It was a normal day at the Hartville Abby Zoo, one of the iconic places for its nature reserves and wildlife sanctuary. The zoo was what drove the townsfolk of all ages to have a learning experience with the animals. Each exhibit had its own environment to blend well with certain species and how precautions were made for both zookeepers and visitors. The sun always shone across the blue sky and the clouds always hovered above the visitors to block too much sunlight. The day started peacefully as Charlie May, one of the most loyal zookeepers, went out on a stroll in each animal exhibit. Her daily strolls always started out having her walkie-talkie in her hand and whistling to anyone who wanted to hear such sweet tunes. She was always looking forward to her day, especially in her favorite animal exhibit, which was the primates. She always loved how each primate was both adorable and defensive for their babies.

It was soon time to have the sanctuary opened for the public. She finished her stroll around and headed to the primate exhibit. Unlike other exhibits, the primate exhibit is where most visitors get to interact with them with its canopy bridges between rainforest trees, feeding the animals, and taking pictures. The zookeepers made sure that each primate was on its best behavior. Charlie was close to the entrance when she saw a fellow zookeeper. Zackery McClain was a zookeeper in the primate exhibit alongside Charlie. Zack noticed her and waved at her. They met up and started to clean up some exhibits. After that, they started to let the primates roam free into their habitats. Both Charlie and Zack heard the zoo’s bell, signaling that it was time to open up. Today, Charlie was giving a tour of the primate exhibit for students from Springcare Elementary. She headed to the main zoo entrance to see the school bus entering the car parking space. She felt sweat down her face, as she was mentally prepared for the energetic personality of the children.  

Once the school bus stopped, there came out a line of sixteen children who had excitement in their eyes as they couldn’t help express how glad they were to be out of school. The air was filled with cheerful laughter, as the children came closer to the main entrance. Each student was dressed up as little Indiana Johns, while their teacher, Mr. Simons, was dressed up as a park ranger. He held up his clipboard as he called out the names of the students. While all the children yelled out ‘Here’ in enthusiasm, one kid, in particular, whispered ‘here’. It was a boy who held onto his stuffed teddy bear. He was dressed just like the other boys except he wore a sky-blue bucket hat. Mr. Simons, who was next to the boy, heard it and said, “Alright children, even though we are on an exciting school trip, I want everyone to make sure that they have a buddy to hold hands with and have fun with precaution. Now, I want everyone to choose their buddies and head towards our friendly zookeeper, Ms. Charlie May.” Charlie stared at the group of children and noticed that the boy was more anxious to ask someone to be his buddy. Mr. Simons saw this and said, “Chris, you alright buddy?” The boy looked at his teacher with a blush and stuttering words beginning to come out of his mouth, “N-no sir, I was just f-finding someone to be my buddy. But I-I don’t know if they want to be my buddy.”  Charlie saw a group of three children and walked up to them. “Hello folks, I’m Ms. May, your zookeeper. Do you want to be with that boy over there?” As Charlie pointed the direction of the boy and the teacher, the children looked at each other and said, “But miss, we like to be together. Besides, Chris is a bit weird.” Chris eavesdropped and looked down in embarrassment and sadness, while the teacher shook his head in disappointment. Charlie couldn’t bear the look on Chris’s face, so she walked up to Chris and said, “Well, you can be my buddy. What do you say?” Chris looked up at Charlie and shyly smiled at her.

She cleared her throat to get the children’s attention and said, “Welcome, Springcare Elementary, to Hartville Abby Zoo. I’m Ms. Charlie May and I’ll be your zookeeper and tour guide. We’re going to head to some exhibits first and then to the primate exhibit. Before we start, I want to set some ground rules for everyone. One, make sure you have a buddy and stay close so you don’t get lost. Two, there will be signs at each exhibit that will give you instructions, so please follow them. And lastly, have fun and enjoy the field trip.” Charlie finished her speech and started to walk ahead until she felt a small hand gripped onto her right hand. Charlie looked down to find Chris shyly looking down at the ground and she let him keep holding her hand. She guided them to the Savana Exhibition, where the lions stared, in a bored manner, at the visitors. They continued their leisure activities while the other Savana inhabitants were trying to be motivated as possible. While the children and Mr. Simons were examining the animals, Charlie noticed that Chris held onto her leg, while looking at the animals from a distance. She raised her eyebrow in confusion until she shook her thoughts and continued to observe the visitors. Charlie called the children to come back and the teacher had to assist her when some children were too focused on the animals. When gathered together, some children said that they wanted to buy some souvenirs from the gift shop. Mr. Simons permitted them and went to the gift shop with them so that he could give some supervision. While Mr. Simons and the children wanting to visit the gift shop left, the other students played among themselves. Chris was quietly reading a book in one hand and still holding onto his teddy bear in the other. Charlie and the others waited until she saw Mr. Simons heading towards them with the other children, who were holding bags from the shop. She told Mr. Simons and the children that they were headed towards the Winter Exhibition.

Charlie and Springcare Elementary entered the Winter Exhibition, where they were greeted by friendly penguins, who waved at the visitors. Each child, with their buddy, looked at the variety of different penguin species and saw the mighty polar bears and the playful seals. Charlie glanced down at Chris, who was attached to her leg like a koala. She went down to his level and said, “Don’t you want to join the others?” Chris shook his head and still held onto her leg while watching the animals from a distance. Charlie wanted to ask Chris if he was alright, but he looked content and she didn’t want to disturb him. Although Charlie saw curiosity in his ice-teal eyes, she felt him shaking and his grip becoming too tight.

Charlie zoned out until she felt a tap on her shoulder and realized that Mr. Simons was trying to get her attention. “Sorry Ms. May, but I think the children would like to see the primates.” Charlie sighed and said, “I also apologize for zoning out on the visitors. I wanted to ask you a question privately if you don’t mind.” The teacher looked confused but nodded. He then called the students to gather and announced for the children to go to the restrooms that were near each exhibit entrance. While the children were absent, Charlie told Mr. Simons that they would wait for them at a bench. Once they sat down, Mr. Simons asked, “Is there something bothering you, Ms. May?” Charlie took deep breaths and started to talk, despite feeling a lump down her throat “Sir, I wanted to ask you something.” Before Charlie continued, Mr. Simons raised his hand and said, “No need to call me sir. Call me Mr. Simons.” Charlie cleared her throat and apologized before continuing, “Mr. Simons, I’m a bit concerned for Chris. I’ve met anxious children before but I have never seen someone more anxious than Chris. I was wondering if you had any thoughts about Chris’s behavior?” Mr. Simons was surprised and his eyes were filled with guilt and regret. He sighed and said, “Chris is a special kid compared to the other children. Even though we are learning about human heritage, there was another reason why we visited the zoo.” He looked at the ground as if he was debating on what to say.

When he finally gained confidence, Mr. Simons stared at Charlie and finally said, “Chris has zoophobia. When I told the class about visiting the zoo, Chris was shaking in his seat. I saw the tears trying to pour out his eyes, but Chris put on a fake smile. When I sent out emails to the children’s parents about the trip, I got an early email from Mr. and Mrs. Ebony that stated that I should keep an eye on Chris. They explained about his phobia and how he got the phobia from his personal encounter with a male hippo at a nature reserve in Kenya, Africa when he was little. Chris’s parents further told the story by explaining how Chris walked too close to the hippo’s territory. Disturbed by Chris’s presence, the hippo charged and tried to attack Chris until nearby rangers stopped the hippo while his parents held onto Chris. Reading the email made me guilty that I was going to make a kid scared to pieces, but I didn’t want to disappoint the other children by canceling the trip. I thought that maybe this trip could help reassure him that he’s in safe hands. I’m sorry if Chris has been attached to you too much.”

Charlie saw the sadness and guilt in his eyes while he explained the situation. Poor Chris thought Charlie. Charlie then placed her hand onto Mr. Simons’ shoulder in reassurance and said, “Don’t worry about helping Chris’ phobia alone. I can help you and Chris now that you told me. Honestly, Chris is a great kid and I’m sure that he can at least try to overcome his fears.” Mr. Simons let Charlie’s words sink into his mind and gave a hopeful smile at her, silently thanking her for her support. Mr. Simons and Charlie spent their time talking about their interests until a girl with lava hair in pigtails and a boy with platinum white short hair walked towards them. The girl held onto a fox mask in her hands, while the boy held onto a tiger mask in his hands as they both looked at the ground. Mr. Simons notice the children’s presence and asked, “Noelle and Eddie, is there anything we can help you with?” Noelle and Eddie kept playing with the mask’s surface and Noelle spoke in a shaken voice. “Mr. Simons, me and some of my friends thought that it would be fun to pull a prank on Chris. We decided to hide outside of the bathrooms with our animal masks on. When Chris came out of the bathroom, we all made animal noises and charged at Chris. Chris ran away from us while crying and entered the entrance of the primate exhibit. Mr. Simons, we didn’t mean to scare him that badly.”

Mr. Simons and Charlie were shocked at the confession and couldn’t believe what they had heard. Mr. Simons sighed, “Noelle and Eddie, you both know better than to not scare someone in public. I’m happy that both of you were able, to be honest with me, but that doesn’t mean that you’re not in trouble. Can you please bring your other friends so we can talk about your behavior?” Noelle and Eddie nodded sadly and went to find their friends. Mr. Simons looked at Charlie and said, “I’m so sorry Ms. May, but I have to talk to these children about their behaviors. I don’t want to ask too much, but can you find Chris?” Charlie put her thumb up and gave Mr. Simons a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry about it. I will find him and bring him back safe and sound. By the way, call me Charlie.” Charlie rushed inside the primate exhibit and saw Zack in front of the orangutans. She rushed in Zack’s direction and kept panting. Zack saw Charlie’s red face and heard her panting as she stood in front of him. He saw the distress in her eyes and asked, “Hey bud, you alright? What’s going on?” Charlie took deep breaths and said, “I lost a member in my tourist group. Have you seen a small boy who’s wearing a little Indiana Jones costume with a light blue bucket hat run by here?” Zack thought about it and said, “I have seen a small boy with the exact description you gave me. I saw him sobbing and panting as he ran to the canopy bridges.” Charlie nodded and said, “Thanks Zack, you’re a life savior.” Zack nodded back and saw Charlie run toward the canopy bridges. Charlie entered into the wilderness and its handmade canopy bridges. She yelled Chris’s name a few times. Her yells, which caused some tropical birds to fly out of their hiding places, echoed across the habitat. She looked around but couldn’t see Chris. Charlie kept going along the canopy bridges until she heard screaming coming from a child’s voice. Chris! thought Charlie, as she ran in the direction of the screams and sobs. Charlie came near to the screams and she saw the familiar bucket-hatted boy, who held onto his teddy bear tightly, backed up against a tree. She made her way to Chris to see that he was screaming because there was a chimpanzee in front of him.

Charlie saw that this chimpanzee was Tikki, one of the primates that tourists can interact with. Charlie then focused on Chris and said, “Chris, there you are! You had everyone worried.” Suddenly, Chris hugged Charlie while sobbing. Charlie was surprised, but she embraced him tightly while whispering “It’s ok, buddy”. Tikki looked confused at the sight and became curious enough to take another step towards Chris and Charlie. Chris, seeing this action, hid his face in Charlie’s chest. Charlie saw Tikki’s actions and stretched her arm out to Tikki. Tikki saw this as an opportunity and walked towards Chris and Charlie. Chris was trembling in fear as Tikki finally came closer to them and sat down in curiosity. Chris opened one eye to see that Tikki was still there and then closed his eye. Tikki saw Chris’s state and opened her arms wide enough to create space for him. Charlie looked at Chris and said, “Hey Chris, everything is going to be fine. Tikki just wants to hug you.” Chris opened both his eyes and loosely gripped onto Charlie’s shirt to find Tikki waiting for him to hug her. Suddenly, Tikki waddled her way to Chris and slowly wrapped her tiny arms around him, as she laid her head onto his chest. Chris kept trembling in fear, not knowing what to do. Charlie motioned a hugging embrace, using his teddy bear, to encourage him. After internally debating in his mind, Chris slowly gave into the hug. He felt the warmth and surface of Tikki’s fur, similar to his teddy bear. With content, Chris’s breathing was normal as he hugged Tikki back. Charlie, as she observed what was happening, took a silent picture of the two with her phone and was happy with Chris’s slow process of overcoming his phobia. Charlie checked her watch on her wrist to find that both Chris and she have stayed with Tikki for an hour. Charlie cleared her throat and said, “Chris, I’m sorry buddy but, we need to get back to your classmates and Mr. Simons.” Chris pouted at the fact that he was going to leave his new friend and sadly nodded at Charlie. Charlie gave Chris his teddy bear back and held onto Chris’s hand and as they were about to depart, Chris stared at Tikki and said, “Bye-bye, Tikki. I’ll miss you.” Tikki saw that the two humans were leaving her and nodded a farewell before descending along the canopy bridges. As Charlie and Chris walked out of the canopy bridges’ entrance, Charlie’s walkie-talkie made a hissing noise before she answered it. She heard Zack’s voice in the walkie-talkie and started to ask, “Hey Zack, what’s up?” Zack, who was glad that Charlie picked up her walkie-talkie, replied, “Were you able to find the boy?” “Yeah, I was able to get Chris back. Is something the matter?” “While you were finding Chris, I was walking outside from the primate exhibit until a man, with a group of children, came up to me and asked me if I were to give them a tour to the primate exhibit. The man told me what happened and I simply couldn’t refuse his request. Don’t worry, I told our boss that you were finding a lost boy and that I was happy to fill in your role for the rest of the day. I already took them around the primate exhibit and they are now waiting for the both of you at the main entrance while I tried to contact you.” Charlie smiled at the news, “Thanks, Zack, for everything, I’ll make it up to you. We’ll see them at the main entrance.” She hung up the walkie-talkie and told Chris where they were going.

They walked around each exhibit until they made it to the main entrance. Both Charlie and Chris saw Mr. Simons pacing around back and forth nervously, while the children were sat down on nearby benches, playing with each other. Mr. Simons then stopped pacing as he saw the two and waved at them to come over. As Charlie and Chris came over, Mr. Simons hugged Chris while saying, “Thank goodness you’re alright.” Mr. Simons glanced at Charlie and shook hands with her while saying, “Thank you so much, Charlie, for bringing Chris back.” Charlie nodded and smiled until she noticed a group of four children walking towards the three. First was Noelle, Eddie, a boy with strawberry hair, and a girl with amber hair. Each child was carrying a specific animal mask: a fox, a tiger, a hippo, and a monkey. Mr. Simons then noticed them approaching and said, “Chris, these four want to say something to you.” The four children looked amongst each other until Noelle started to speak, “Chris, we’re sorry for pranking you and giving you a scare. We just wanted to have fun. After talking with Mr. Simons and ourselves, we want your forgiveness by being your friend.” Chris, surprised at her words, decided to let bygones be bygones and accepted their friendship by starting to play with them. Charlie found out, from Mr. Simons, that the hippo masked boy was known as Jacob and the monkey masked girl was known as April. Both Mr. Simons and Charlie were satisfied that things turned out better for Chris. The school trip ended as the children lined up and walked onto the bus. Before Mr. Simons entered the vehicle, Charlie exclaimed, “Mr. Simons, wait!” Taken by surprise, Mr. Simons glanced in Charlie’s direction and walked up to her with curiosity. Charlie began to open her phone and showed the picture to him, while saying, “Even though Chris has a long journey to go, at least he made slow progress with our chimpanzee buddy, Tikki.” Mr. Simons, impressed with the picture, decided to give Charlie his school email so that he could show it to Chris’s parents. When the school bus already had its final passenger, it began to drove out of the zoo. Charlie watched the bus departing from the zoo until it was out of sight and went to the zoo’s offices to send the image to Mr. Simons before she forgot. The day continued until Charlie heard the familiar sounds of the zoo’s bell, signaling the end of the day.

As Charlie was no longer in her shift and exiting the zoo, she thought, What a day at the zoo.