Z is for Zookeeper – A to Z Challenge April 2015

A to Z Challenge - April 2015, Short Stories 1 Minute

Jack gave some lettuce to the old turtle, what a wise and gentle fellow, apparently he was close to one hundred years in age.

What wouldn’t he give to be able to talk to these zoo animals?

For two weeks now, Jack was working as a Zookeeper. To his parents’ shock, he had decided to quit his well payed job in a law firm and follow his passion. After years of working in a sterile environment, he had finally dared to go out into the wild, the insecurity of following his true self.

In Jack’s case that was being a Zookeeper.

Climbing into the lion’s cage, Jack didn’t even shiver. He felt confident, this was his childhood dream after all. Kneeling down he stroked the lion’s mane. Like a kitten this one purred and rolled onto his back to have his belly caressed as well. “Why did I not do this earlier?” Jack thought to himself.

“JACK! WOW, BE CAREFUL!” someone shouted from outside of the cage. It was one of Jack’s colleagues.

“No worries, this one is like a kitten” Jack replied with a broad smile.

“If you say so, but you know, the male you are cuddling there, is known to be a true danger for us zookeepers, you don’t even have the necessary professional experience!” was the answer from outside.

Jack didn’t mind the remarks from his experienced colleagues, he didn’t have any education or experience in the field, he was a natural,

“Or am I not?” he asked the great purring and sleeping cat.

Written by Solveig Werner

This marks the end of the A to Z Challenge of April 2015. I have had a lot of fun, and you all have been such a great support. I’ll treat you to an A to Z reflections post on Monday. 

Published

21 thoughts on “Z is for Zookeeper – A to Z Challenge April 2015”

    1. Thank you Anabel! I am so glad to have made it, The moment I signed up I knew that I would have to pull it through. I am so glad I did, you did, we did 🙂
      It was great getting myself back into writing, discovering blogs and making great blogging friends 🙂

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      1. Yes!!! That is one of the best things about these challenges. It was a kick start to my blog last year (I had just started it the month before) but this year was so much more successful in that regard! 🙂

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  4. I love: “…he had finally dared to go out into the wild, the insecurity of following his true self,” which sounds just as frightening and risky as petting a lion in a cage (for which he has such easy confidence).

    Have you read Hannah Tinti’s “Animal Crackers”? It’s a short story collection, and I loved every story in it, but there’s one about a zoo you might like. She tells the story from some of the animals’ perspectives, and somehow it’s not cute or goofy but rather thought-provoking. http://hannahtinti.com/animal-crackers/

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    1. Thank you 🙂 It always boosts my confidence and happiness when you leave a comment with my short stories 🙂
      I have not heard of those stories up until now, but I will check the out.

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  5. Congrats on reaching the end of the A-Z. It’s been a long month and it was nice to meet you, Looking forward to more of your writing 🙂

    … I think Jack might be in for a surprise when the kitty wakes up 😉

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    1. Thank you! We’ll see, maybe it will have to continue. I have the feeling that many of my flash fiction pieces are just small introductions to something else…

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  6. Your posts are so delicate, so sensual. Every one makes me ponder life for a moment. I want to know more, and I realize this is the way I feel about every passing, truly interesting person I meet. Lovely.

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    1. Thank you, I miss A to Z already, I had so much fun getting my inspiration running at a high speed (won’t say full, because I do believe that there is potential for more).

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  9. Pingback: Post A to Z Road Trip | Solveig Werner

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