A night at the zoo
“Growlll… these clouds make me grow a tail”, the bear mumbles. “You’ve already got one man”, the giraffe answers. “Oh, here we go again”, the bear replies, “I’m getting sick and tired of not being able to do some decent earthgazing for so long. I bet someone is writing an observing report down there. About yesterday evening”. “Yeah man”, the giraffe answers, “I haven’t got them eyes in them pockets. I was watching him when it finally got clear. And sure enough, he only had an eye for them bulls and dogs man. He didn’t even bother looking our way. We were just them missing links man”. “Who called me?”, the lynx asks, who comes running up enthusiastically wagging its tail. “Yes”, the bear grumbles, “Can you do something about these clouds?”
“I’m afraid not”, the lynx replies, “but the guy next door can”. “Hmmm”, the bear growls, “He’s sound asleep, as usual”. “No problem, I can fix that man”, the giraffe says, while stretching out his long neck and poking the dragon in the belly with the head. “Grmbmblblbmblbml”, the dragon mumbles, “Whazzup?”, while his bad breath spontaneously bursts into a vicious flame. “Bearyman want to see them people down there”, the giraffe answers. “Which bear do you mean? That polar bear?”. “No, me”, the big bear growls. “Ah, fat dipper!”, the dragon roars. And along with that roar a sizable blowtorch burns straight through the clouds. “Thanks old chap”, the bear growls, while the dragon lays itself to rest again. “And now don’t even think of bothering me again”, the flame thrower reptile barely manages to grumble while dozing into sleep again.
The lynx decides to get his binoculars. “Blimey, no one outside down there. Must be sittin’ inside with his laptop”. The bear also grabs his binos and comes to the same conclusion. But the giraffe wants to be sure and sticks his long neck around the corner. “Yeah man, ‘e doesn’t even notice its clear outside. But look, what’s that man?”, the giraffe asks himself aloud. “That is a woman getting into her car. Like you have never seen that before”, the bear grumbles. “And look at the guy in the doorway, he looks only too familiar. And I think he got it at last”. “Yes!”, the lynx wags enthusiastically, “here he goes with his goodies. New game, new chances!”
A few minutes later the animals are witnessing a familiar scene. A shadowy hooded figure is sitting beside a big white tube east of the white house. The tube is moving, and… “Crikey, he’s aiming for me!” the lynx meows. ” ‘E’s looking for your hairball man”, the giraffe jokes.
Again, the telescope moves, and now the giraffe gets excited. “Yeah man! The stain in my neck man!”, longneck shouts, and rightly so.
Again the big white tube moves. “Well, well”, the bear growls, “now it is my neck’s turn. But is going to be a tough find since it is one faint long stain.”
Once again, the scope moves. The little polar bear jumps up with excitement and semi-accidentally lands on the dragon’s tail. “By Jove!”, the dragon hisses, “can’t a beast get a decent sleep up here?” But the polar bear is way to excited. “Your tail, your tail!”, he keeps hollering. “What about my tail?” the sleepy dragon yawns. “Just take a look down here”, the little bear replies.
Now it is the dragon’s turn to get excited. After all, a certain extent of vanity is not foreign to such an animal. “How very interesting. Who would believe I would witness such an event during this new moon period?”, the dragon blowtorches.
In the meantime, downstairs, stuff is being packed up again, since it is by 2 am by now. “Yeah man, it’s about time”, the giraffe confirms, “it’s got late yesterday too. Them people need sleep man”.
The rest of the night remains clear and the four animals enjoy themselves looking at all the people down there enjoying themselves at the four animals and the rest of the zoo around them. Here and there, small groups of people have gathered in dark places. And that makes them feel good. “Cloudblowtorching. Good idea, dragon!”, the bear growls. “You might consider doing that again”.