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The Petting Zoo

True magic can only be seen through the eyes of a Child.

By Ryan MillsPublished 3 years ago Updated 3 years ago 10 min read
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Photo Created from Images by Joshua Earle on Unsplash and Jie on Unsplash

Lawrence walked to the car, drinks swinging in a plastic bag in his left hand. In his right he held a blue business card. Sliding into the driver’s seat, he saw the girls were still asleep but Jordan was awake, reading her book.

“You up for a little adventure?” he asked as he started the engine. He handed her the business card and watched her turn it over in her hand.

“Another tourist trap?” She eyed the card suspiciously.

“Probably,” he punched the address on the card into his phone’s GPS and put the car into gear, “but it could be fun.”

Lawrence turned onto East-West Road and cruised down the dusty country street. About a mile down, they saw their first sign for the destination.

Magical Emporium of Fantastical Creatures

Open Year Round

3 Miles on the Right

The sign was shaped like a Sphinx with bright red gems set in its eyes. The ornate wooden sign looked expensive and out of place on the dusty country side road, lined with farms and fields of grass. The girls were starting to stir in the back seat. Emma woke first, rubbing her bright blue eyes and glancing around. She had that sleepy haze that indicated she had been deep in dreamland and wasn’t quite ready to embrace the real world.

“Mom, I’m hungry.” Emma held her stomach and made a pouty face. Jordan handed her a small bag of Kale chips to which Emma wrinkled her nose, but she took the bag anyway and crunched down on a salty green chip.

“Where are we?” It was Lucy, awake and staring out the car window at the seemingly endless fields of grass.

“We’re on an adventure to see some mermaids.” Lawrence smiled that charming, captivating smile that first caught Jordan’s eye and winked at the girls through the rearview mirror.

“Mermaids, mermaids, mermaids!” Emma chortled. Lucy put on her headphones and rolled her eyes.

About fifteen minutes later, they saw another ornate wooden sign. This one in the shape of a dragon, its snake like body curling around the wooden post that stuck out of the ground.

Magical Emporium of Fantastical Creatures

Open Year Round

All Visitors Welcome

<---------

Lawrence turned into the drive. Tall grass slapped at the bottom of the car and little pebbles shot up, pinging the doors and the front windshield. The path was lined with wooden statues depicting the most famous of mythical creatures. They saw a bright red and orange Phoenix, a Centaur reared back on its hind legs ready to throw the javelin in its hand, a Pegasus with wings spread wide and Gryphon perched on a high ledge looking ready to spring at its prey.

When they reached the end of the drive, a giant mansion of white stone stood amidst a white drive made of crushed shells. Surrounding it was a meticulously groomed yard with fountains, a hedge maze, and what looked like giant bonsai trees. This was certainly not what he was expecting and did a double take when he saw what looked like a giant tree growing through the roof of the expansive house.

~~~~

“Whoa!” He heard both his daughter say in unison. Their eyes were big, taking it all in. As they neared a parking spot, an old man stepped out onto the giant front porch and stood leaning on his cane. He was dressed in a purple suit, a burgundy top hat, and sported a black bow-tie adorned with pink and white flower heads. His shoes were an unblemished white and the cane looked, to Lawrence, to be made of ivory. Lawrence threw the car into park and they piled out. The air felt electrified, like a storm was on the horizon, but the sky was calm and clear.

They made their way toward the old man, marveling in the size of the mansion and the grounds on which is stood. Who would have known such a place existed, let alone off a country road in the middle of nowhere Michigan.

“Welcome, my friends,” the old man bellowed, his voice jovial and warm, “to Mr. Latorium’s Magical Emporium of Fantastical Creatures. I’m Mr. Latorium, but my friends call me Peter for short.” He laughed at this, though the joke made little sense. “Are you ready to be thrilled? Inside you will find the world’s only collection of the most exotic creatures ever known to man.”

“Do you have mermaids?” Emma interrupted him, her eyes shining with anticipation.

“Oh, my dear, we do indeed and much more than that. First, though is the matter of payment.” At this he eyed Lawrence greedily.

“And what’s admission run?” Lawrence pulled out his wallet.

“Well,” the man began, “if you all can answer three questions correctly, I’ll let you in for free.” His eyes danced devilishly.

“Alight then,” Lawrence put back his wallet and eyed the man suspiciously, “we’re game.”

“Oh, how wonderful!” The old man squealed. “Here is the first. What delicious treat does the White Witch give Edmund in C.S. Lewis’ The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe?” Jordan smiled at this.

“That’s easy,” she said with lazy confidence, “it was Turkish Delight.”

“Righto, my girl.” The old man laughed and reached into the front pocket of his suit coat. “And, I happen to have some fresh Turkish Delight right here. Prepared this morning by my wonderful cook, Roxanne. Care for a piece?” The two girls reached for the candy, but Lawrence stayed their hands.

“Suit yourself.” Peter said while throwing two pieces into his mouth. Between chews he asked his next question, “Do you know the official name for a Unicorns’ magical horn?”

“I think I know it.” Emma offered, “That book mommy got me from the Library before we left is about Unicorns.”

Jordan racked her brain to come up with the title of the book. She could picture the cover, a blue unicorn dancing in a field full of multi-colored bubbles.

“I think it’s called Ally something mom.” Emma offered helpfully. That was all the jogging Jordan’s memory needed, the book was called Ali the Unicorn’s Magical Alicorn. Jordan whispered in Emma’s ear.

“It’s called an Alicorn, Mr. Pete.” Emma stood there proud of herself while a big smiled played across the old man’s face.

“Right again, my friends. You are two for three! This last one won’t be so easy I’m afraid.” He tipped his hat and bowed low. When we straightened back up he was smiling that devilish grin. “What are the ingredients needed to create the famous Polyjuice Potion from Harry Potter?” The question hung in the air and Lawrence just stared at his family, dumbfounded.

“Wait, I think I know this.” Lucy said counting off on her fingers as she listed off the ingredients in her head. “There’s something from the person you are trying to change into, Leeches, Fluxweed…” she continued to count on her fingers. “…and then Knotgrass, Lacewing Flies…” Lawrence was amazed. He knew that she was a massive Harry Potter fan, but he had no idea her knowledge went this deep.

“…Powdered Bicorn Horn. Ah man, I think I’m missing one. Shredded Boomsweed or something. Dang, I don’t know.” Lucy’s confident smile melted into a frown.

“It’s Shredded Boomslang, my dear, but close enough for government work as my father used to say!” At that he swung his arms toward the front doors and they swung open, seemingly on some automated hinge.

~~~~

As the family entered the expansive entry way, they saw walls covered in paintings depicting every mythological creature you could imagine. A giant silver chandelier hung above their heads, the light refracting from the adorning crystals and casting star like images on the eggshell colored walls. The old man led them to a large open room with a giant tree growing up and out through the ceiling. It looked like a garden with green and red ferns everywhere and flowers of all colors. Amidst the flora, ran a white fence that looked as smooth as marble and created a checkerboard pattern throughout the room. In each square of the fenced checkerboard were animals of all sorts eyeing the family with faint curiosity.

The girls squealed in unison and ran past Lawrence and Jordan to get a closer look. The old man stood off in the corner, leaning on his cane, and smiling that devil’s grin.

~~~~

Lucy and Emma ran toward the giant tree in the center of the room. Its ancient trunk massive and imposing. An umbrella of dangling branches hung high above their heads. Around the tree were tiny elf hat shaped mushrooms shining a bright, iridescent blue. A little sign poked out of the mushrooms warning would be interlopers to stay off. A green swirling light emanated from a hole in the massive trunk. The girls stood at the edge of the mushroom field and stared into the light. It spun and snaked around itself in a hypnotic rhythmic dance.

A stomping of hooves snapped the girls out of their trance and Lucy turned around and stood by the smooth white fence peering at owner of the clomping hooves. Emma climbed up two of the rungs to get a better look and they stared in wide eyed fascination.

In front of them stood a muscular white horse with a flowing purple mane. Its white hair flawless and glowing from the light of the mushrooms. Sprouting from the head was a golden bony appendage that twisted out and around itself coming to a sharp point, its gold outer coat reflecting the light in sparkling bursts. Lucy and Emma both reached out in dreamy slow motion to pet the Unicorn.

~~~~

Lawrence and Jordan stood on the opposite side of the room next to a giant fish tank that stood behind the white marble barrier. Beyond the old tree that stood in the center of the room surrounded by brown button mushrooms, Lawrence saw the girls petting a white horse that looked poorly spray painted. On its head, it appeared someone had attached a twisted brown tree branch to make it look like a horn. A glance around the room quickly evaporated the glamour of his initial awe. In the corner was an old goat, sleeping on a bed of hay, a hawk with painted red wings stood in a cage in the exhibit next to the goat and on the other side a fox paced back and forth, its eyes darting between Lawrence and the girls.

Lawrence turned around to inspect the fish tank, glad that he hadn’t spent any money on this farce of a petting zoo. In the tank Lawrence found himself staring at what looked like a grotesque salamander with long blue and orange anemone like appendages sprouting from its head.

~~~~

Emma left Lucy at the fox exhibit where the little canine was transforming back and forth from a furry red fox into a young boy. Emma thought that was a cool trick, but she really wanted to see mermaids. Her parents were a couple exhibits down, past a fiery red bird that periodically burst into bright blue flames and beyond a funny bearded man with the body of a goat sleeping on a bed of hay.

She tugged at her dad’s pant leg and he picked her up. In the giant fish tank was a small, but beautiful woman with flowing black hair. Her skin was a milky white and below her exposed belly button, it morphed into shimmering blue and orange scales forming into a wide, whale like tail. She swam in a lazy “S” pattern, her shiny black hair wrapping around her body like a cloak. She blew a kiss at Emma as the little girl clung to her dad, her face alight with wonder and awe, and then gave a large flick of her tail, swimming to the back of the tank, her shimmering scales disappearing into a school of tropical fish.

Fantasy
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About the Creator

Ryan Mills

I'm a nerdy dad of two beautiful girls living in the Pacific Northwest. My beautiful better half convinced me to use my English degree for something more creative than grant writing.

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