"So, I got the job at the zoo." Vince told Dolly and Naboo. "Sweet," Naboo added "We're co-workers!" Naboo took a job at the Zooniverse as a gypsy shaman two summers ago and never left.

Vince finally convinced Brian to let him move out of the forest and into the real world. He was 16 now, like Naboo and Dolly, old enough to handle a little change.

"Why would you want to waste your summer scooping up animal poop?" Dolly asked, in her thick German accent. Dolly's dad owned a big shipping company in Yorkshire, so she never had or wanted a job being, "Daddy's little princess" and all.

"It's so much more than that Dolly." Vince protested. "I get to learn more about the animals and, study under a real zoo keeper." Vince stated excitedly. Dolly scoffed.

The group walked out the doors of Yorkshire high, their summer had begun. Vince and Naboo waved goodbye to Dolly and walked across the street to the zoo. Bob Fossil, the zoo manger, opened the gate. "Have fun." Naboo added. Bob handed a list of things to do to Vince as he entered. First was, feed the giraffe or, long neck horse, as Bob put it. Vince got his supplies and went to work. He went into the giraffe's cage and set down his feed bucket. "Hello." He greeted. The giraffe turned around.

"You're not Howard." She said. "Who is this girl? Why doesn't Bob talk to me before he makes changes?"

"Oh," Vince started. "Where are my manners, I am Vince Noir." He bowed. The giraffe looked surprised. "You can understand me?" She asked. Vince nodded. "How rude of me I am truly sorry, I am Margret." She bowed her long spotted neck. "Pleased to meet you." Vince said.

He and Margret talked as he cleaned her cage and fed her. After he had finished he paused.

"Who is Howard?" He asked.

Margret spoke of Howard Moon the other zoo keeper, a multi-instrumentalist who solely wrote and composed jazz. Vince gagged. "Gross!" He exclaimed.

"Have even heard jazz?" Margret asked. Vince shook his head. "Howard is amazing at it." She continued. "I've only heard recordings, but it is magical." "Why won't he play for you?" asked Vince. "I don't know, I guess it gives him stage fright." She concluded.

Around nine o'clock Vince finished his choirs and headed to the hut he would share with Howard. No one was in it. There were bunk beds in the corner. The bottom was occupied with paper wads, this must be Howards bunk. Vince sighed and climbed to the top. He changed into his Gary Numan pajamas and went to sleep.

Around three he heard stumbling in the room. He turned to face the wall. The lights came on. He saw a figure get close to the bunks. The figure stood right behind him and began to breathe heavily. He shut his eyes tighter and tighter, hoping that it would go away. It stumbled back to the door and turned off the lights. With grumblings, it rolled into bed underneath his bunk.

Vince got up early in the morning to get his chores done; also to avoid an awkward encounter with his roommate. As he was cleaning out Jack the fox's cage, he saw a man with Margret. Margaret had headphones on her ears that were attached to a record player. She was nodding her head gently tugging at the cord.

"I was really good back in the day," said the man.

He chuckled as she nodded. He had long ash brown hair that looked like smoke coming from the top of his head. He had a minuscule mustache. The man glanced up from his work to look at Vince. Vince shyly looked away and went back to what he was doing.

Margaret looked down at the man concerned and looked at Vince; the man nodded and walked over to the edge of the cage.

"Hello there little man," the man started. "When did you get here?" Vince looked up from his work nervously. "Last night." The older man nodded. "Well hello, I am the head zookeeper here Howard Moon." The man stuck his hand out between the bars. Vince looked at his hand, it was sweaty and dirty and he did not want to touch it. Vince looked disgusted that the man's hand.

"Oh come on little man it's a zoo," he said. "You've got to learn to get dirty here." Vince shook the man's hand very weakly. "So welcome aboard, I will teach you everything you need to know about this zoo." Vince nodded wiping his hand on his jacket.

For the rest of the day Howard showed him around telling him about all of the animals and what he should do to take care of them.

"So little man, you excited for your new summer job?" asked the man. "Yes very excited, I've never been out of the jungle before. The only human interaction that I've had was with Bryan." Howard leaned closer interested.

"So you used to live with animals?"

"Yes," Vince responded "and most of then are very nice but it's cool to get away from them once in a while." Howard had a questioning look on his face. "That sounds horrible living with animals, how could you stand not being able to hold a conversation with someone?"

"No we talked all the time," Vince added "they were all a bunch of troublemakers." Vince giggled. Howard scoffed disbelieving. Vince looked down ashamed.

Later that day Vince went to talk to his stand. "I don't know Naboo, I feel like I want him to like me." Naboo put his hand on Vince's shoulder. "You've never been around people for all that much so it's completely understandable." Naboo said. "Yeah Naboo you're right," Vince stood up proudly. "I can always count on you."
"What are friends for?" Naboo added shrugging his shoulders.

Vince went back to the giraffe enclosure to see how Margaret was doing. They chatted for a while. As they did Howard watched him. He seemed to actually be holding a legit conversation with the creature. Maybe he really could talk to animals? Howard walked up to Vince as he was talking to Margaret. "Okay kid this is funny and all but I know this isn't really happening. You can't really talk to animals." Vince began to protest. "Yes I can!" He really wasn't that defensive but when it came to his talents he refused to deny them. "Okay then," Howard challenged. "What is Margaret saying?"

Margaret began to winning and huff. Vince nodded at her. He turned to look at Howard "she says Howard you're being very ridiculous and need to knock it off." Howard shook his head. Vince continued "this kid knows exactly what he's talking about. Also work on that B-flat in that trumpet solo." Howard looked shocked. "Have you listened to my records?" Vince shook his head. "No gross, I hate jazz." Howard walked closer to Margaret. "In which measure?" Vince listened to Margaret's winning. "82" Howard looked back at Vince and smiled.

"I'm not a freak you know." Vince added. Howard nodded "you're going to do very well here."