Christy woke up to the bright morning sun shining through the tree leaves like stained glass of many shades of green. She looked up from her bed and saw the Spice Girls looking down and laughing at her from the wall. She got up quickly, dressed and brushed her teeth, and ran down the hallway to the breakfast table. Her brother and parents were already eating.

“Good morning, Honey,” her mother said.

“Here, have a doughnut,” her brother Kenny said. She dodged a Cheerio he threw at her, picked it up and put it on top of his head.

“Here, a halo that fits your brain.”

Kenny took it and put it close to his eye. “Actually, it’s a microscope,” he said as he leaned close over his cereal.

She sat down and poured the cereal into a bowl and began to shove the little circles down into the milk. She took a spoonful of milk up to her lips, but it spilled down her chin. She tried to wipe it up with her tongue, and had to finish it with the back of her hand.

“Mom,” Christy said as she looked up, “I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you yesterday.”

“Do you ever listen?” her brother said in between milky slurps.

“Why thank you, darling, let’s consider it closed,” her mother said with a smile while giving her son a little shove on the shoulder.

Yesterday, a beach ball went floating into the neighbor’s yard. Christy started to climb over the fence into the neighbor’s garden. Her mother yelled at her to stop, but Christy had already landed in the garden, making sure she did not step on the baby plants. She gingerly stepped around the plants to get the ball, and threw it back to her own yard, and started retracing her steps.

When she got back, she found that the fence on the neighbor’s side had sharp nails sticking out of it, and she could not climb back up the fence. She had to come back by the side yard, and Mrs. Voss followed her from the kitchen window all the way home. Christy had forced a smile that showed every tooth in her mouth, and waved to her, but Mrs. Voss remained serious the whole time. An hour later the lady was out in the back yard with a rake, smoothing out the footsteps in her garden and talking sweetly to her plants. Every now and then she looked into the yard to see if there was anyone she could scold.

<

Cathy came out and apologized for Christy’s behavior to Mrs. Voss.

<

“Ya, children today do not pay attention to zuh parents,” Mrs Voss said. “Your children are specially unbehaved. Und you know, my dear, you haff not vashed your kitchen vindows in a long time. You really should do zat. A clean window is a sign of a clean house.”

Cathy rolled her eyes. “Thank you Mrs. Voss. I will do that when I have time. But we can see out them very well. If you’ll excuse me now, I must get ready.” Cathy made a quick little bow which she knew Mrs. Voss would appreciate, and went back into the house, holding her hand over her mouth so Mrs. Voss would not see her laughing.

Cathy thought back to yesterday, and looked at her daughter and thought to herself I hope Christy stays out of trouble today. The family had planned a trip to the Woodland Park Zoo.

“Too bad my Uncle Alfred’s not here today,” Christy said. “We could do our elephant walk in front of the elephants and see if they like it.” She jumped off her chair and walked by stiffening her legs and walking slow steps.

Everyone laughed.

“Ok, let’s get everything read to go,” said Cathy. “The sooner we’re packed, the sooner we’re off.”

Tom went out to the garage and checked the back of the sleek silver sport utility vehicle. He then opened the doors, went back to the kitchen and picked up the folding picnic table and the cooler and brought them out and carefully placed them in the back of the vehicle.

“All ready!” he shouted. Soon Cathy, Kenny and Christy came out of the kitchen with a hamper and jackets for everyone, and got in the truck. Tom turned around to make sure the kids had put on their seat belts. He looked over at Cathy, who leaned over to him and gave him a kiss, and then started the engine and backed out of the garage.

He went out to Aurora Avenue, and made his way south in the traffic until he came to 46th street, followed it around and went back to 50th Street, where he turned and headed for the South Gate of the zoo.

“Here we are,” he said. “Can I drive or what?”

“You’re amazing, Dad,” Kenny said. “This is harder than finding the North Pole.”

“Of course,” Tom said. “That’s why I drive an Explorer.”

They all piled out of the car. Kenny and Christy wandered off to see if any bears had escaped, while Tom and Cathy got the lunches out of the back of the Explorer.

“Shall we take the picnic table?” Cathy said.

“I don’t see why we need the table, really,” Tom said. “There are lots of benches around.”

“You’re right about that,” Cathy said.

Tom closed the back of the van. Cathy made one last check inside, then Tom pressed the lock button on the key remote, and they walked over to the path arm in arm.

The kids were nowhere in sight. They walked faster, looking at each other in bewilderment.

“Kenny! Cathy!” Tom called out, but there was no answer.

“They must have gone into the zoo store,” Cathy said. They went in, but there was no sign of Kenny and Christy. “Those kids!” she said. They checked the nearby restrooms, but no one was in there.

They came to a fork in the road.

“You go to Tropical Asia, and I’ll go to the Tropical Rain Forest,” Tom said. “We’ll meet in fifteen minutes at the African Savannah. They can’t be too far.”

“OK,” Cathy said.

The scared parents started to move fast.

“Hey, where you going?” a voice came from behind.

They turned around and saw Kenny and Christy smiling at them.

Cathy put her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes. “What are you kids up to?” she said, relaxing a bit.

“Nothing, Mom,” Christy said. “We were behind you all the time.”

“You really scared us,” Tom said.

“But we weren’t even lost,” Kenny said.

“Why didn’t you answer when I called you?”

The two kids looked at each other, and stood there, still smiling.

“Like he said, we weren’t lost,” Christy said.

Tom took a deep breath and shrugged his shoulders. “How about we stay together from here on out.”

“Sure, Dad,” Kenny said. “You have the lunches.” Then he ran up to his father and gave him a hug. “I’m sorry, Dad, we won’t do it again.”

“Thank you,” Tom said.

“She made me do it,” Kenny said, pointing to his sister.

“I didn’t make you do anything,” Christy said. “You said it was fun.”

Cathy raised her eyebrows, opened her eyes, and put her hands back on her hips. “I can’t believe this family is having this conversation.”

“Yeah. How about you guys stay in front and stay close. OK?” Tom said.

“All right,” Christy said.

“Where do we go first?” Cathy said.

“The swamp,” Christy said.

“The swamp? Where’s that?”

“It’s in the Temperate Forest,” Christy said.

“How did you know that” Tom said.

“It was on the map,” Christy said. She took a deep breath and shrugged her shoulders. Tom laughed back at her.

“And when did you have time to look at the map?” he said.

“When you went ahead of us,” she said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“OK,” Cathy said, “why don’t you go ahead of us this time, so we can keep an eye on you.”

“Sure,” the kids said in unison.

The family took a turn to the left.

“Hmm.,” Tom said, “there sure are a lot of smells in the zoo.”

Kenny held his nose, then said “Yes, it’s a scientific fact that the zoo has the greatest variety of poop.” He laughed hysterically.

“From mouse poop to elephant poop," Christy said. She laughed hysterically.

“I think that’s enough science for now,” Cathy said, although she could hardly keep from laughing herself.

They quickly came upon a sign which read “Swamp” and they followed the arrow, and saw what looked like a small pond with dirty water. There was a new fence about three feet high surrounding it. Between the water and the fence was a muddy sort of beach with a few rocks and broken branches. At the edge of the water, halfway in and halfway out was a small reptile with a long snout.

Several families were watching the animal, which sat motionless, seemingly staring at the humans. Suddenly, a baby fell from its mother’s arms into the mud. Quickly, Christy jumped over the fence, ran to the crocodile, and put both hands on its snout so it could not open its mouth. A zookeeper appeared out of nowhere, and took the baby and gave it back to its mother. Christy let go of the crocodile and ran to the fence, where the zookeeper picked her up and lifted her over the fence, and handed her to Tom’s anxious waiting arms.

“Where’s mom,” Christy cried.

“Why she’s right…..” Tom looked around but didn’t see her. They looked down and saw Cathy lying on her back, eyes closed, with little stars spinning around her head. Tom put Christy down, and went over to his wife, and started to give her CPR, but she opened her eyes, and sat up a little.

“My baby…,” she said as she pulled Christy to her.

“That was a very brave thing to do,” the zookeeper said, as he looked at Christy. “But it was very foolish as well.”

“No it wasn’t, “ Christy said. “That was a crocodile, and you can hold their mouth shut with your hands.”

“Well, I’m sorry to tell you,” the zookeeper said, but that was an alligator.”

Christy became very nervous. “But the sign.”

“What sign?”

“The sign at the entrance to the zoo. It said the swamp was where the crocodillians are.”

“Oh yes, both alligators and crocodiles are crocodillians, I’m afraid,” the zookeeper said. “You were very lucky, young lady. Let’s get your mother up.”

He helped Tom lift Cathy up.

“Let’s go home,” Tom said, “and get some rest. Come on, guys.”

“Where’s Christy?” Cathy said.

“Down there,” Kenny said.

They turned around and saw Christy lying on the ground, her eyes closed, and big stars spinning around her head.