-Two Leg was saying. 

"No," Timothy said. "Open your door. Get her back inside!"

The Dart-Two Leg did as he was told, but KFC didn't take the bait. The Two Leg even moved himself away from the open door to admit her passage. "Not by the grace of the Great Horned Owl!" KFC cried. 

"Just try to dart her," Timothy said after several minutes. 

"Are you crazy? She's moving every which way! Most likely it'll stick you."

"Would it be that bad? Isn't it just enough tranquilizer for a tiny bird?"

"I don't like this, Tim."

Timothy readjusted his KFC safari hat and put on a brave face. His hand touched the door handle behind him as if he was trying to reassure himself. "Go on. You have to try. I can't move, and neither will she."

They're still going to dart me! KFC realized. 

The Two Leg with the dart started adjusting a few knobs on the dart. "I don't like this at all..."

KFC was getting very tired, but she deliberately maintained her crazy-eight flight pattern in the air. 

"Are you ready, Tim?"

Timothy puffed out his chest. "I'm ready."

The Dart-Two Leg leveled his gun, and KFC froze. What if I -

WHOOOT! 

The dart! KFC watched it come closer to her in slow motion, the red feathers at the end spinning, spinning, spinning! Then, instinctively, she whisked herself to the side and just barely missed the dart's sting, and for good measure the tip of her wing knocked the feathers at the end of the dart and sent it on a new course - conveniently, straight for Timothy's neck. 

Timothy stumbled forward, gasping in surprise. His hand caught on the door handle and with the force of his fall the door swung open a few inches and KFC slipped through, perhaps a bit too late since her tail feathers got caught, but in any case just in time. 

She whizzed through the air and dashed towards the safety of the Jungle in the middle of the island. 

Free, free, free! 
John 14:27:
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.
I do not give to you as the world gives.
Do not let your hearts be troubled
and do not be afraid.





User avatar
279 Reviews

Supporter


Gender: Female
Points: 25891
Reviews: 279
Mon Jan 11, 2016 6:35 pm
View Likes
Steggy says...



Target the Tapir

Children, adults and more. Running, walking, talking. Judging the animals in the cages, not on their species, but on their colors. Whimsical faces and unchanged glances. Ice cream dripping on the cement, while cries would break the silence. For once in their lives, prisons were fun to look at. Feeding fake food to them through the slits, and what was it all for? Money, of course.

"The tapir is a fascinating creatures. You see, they look like elephants thanks to that nose but yet a pig with their round, black and white body. We only have one tapir, and thankfully they won't be for a long time," the zookeeper jokingly said. The crowd let out an awkward chuckle as they neared the enclosure. Abundance of foliage, bright flowers and little sticks poking out of the ground. There was a small, fading painting of the habitat of the tapir. Tall, rainforest trees can be seen in the painting as well as shrubs and butterflies. It was peaceful enough, and convincing enough to a navie creature. Of course, the tapir wasn't this. It could clearly stand the difference of the two habitats and would pretend to not notice- just for the enjoyment of others. Trotting, sniffing, feeding. Normal day of Barry.

"This is the most prized animal of Wxyz's Zoo. The animals surrounding the Tapir are nicely selected since they are in alphabetic order. We'll get to those later," the zookeeper stated. With a queue of a finger, Target the Tapir waddled out of his home. He sniffed the air, before staring at the excited spectators.

If you are a good enough actor, people can believe you. Surely it wasn't meant for the entertainment and could be learned from, just standing there awkwardly was enough for the day.

The zoo keeper seemed to be gestured and jabbering, smiling a force smile and answering the questions that the little ones had. She seemed to be acting, trying to seem interested at what was going on. It was a normal thing, from the first day the zoo had opened to the rest of the days that followed. Her eyebrows relaxed, her hands closed on each other tightly, and eyes focused in a kind way. Barry hadn't cared really for the people, and would only walk around for a while before heading back into his log home.

It was an important day. The crisp, overhead sun light was beaming proudly on the area. As the zoo keeper and her lousy, pathetic followers moved on to Uber, Barry groaned. He hobbled up his steps and laid under the sun light. A dish of leafy greens and water laid in front of him, as an invitation to eat and drink. He was smarter than that. The zoo seemed to put special pills in there that would change the color of their coat, matching the sponsor's colors. For example, as Barry was the "prime" animal of Target, he would be the red and white. People would "ooh" and "aah" at this amazing sight. In reality, it stung for the animals. However, if you're there long enough and completely understand the pain, it might as well feel like being stung again and again without twitching.

Barry moved his nose towards the food dishes, taking in a deep wiff then sighing.

Food is food. He awkwardly stood up, peering into the food dish. Even though the zoo keepers thought they had hid the pill "properly", the animals could remember where exactly they embedded it. The tapir shook his head, taking a heavy dip to eating the juicy leaves. He chewed thoughtfully as he once again saw the zoo keeper and her followed. They seemed to be going to the entrance, leaving this place. That meant closing time was coming around. Boring as it may seen, closing time was the best part of the day. Eating the food was just making changing colors easier than before.

Soon, over the intercom, was a low, husky voice.

"The zoo will be closing in two minutes. Zoo keepers please remain at local habitats until further noticed." Silence resumed over. Most of the lights on the east side were shutting off while Barry gently laid his head down on his bedding. As he slept, the pill traveling down his esophagus before settling in his stomach.

_~_


The cooling wind of the A/C blew over the zoo, causing some of the animals to stir from their slumber. The cage next to the Tapir was Spotify. He was a lousy cat, instinct and pleased to be so. Some of the children that came around to see the infamous cat, would gasp and clench onto their parent's shirts. With a shaky finger, would point at the alive fossil and squeal at the marvel. Even the adults were pleased. More or less, it got more attention than Barry but he didn't mind.

"Wakey, wakey. Time Target breakfast," Spotify jokingly said.

"Haha. Very funny, Spot. Let me have... few minutes to sleep in."

"The zoo is going to open in a few minutes."

"So?"

Spotify sighed. "You are a very difficult animal, you know that."

Barry chuckled. "I tell myself that everyday." Spotify moved away from the bars, staring at his own food. The tapir didn't like much of the animals here, or the ones surrounding his enclosure. Loud of sorts, and it seemed the surrounding animals didn't mind that.

Your friends are enemies in the beginning.

"So, Barry, have you thought of escaping?"

Escaping hadn't crossed the tapir's mind. Despite being a prison where different array of visitors come and stare at you for a solid minute, it was quite nice here. At least, that's what he thought.

"No."

Spotify peeked through the cage opening. "I heard that R and Q might be planning on escaping. Also, I and B. Just some gossip I've heard from the grapevines. Mostly it seems to be like a good plan since I personally do not like the way we are being treated. Sometimes they don't even clean our cages. They let us go through pain just to give the entertainment to others. Its a horrible thought."

"I don't care as long as I am treated nicely."

Spotify shrugged. "Whatever you say. Just think about the world out there, and how carefree they might be." He was gone now, eating happily at his meat tray. Barry blinked up towards the blinking lights.

If its both terrifying and amazing then you should definitely pursue it.
You are like a blacksmith's hammer, you always forge people's happiness until the coal heating up the forge turns to ash. Then you just refuel it and start over. -Persistence (2015)

You have so much potential and love bursting in you. -Omnom





User avatar
40 Reviews



Gender: Female
Points: 17
Reviews: 40
Wed Jan 13, 2016 1:04 am
View Likes
Justlittleoleme2 says...



Pure white Rosebella was sunbathing on her favorite tree limb, nomming on some tasty bamboo, and eaves dropping on Spotify and Barry like always.

"I wonder if other animals are really being mistreated?" She wondered.

Spotify was right, she was planning her escape, she had been planning it for months, but planning and carrying out a plan are two different things. Her thoughts drifted and She had almost fallen asleep when an ominous presence jolted her awake. It was nothing of course, just a phantom of her mind, but knowing that didn't help the racing of her heart. "Dratted Bamboo," she whined and tossed it to the ground. She knew her food was the source of it all, and bad dreams weren't the only thing.

Everyday after breakfast her skin would burn and itch like the worst kind of sunburn. She had quiet eating once. Her keepers had tried frantically to figure out what was wrong with her. Test after test, blood draws, sedatives, inoculations, vitamins. Rosebella had grown tired of it. So for now she ate her bamboo and tried to act like everything in the world was alright.

Her lazy mood had been ruined so she stood up and streatched out as far as she could stretch, yawned, and then climbed to the top of her tree. It just barely brushed the roof of her pen and, if she was careful, she could slide up the skinny wobbly top and grab on to the wire. She had tried chewing it before, but no luck. Teeth weren't made to break wire. She stared up wistfully through the chain links and up into the blue sky. "If only I were a bird," she said. A little bird that could just slide through and fly free.

She looked back down at the earth, she could see the whole zoo from there. Not a very interesting sight, just a bunch of oddly colored animals killing time. What did the human's see in all this? She noticed the KFC pen was empty. "That's weird...is she sick?" The little panda wondered. Again the question crossed her mind, "Are animals really being mistreated? or are the keepers as confused as us?" A cold breeze started up and caused her perch to sway. She loved the feeling but fear of falling caused her to shimmy back down the tree and onto the ground.

"I wonder if a storm is coming?" That is what she wished for, a storm big enough the knock a tree down and break a way out for her. She spent the rest of the day dreaming of what she would do should that ever happen. She imagined how she would sneak past the zoo keepers, how she would set the other animals free, if she could, and wondered with a little anxiety if there was any bamboo outside of the zoo walls.





User avatar
19 Reviews



Gender: Female
Points: 647
Reviews: 19
Mon Feb 01, 2016 4:55 am
View Likes
caliginous says...



Pepsi the Python

Pepsi gazed with tired eyes at the huge crowds trudging past his home. Yes, home. It was not a "cage" or "exhibit" as the others called it, no—it was his home. He owned this vast expanse of land—after all, he had fought for it.

That old . . . ah, what did they call it? Oh, right, "brother!" His old "brother" had proved to be such a bother, really. Always eating Pepsi's food, curling up in Pepsi's tree, invading Pepsi's space! He may as well have asked for that rock to the face!

Unfortunately, the bothersome python had lived through the "incident" (as the ugly two-legged creatures called it), and caused such a huge ruckus. It had brought some delight to Pepsi to see the quarreling between the Two-Legs of the "Alphabet Zoo" (Pepsi hadn't the slightest clue what that meant) and the Two-Legs of the "Pepsi" (which he assumed were named after himself), but it had been quite annoying. Pepsi would always hear the same arguments, and he had grown sick and tired of it.

"Do you remember how much we paid for two advertisements?" they said. "This is going to put a bad label on our company!" they said. "We can't let them fight like this!" they said!

Oh, and of course always the grumbling from the Pepsi Two-Legs: "They never would have let this happen if Coke owned any advertisements here!" Now Pepsi didn't know what "Coke" meant, but the way they spat that horrid word . . . well, it had to be bad. Like, mortal enemy bad.

Pepsi remembered how excited he had been once he came to that conclusion. Because really, he had to be important if the Two-Legs named after him had a mortal enemy. Seriously. It was a fact. Because that enemy had to be his enemy. No wonder those ugly dual-legged creatures worshipped him!

Ooh, there was one now! This one was . . . kind of stubby. It was about half his length in height. Maybe a bit taller—half his length and the diameter of a small boulder. Yes, that was accurate enough. The creature was very wide though, wider than the trunk of his tree. Its pudgy talons—no wait, they were called "fingers," Pepsi reminded himself—left smears on the invisible barrier before him. Its long, golden head-fur bounced as it hopped up and down in excitement. It appeared to be staring at Pepsi in his tree.

Pepsi began to slither down his tree as a second Two-Leg approached, about the same size, but with short, mud-colored head-fur. It giggled as it attempted to narrate Pepsi's thoughts. "Oh look, human food!" it chirped. "I can't wait to—" it suddenly grabbed the other Two-Leg's neck "—eat them!" The two burst into a fit of laughter and weakly swatted at each other in some sort of play-fight.

Pepsi turned away in disgust. He didn't even know what "human" was. Those ignorant creatures, he thought as he made his way to the back of his home for his mice.

~


Pepsi dangled from the tree, tail weakly wrapped around his favorite branch—the one right in the front, stretching far enough out and down that it was the center of attention (especially when he was on it, of course).

But Pepsi felt sick to his stomach. His insides convulsed and spasmed; and to his utter dismay, even his face was affected. It scrunched up into expressions of utter agony against his will. Pepsi sincerely hoped it wasn't noticeable. But even now, there were those funny creatures with their rectangular devices; the devices that flashed and caused their faces to twist into a forced smiles. Didn't they understand he wasn't up for this worshiping right now? They could come back later. He'd be there all day. All day, and the next day, and the next. . . .

Huh . . . why did that thought bother him? It'd always been like that. He'd always just sort of been there, living a simple life. It didn't matter to Pepsi whether or not he could wander past the invisible barriers that kept him in, whether or not he could decide what he ate, whether or not he could control his own life.

Control his own life? Where did that come from? Of course Pepsi could control his own life! He could decide to hang on his branch, chill in the corner, pose for his worshippers . . . that was control, wasn't it? Control enough, he supposed, that I haven't questioned it until now.

But Pepsi began to wonder about what he could actually do. Where he could actually go. What his purpose was in being he—

Without warning, Pepsi's tail unraveled in a moment of weakness and he was sent tumbling to the ground below. Oh no. Gah, the Two-Legs were there! Flashing those devices at him now, looking all smug on their long and sturdy legs! They were laughing at him! If Pepsi could blush, he knew his face would be a disgusting brown-ish color because of his lime green scales.

No wait, he thought, looking down at himself as he hurried away from the taunting Two-Legs. I'm blue now— Pepsi froze in sudden realization. The Change! he thought, fuming. The colors changing—that's why! That's why I got all existential and stuff! That's why—he began to weep—I fell out of my tree! Why I was humiliated!

Pepsi rushed into the corner and curled up, trying to disappear. He sobbed and tried to quiet himself as not to be heard, but to no avail. He wanted to yell. He wanted to scream with all his might. Great, now I'm getting emotional! he thought through sobs. If only there was a way to stop this torture. . . .
"Life doesn't discriminate between the sinners and the saints; it takes, and it takes, and it takes. And we keep living anyway; we rise, and we fall, and we break, and we make our mistakes."
~Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton





User avatar
279 Reviews

Supporter


Gender: Female
Points: 25891
Reviews: 279
Tue Feb 09, 2016 7:13 pm
View Likes
Steggy says...



Bank of America the Bobcat

The lights were flickering and the smell of sweat lingered in the air. Normal sights and smells of a zoo. America was sleeping, his left paw outstretched while his head was tucked. His tail was flickering every once in while, flicking at invisible flies. The zoo was showing the people the animal exhibits, extending a hand and faking a smile. It was an order by the owner of Wxyz Zoo- to make those who are welcome, welcomed. It was already midway through the afternoon, meaning almost all the animals were resting their bodies and ignoring the happy children. America didn't care much for it- the bobcat would spend his whole day sleeping and eating. The zookeepers tried everything, from throwing meat into the cage to going and waving a cat toy in front of his nose. Most of the zookeepers thought he was dying since he never seemed interesting in what was happening around him. Interacting with the children. Even Mr. Wxyz seemed to be worried. It wasn't like Bank of America was of an importance to the zoo.
Around the America's exhibit was Converse and Allstate. It was known that Allstate was as lazy as Bank- the type of animal that would slurp at ants all day and ignore the outside world. Then there was Converse. The high, jumping energetic loving cat. She would peek through the opening between the two areas, and try to speak to America, who would kindly lay down and nap. Converse had noticed his odd behavior, but decided not to speak of the matter. Bobcats are known for being stealthy and hunting down their prey, not sleeping every single day. What was wrong with America?

Loud. Bright. Happy. These words flashed in America's mind when sleeping. Flowers. Storms. Thunder. The zoo provided the pills, that changed the fur color of a certain animal, had a strange side effect: dreams. Despite it being said that pills were "completely" harmless to the general public, they do cause a recurrence of nightmares and dreams. Most of the animals grow sick of it, staying up all night and then slumping around the next morning. Sometimes even the animals would rub against the metal, cold pipes to just have something to do. While all of this is happening, the stinging sensation (known as the PigmaPills™) was occurring. It moved along their bodies like a snake, twirling around their back and thighs. Stomach covered in blue coloring, back in red and white stripes, and the logo placed askew on Bank of America's face. The pills weren't something you should be messing with, the bobcat had heard once. If placed in the wrong hands, who knows what might happened?
In the bobcat's habitat, was a small window. Murky, plain yellow light would seep through and create a warm patch for him. It was the only thing in there that wasn't manmade or artificial. At night, the moonlight would, like the sun, shine through. It was pleasant. The sound of the wind blowing outside, along with the honking of faint horns. The downside of having a window is the cold weather. It causes everything to freeze and shiver.
America didn't complain. In fact, it was completely useless to complain about something silly. Animals don't complain.

It was the first day of the weekend, the busy starting point of Wxyz Zoo where all the children and adults came by and observed the animals for their coats. Most of the animals were excited, rambling on about what they are like and what they do. Most animals, like America, were tired of these people. It made most of the money input for the zoo decrease over time. In the beginning, they liked the humans- running their fur against the cage so they could feel how soft it really was. The bobcat was like any other cat that was in the zoo, lounging around without a place or time.
The animals that surrounded him, the infamous anteater and the energetic caracal, would always try to make the best of things. The bobcat had a grim outlook of life, but it was expected- you can't teach an old cat, new tricks. The anteater often spoke of residing in the zoo, eating the large amount of ants that the zoo provided while the caracal would speak relentlessly about escaping.

What's the point of escaping if you are going to be trapped again? America had this thought often, but didn't get an answer. Only the humming of the lights from overhead, and the stale smell of the zoo.

↼⇀↼⇀↼⇀


"America... America!" Converse harshly whispered through the cage cracks. "Wake up!"

"Leave me alone , Converse. I'm sleeping. Its the body way of telling other people to go away." America blankly said, shifting on his bed.

"But I'm bore-"

"Then go bother somebody else." America snapped.

The caracal mocked the bobcat under her breath, residing to her side of the pen.

"... Now if you follow me, everyone, we'll see the infamous bobcat!" An excited voice, called. America sighed heavily, curling into a ball. Not them again. The footsteps were getting closer and the chatter was already getting annoying. The humans. So ugly and deformed. They didn't have fur, only on their head. It looked weird. As if they were shaved from their body, and forced to walk around like a hooligan.

"Some interesting facts about our bobcat. This animal belongs to the growing company of Bank of America, which is why we call him America. Another known fact is America came to us in the late 2000s, and we've loved him ever since."

As if. Lies after lies.

"It seems he's sleeping," the cheery voice stated as some of the little kids "aww". "Don't worry, though, some meat might get him to come to us." The zookeeper took out a piece of raw meat from a small bag around her waist. She smiled at the kids before throwing it into the cage. The kids gripped at the cage, pushing each other waiting for the bobcat. But it was useless. You can't really force somebody to do something. Give it time.

Best give them a show since they asked for it.

The bobcat rolled on his side, eyeing the piece of meat. It was covered with grass from the exhibit floor, and looked to be filled with the pill that promised a different "hue" on an animal. He groaned, shifting his paws so it looked like he was intersecting in the food. It grabbed the attention of the little kids, their nerves ready to explode. America stood up, slowly at first, stalking the meat.

The zookeeper kneel down next to a sandy haired boy, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Bobcats are known for their hunting style. As you can see, they like to sneak around their prey, rather than let it see them. This is also common with other cats." The sandy haired boy, nodded before paying his attention yet again to the bobcat.

America put one paw in front of another. I'm getting too old for this.

The cage next to him, Converse was watching. She was amazed at how graceful the bobcat looked, professional at his steps. Soon, America was pouncing on the meat, savoring every last taste as the children in front of the cage cheered. Some were pulling at their parent's shirt to take a picture or to ask "did you see that?"
America licked his lips, and carried the meat back to his bed. Converse growled. What an idiot. She sulked to her pen, waiting for the group of old fans. The group of adults and children walked towards Converse's cage, talking about the bobcat.

I still got it.

↼⇀↼⇀↼⇀


Later that evening, the bobcat was sleeping. Everyone had gone home, except the zookeepers, who were walking around checking on the animals.

"That was quite a show you put on, America." Converse stated, laying against the divider of her cage and America's. "You must've got some new fans."

"Go to sleep, Converse."

"I don't understand how you did that. If I remember correctly, you are the oldest animal here at the zoo which is surprising."

"It isn't a big of a de-"

"It is a big deal to me!" Converse snapped. "I wanted to be the famous one! I got put down by your stupid, old shadow. It was a dream of mine, but I put it off just to be like you. What did I get? Nothing."

Silence.

"I don't expect you to understand. At least," she stopped for effect," I have a plan."
You are like a blacksmith's hammer, you always forge people's happiness until the coal heating up the forge turns to ash. Then you just refuel it and start over. -Persistence (2015)

You have so much potential and love bursting in you. -Omnom








The magic is only in what books say, how they stitched the patches of the universe together into one garment for us.
— Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451