Zoo

[geniusmccoy]

In the end, it hadn't even been necessary to distract Lily from the zoo idea, life moved left and right without it ever coming up again. That way Henry didn't have to admit that he's never been to a zoo himself, and that the idea of all those animal smells and instincts made him a bit nervous

Comments

[spinonmyturret]

Lily was already tugging at Henry's hand even as he gave the dire warnings. She clearly did not give a crap about such things.

They set off into the zoo and got through the turnstiles, map in hand as they tried to decide where to go first.

"Okay Lily, this is your day so you can pick." Rebecca said, holding out the map. Eve took it solemnly and held it open in her little hands so Lily could look it over. Apparently it was going to be penguins first. They headed into the park with the girls holding hands walking slightly ahead, Henry and Rebecca behind them. "I saw that look, by the way." Rebecca teased him.

[geniusmccoy]

"That look was intended to be noticed. I don't want you to act like the entire zoo is a petting zoo. You might outwit an animal, but it's not the example we're going to set. Okay?"
The zoo was full of smells and noises, making Henry find distraction in the way his one daughter pulled his other along, moving through the people like radar.
"Daddy!" Eve looked back. "Lily wants to feed the penguins!"

[spinonmyturret]

"Love, I don't think..." Rebecca started when the penguin keeper smiled at them.

"No it's fine, I was going to feed them now anyway. She can help." The woman said, kneeling down at the edge of the enclosure. The penguins were oddly quiet considering it was feeding time but Rebecca just smiled and led the girls over with Henry.

"Okay Lily, you do what the lady tells you, right?" The little girl nodded at her and then babbled something to her sister who looked up at the keeper.

Eve beamed. "She says that the old one at the back with the broked wing is the hungriest." she said and Lily nodded, pointing out the elderly penguin at the back of the crowd.

[geniusmccoy]

"Broken", Henry corrected her before he recognised what she had said. "No, no, sweeth- I'm sure it's not broken, Eve. Lily, what did you mean to say?"

"Break", Lily replied with her eyes on the penguins.

"Your little girl is correct", the keeper mentioned. "She must have a good eye, you can see the croakedness. It's an old break we couldn't set, but I'm sure that he isn't h-"

Lily opened her mouth again, but Henry covered it with his mouth. "Let the keeper explain, sweetheart. She knows best." How could Lily even have known? "And you can help feed them!"