Author's Note: I was going to end the story here but a few folks asked for more chapters so I'll see what I can come up with.
Five Hours in Ye Old London
Chapter 14: Vignettes from the Zoo Part I
"Come on!" Ashley cried as she tried to drag her reluctant mother towards the doorway from the sitting room. "We're going to miss all the animals if we don't get going!"
"There's plenty of time to see the animals," her mother insisted, digging her heels into the ground to prevent them from going further. "They aren't going anywhere. Before we head out we need to go over the ground rules."
Ashley gave out a loud groan, as did the others behind them. "We already did that," the girl whined. "I want to go now, mommy!"
"In a minute," Helen firmly stated and sat back down onto the couch. She silently scanned her daughter's appearance once more and was pleased at what she saw. The girl was dressed in a long, knee length white tunic with delicate orange, embroidered flowers and green vine details and underneath was orange pants with the flowers and vines reversed in white. The outfit had been sent from India as a gift from Ravi's wife and Helen had selected it specifically because of its bright colors. It would make it easier to spot Ashley in the night setting of the Zoo in those areas where the lighting was lower. Kate had fishtail braided the child's hair into to two ponytails that ended with matching green and orange ribbons. Helen would never boast it aloud but she and John certainly made a beautiful child together and she couldn't wait to see what the next one would look like.
Taking pity on his eager daughter, as well as everyone else in the room, John interceded. "Helen, we have already been briefed. Ashley has been told to stay with us the entire time and we all have our assignments regarding what activity we are to participate in with her. She has already memorized her safety words in case someone tries to approach her pretending to be one of us," he tried to reassure his worried lover. "I know you want to be cautious but everything will be fine, really. We will all keep an eye on her. Tonight she just needs to be a little girl and enjoy her upcoming birthday."
Helen sighed, knowing he was right but worrying nevertheless. Every since Ashley had been reborn Helen had begun having anxiety attacks, something she had never experience before, whenever they took the child outside Sanctuary grounds.
Deciding to take control, James stood up and held out his hand to his date to signify they were leaving. "Of course everything will be fine," he deeply intoned as he gave the child a smile. "We're going to have a fun evening together and your mother is going to lighten up and try not to be an old fuddy duddy tonight."
"What's a fuddy duddy?" Ashley asked as she scuffed the floor with her slippers. She had all this pent up energy that needed unleashing and if they didn't leave soon she was going to start screaming or jumping up and down on the couch. There were animals waiting to be petted and a horse to be ridden.
"At this moment? Your mother," James retorted, smirking at his frowning colleague.
"I am not," Helen shot back, "and who are you calling old? We're the same age."
"Yes, but I'm young at heart," James wisecracked back. "You're beginning to sound… how shall I put it? Matronly?" he teased, grinning wider as she suddenly stood and glared at him. Helen was very sexy when her sapphire eyes were flashing angrily.
"Matronly?" she repeated as her eyes narrowed. "Really? You think I look matronly?" She was dressed in an ankle length, form hugging red Chinese gown with high slits up on either side. Black strappy heels with a small red flower and a black shawl with red border completed the look. Her hair was perfectly curled and pulled over to the side. She was impeccably dressed to impress and she sure as hell wasn't dressed matronly.
"There is absolutely nothing matronly about that dress," Nikola drawled as he openly looked her up and down, earning him a glare back from the always possessive Druitt. "If that's matronly I think all women should suffer from such a condition."
James snorted. "Temper, my good doctor. I would never accuse you of looking matronly. I said you were beginning to sound matronly. Now, before you haul off and belt me with something in a fit of temper, how about we head out for the vehicles and begin our evening of fun and frolic?"
"Yes," John said, standing up as well. "We're all dressed in our finest, so why are we wasting time here when we could be out making a splash on the town?"
"Dinner would be great," Henry said as he pulled at his collar, "but I still don't get why we have to wear the monkey suits. We're going to the zoo!"
Nikola snickered. "Aw, is poor Wolfie uncomfortable in formal attire? Perhaps something more fuzzy would suit your taste? I know, we can get you a panda bear suit and you can roam around entertaining the kids and taking pictures with them."
"Only if you wear an accompanying bat suit," Henry tossed back. "With your hair already spiked up like that you'll look perfectly natural if we hang you up upside down."
"A bat piñata," John drawled. "That's not a bad idea. We can stuff candy in the outfit and charge a dollar for a swing at the puffed up bat." He flashed Nikola a grin. "It is a charity event after all."
Rolling her eyes, Kate stood up. "As entertaining as the idea of you two dressed up in animal costumes being whacked by small children in a fit of sugary frenzy is, I am dressed to the nines in a slinky black dress and looking hot. We're wasting time standing around here exchanging barbs when we could be at a swanky party with flowing champagne and hopefully single, rich men."
"A girl's got to have her priorities," Watson's date agreed and winked at him.
Leaning close, he asked in an amused tone, "And what exactly are your priorities, hmm?"
"Zoo! Now!" Ashley cried, stomping her feet impatiently on the wooden floor. "I'm going to start screaming if I don't get to pet an animal soon!" The angry scowl on her little face reminded the adults in the room of the true purpose of tonight's activities. They were going to the zoo in early celebration of the child's upcoming seventh birthday.
"To the zoo," Helen agreed, quickly walking past her glowering daughter to the door. Ashley, realizing the adults were starting to leave without her, squealed, "Wait for me!" and ran to catch up with her parents.
At six in the evening, the sky was still bright blue and light when they arrived at the Old City Zoo. The exclusive charity event was limited to 100 people thus assuring that the attendees would have one-on-one opportunities with the animals at designated interaction spots. Thematic food stations were strategically placed throughout for attendees to sample as they wandered from one tier of the zoo, which was located partly on a hillside, up onto the next. Six-seater golf carts offered taxi service between activity areas to those attendees whose feet grew weary or were too lazy to walk.
The wide-eyed look of awe on the child's face as she looked around pushed away any residual anxiety Helen had about bringing her out into the open. John had been right in his earlier assessment that Ashley needed to be allowed to just be a child tonight and play. "Well, where shall we start?" she said as they stared at the maps they'd been given upon entry.
"Giraffes!" Ashley excitedly said as she stared at the map pinned low on a nearby board. "No, horses. No, kangaroos! No, wait, sea otters!" The adults laughed at the child's enthusiasm.
"Champagne," Nikola announced, strolling towards the first food station offering chocolate dipped fruit and glasses of champagne and wine.
"There aren't any animals in champagne," Ashley whined as she followed the adults to the serving station. "I want to feed a giraffe, now!"
Giving her daughter "the look" that told her to behave, Helen instructed, "The food stations are set near each animal station. We're supposed to eat and drink something each time we visit an animal." She picked up a small glass plate and began to put a few pieces of fruit onto it. "Eat first, then visit the animal," she commanded as she accepted the glass of champagne John offered her.
"Fine," Ashley grumbled as she stomped up to the refreshment table and reached for four chocolate strawberries which she crammed into her mouth. "There," she mumbled, "can we go now?"
Nikola choked on his champagne at the hilarious sight of his goddaughter with her cheeks stuffed with strawberries like a chipmunk hoarding nuts. The other adults burst out laughing except her mother who was not amused at the fruit sticking out of Ashley's mouth as she tried to talk.
"You're going to eat all of that properly," Helen reprimanded, "before we go see the giraffes."
"Aw," Ashley grumbled as she tried to chew the large berries in her mouth. When red juice started running down her mouth, John quickly handed her a napkin and put an empty plate near her mouth, allowing her to spit out the rest before she choked. Seeing the horrified look on her mother's face, Ashley quietly swiped her mouth and reached for another piece of fruit, this time eating it properly. "Yummy," she complimented in the hopes of getting her mother back into a better mood.
Sighing, Helen finished off the fruit on her plate and placed the empty plate and her half full glass of champagne on a nearby cleaning station. "Which way to the giraffes?" she asked, not at all surprised when Ashley piped up, "this way!" and started skipping forward.
Five minutes later they were standing on one of several wooden platforms that made up a tree house tucked away in a dense section of tall trees. It turned out that each golden ticket covered all eight people at a table, which made sense since each table involved a $10,000 donation to the zoo's educational programming series. Their attendant had handed them branches of acacia and wild apricot to attract the attention of the giraffes below and all were waving them at the majestic creatures. Looking around, Helen estimated there were at least five other families on different platforms doing the same thing and had to smile at the enthusiastic tones of the children as they tried to lure a giraffe over. They were the only family with just one child but that would change soon enough. In another five months Helen Magnus would be a mother of two.
Their attendant had suggested that Ashley wave her twigs more slowly so as not to frighten the animals and, upon following her instruction, the child was thrilled when two of the creatures wobbled over. "They're coming!" she squealed in a loud whisper, suddenly jumping back into her father as a head popped through the branches right in front of her. John's hand went to steady her as he grinned at the spotted head peering at them with great interest.
"It looks like Penny wants to taste your offering," the female attendant encouraged the child. "Go on, offer her a branch. She's very sweet. She's the youngest of our newborn giraffes."
Holding up the branch, Ashley was suddenly pulled forward as Penny tugged the leaves off the branch. "Whoa!" she cried out as she held onto the branch. Alarmed that she might be pulled over the wooden railing, John's arm shot around her waist from behind while Helen's arm moved across Ashley's front. As Penny's head moved up the branch they were able to stroke the soft head.
"It's so soft," Kate said in awe as she stroke the head of Penny's mother, who was feeding off the branches she, Henry, James and his date were offering. All were grinning and digging their heels into the platform as the adult giraffe tugged on their branches.
"Penny's got half of a moustache," Ashley pointed out as she touched the horizontal white marking on the creature's muzzle.
"Maybe Penny's a Paul," Nikola retorted, then squeaked and jumped back as Penny's black tongue shot out grab the forgotten branch in his left hand.
"Ewww," Ashley giggled as she touched the tongue as it retracted. "She's got such a long, black tongue!"
"Ewww is an understatement," Nikola griped in disgust as he scooted back further. "That is disgusting."
"Oh stop being such a girly man," James called out, causing the others to snicker. "It's an herbivore, Vlad."
"Yeah, well I'm not," Nikola retorted, causing the attendant to gasp and stare at him in surprise.
"Ignore him," John assured the girl, "We do." He picked up two more branches from the stack behind him and held them out to Ashley and her mother, whose branches had been picked clean already.
"Smile for the camera," Henry called out as he took pictures of the group. His timing couldn't have been more perfect for at that moment Penny's black tongue reached for the branch by Ashley's face and slid across her cheek as it pulled back the leaves. Eyes wide, Ashley squealed "Eww! She kissed me!" just as Henry took the shot.
"I think I'm going to be sick," Nikola griped and quickly walked down the stairs off the platform. He needed a drink, maybe two, to repress the sight of that black tongue wiggling around.
"Well her mother's getting a little too friendly," James commented as he tried to push back the large head that had pinned him against a tree trunk while she worked on striping the branch in his grasp. His hand pressed down on his tie as she tried to yank that forward too. "Hey, that's not a pin on," he said and push her head away once more.
His date giggled and straightened his tie. "I would hope not. I would never date a man who wears a pin on tie," she teased. "I prefer the real thing."
"Indeed?" he murmured, going in for a kiss only to be interrupted when Penny's head swung their way and her black tongue slid across his forehead. "Well, that's attractive," he dryly remarked as the others laughed at him. "Anyone got a wet wipe?"
"Penny gave you a kiss too," Ashley proclaimed with a big grin. "She really is friendly."
"Let's hope the rest of the animals won't be as friendly tonight," James muttered as he wiped his forehead with his handkerchief. He drew the line at wildlife with wandering tongues.
Their next stop was the pot sticker feeding station before heading over to the sea lion and otter show. Helen and John looked on proudly as their daughter was selected for a skit with an adorable otter that ended with the two jumping back and forth in a little dance.
"So, this is what it's like to be a normal family on an outing at the zoo," John happily whispered in his lover's ear.
"Wonderful, isn't it?" she murmured back and gave his knee an intimate squeeze.
Ashley's request for an otter following her skit was met with a resounding "No!" from her parents. "Aw," the child whined, "You never give me what I want."
"The children's petting zoo is up next," Helena teased, quickly cutting off her daughter's complaint. "Want to pet a turtle or ferret?"
"Oh boy!" Ashley squealed, grabbing her mother's hand to tug her upright. "Let's go."
The next half hour was whiled away in the petting zoo. Dr. Ellen Hopkins, a friend of Helen's, spoke to the group about the animals being presented while three attendants walked around making sure all the curious children and their parents had opportunities to meet and greet each of the creatures. The highlight of the event occurred when one of the small brown mice, which had crawled up Henry's shoulder, made a break for it by crawling down into the back of Henry's shirt.
While a giggling Kate and a female attendant tried to get Henry's jacket off and his shirt pulled out of his pants to the retrieve the mouse, the freaked out man was yelping "Get it out! Get it out!" and squirming around madly.
"Now this is entertainment," Nikola cracked.
When Henry froze suddenly and croaked "It just went down my pants!" howls of laughter erupted in the room. "Get it out! Get it out!" he chanted again as he twisted his hips around trying to dislodge the rodent in his trousers. Kate doubled over in laughter, giving up any pretense of trying to help.
"Someone should be filming this!" Nikola snorted between laughs. "This is pure comedy gold."
"Oh, I am," Helen laughed as she tried to hold her iPhone steady. "This one's going on our Christmas reel."
Later, a frazzled and disheveled looking Henry rejoined the group at the next food station. They were seated at a round table furthest from the crowd and enjoying heavy hors d'oeuvre. "You were funny, Henry!" Ashley giggled as he sat down next to her. "I don't think poor Teddy liked being in your clothes. He was dizzy when he fell out of your pants onto the floor."
"I wasn't too crazy about him being in my pants either," Henry grumbled, glaring at the snickering vampire seated across from him. The appealing smell of the food caught his attention and he wandered off to the food station to fill his plate. Back at the table, he was half way finished with his food when he noticed the pocket of Ashley's tunic move. Leaning closer to inspect it, he jumped when it moved again. "What's in your pocket?" he cried out in alarm.
"Nothing!" Ashley quickly answered, pulling her napkin up higher onto her waist to cover the lower half of her tunic. "There's nothing in my pocket." She grabbed a chicken finger off her plate and shoved it in his face. "Want a chicken finger? It's really good!" she cooed.
Hearing the exchange, Helen, who was seated on the other side of the child, reached over and lifted the napkin to see her daughter's pocket move. "Ashley?" she said in that "you are so in trouble" tone only a mother could do.
"That's nothing," Ashley declared as her hand clamped down on the moving lump.
"That better not be a mouse," Henry exclaimed. "That especially better not be Teddy the mouse."
A tiny, elongated pink nose peeked out of Ashley's pocket. "Definitely not a mouse," Helen remarked, tilting her head to glare at her naughty child.
"Oops," Ashley muttered, lowering her head to look up through her thick dark lashes at her angry mother.
"Well, I guess we've moved past the normal family at a zoo scenario," John dryly remarked as he stared at his daughter.
"Those odds were never good to begin with," James remarked in amusement. "This family's never been good at being normal."
