Theme Prompt - Zoo

Today was finally the day! John could barely contain his excitement as he ate breakfast with his older sister and mother. There was a school-wide field trip to the zoo today that the teachers had been planning for a month now. At seven, John had only been to the zoo once and it was one of his best memories. He could hear his mother sighing as he wiggled in his chair but John was far too excited to stop.

Once breakfast was over, his mother walked him to the bus stop. Harry went to another school and walked on her own. John waited impatiently, rocking on his feet as he stared down the street. He knew the bus wasn’t late but it felt that way all the same. He really wanted to go to the zoo.

“Now, John, I want you to behave on this field trip,” Mrs. Watson cautioned her son. “Listen to the teachers and the chaperones.”

John nodded and let out an excited whoop when he saw the bus turn the corner. Mrs. Watson sighed again and shook her head fondly. John really was a good boy, he just got a little too into things. She was certain she had nothing to worry about; John had a lot of respect for his elders and knew to listen to them. Watching as John boarded the bus and waved to his friends, Mrs. Watson wiped away a tear. John was growing up so fast, sometimes she could almost see it happening. She waved goodbye as the bus pulled away and headed home. She had some work to do before her children came home.

John talked with his friends, everyone comparing notes about the last time they’d gone to the zoo. His friend Mikey was going on about the monkeys while Jason was talking about the bears and wolves. John really wanted to see the lions. He’d studied them and found them absolutely fascinating. The only child not saying anything was little Sherlock Holmes. He was a few years younger than the other boys even though he was in the same grade. He’d been allowed to skip ahead because he was just that blindingly smart. John always felt a little intimidated by him but never joined in the other boys taunts. There was something sad about Sherlock that made John almost want to protect him.

The bus ride seemed to take longer than usual due to excitement but soon pulled up outside the school. Everyone piled out and headed to their classes. Teachers took the role quickly, wanting to get the students back on the buses and out to the zoo. Besides, the kids were struggling to contain themselves, unable to stay quiet for very long. When they headed back out, John found himself walking next to Sherlock. The black-haired boy was small and thin, shorter than John and John was by no means the tallest. Sherlock walked with his head down, a notebook clutched tightly in his hands.

“Hey, Sherlock, why you bringing a notebook?” John asked curiously. “We don’t have to do any work at the zoo. We’re just gonna have fun.”

“I’m researching something,” Sherlock replied vaguely, glancing at John out of the corner of his eye. He knew what to expect from the other boys, taunts and bullying, but John tended to be a complete mystery. It was refreshing for the boy who usually knew everything about everyone. “I don’t want to forget so I’m going to write everything down.”

“John, hurry up!” Mikey called as he climbed the steps into the bus. “We’re first on! We can get the back seats!”

“Good luck with that, Sherlock,” John said, hurrying ahead. He loved sitting in the back of the bus; it was like riding a rollercoaster, a little bit. Sherlock didn’t say anything, just stared after John with longing in his eyes. He wanted to belong, to have a friend. Someone to sit next to on the bus. Sherlock shuffled into the bus, not far behind John. There, he got a surprise: he ended up sitting next to John as Mikey and Jason had taken the seats on one side. Sherlock sat down quickly, curling in on himself and holding the notebook over his chest like a shield. Mikey and Jason were one of the worst when it came to taunts. They liked to call him freak and weirdo.

But, with John sitting on the aisle side, they completely ignored Sherlock. The three boys talked constantly about the animals they were going to see and what they might buy at the gift shop. Sherlock spent the ride alternately staring out the window and staring at John. He thought he might like a friend if it were John. He seemed kinder than all the rest and there was something inherently good about him. Amusing himself, Sherlock deduced that John had an older sister and that his mother was divorced. They also didn’t have a lot of money; John’s clothes were old though well cared for.

About a half hour later, the buses pulled up outside the zoo. Two statues of lions flanked the entryway and there were places on them that had been rubbed smooth over time. Sherlock could tell that hundreds of kids had gotten up on the lions’ backs, much as some of the students were doing now. He watched as John laughed at his friends, pretending they were soldiers riding off into battle on the lions. Sighing, Sherlock turned away from the group and headed into the zoo. He wanted a lot of time for the research he’d planned and he didn’t want to be interrupted. He didn’t notice John’s eyes following him.

John wanted to go after Sherlock but didn’t want to leave his friends either. Figuring he’d run into the younger boy somewhere in the zoo, John walked with Mikey and Jason. They headed to the primate house first since it was closest. Walking through the house was a bit like walking through a jungle. There were all kinds of plants and trees inside and all the boys started sweating at the humid temperatures. Mikey stopped outside the exhibit that housed the gorillas, studying the quiet creatures. There were three in the enclosure, eating bananas and staring out at the children goggling at them. They were very human-like and even John was interested. Finally, Jason pushed them on, wanting to see the bears and then the wolves.

The boys wandered around the entire zoo, exclaiming over this and that exhibit. The wolves were actually a bit of a disappointment as they were all hiding from the sun. The bears were sleeping on the rocks near the little pond in their enclosure and only shook their heads sleepily when Jason yelled. John finally got to see the lions, a magnificent male staring regally back at them from his rock. The sun glinted off his mane, turning the sandy brown hair almost golden. Three lionesses watched warily from the grass underneath the rock, their eyes tracking every movement. John spent so long watching them that Mikey and Jason headed off on their own.

While John was staring at the lions and having a good time, Sherlock was spending his time watching the elephants. He’d read that they were very intelligent, even more so than primates and dolphins. They also were very family oriented and cared for their young. Sherlock wanted to see this, wanted to have an idea of what a caring family would be like. He was so absorbed, even hours later, that he didn’t even hear the footsteps behind him as John walked up.

“So you wanted to study elephants?” John asked, leaning against the railing that kept patrons from getting too close to the enclosure. He chuckled quietly when Sherlock jumped and stared at him with wide eyes. “What do you want to learn?”

“More about them,” Sherlock grumbled, trying to mask the jump by rearranging his notebook. He could tell it didn’t work when John chuckled. “I like elephants.”

“I do too,” John said, looking out at the elephant closest to them. It was placidly drinking water and spraying it over its back. “They’re really smart, you know. Kind of like you, I guess. You’d have to be smart to skip grades like you did.”

“Elephants are nearly as smart as humans,” Sherlock replied, skipping over the last part of John’s little speech. He wasn’t quite sure how to reply to it. But he thought he heard a thread of admiration in the words. “And they take care of their families. That’s important. They care.”

John glanced at Sherlock in surprise at the vehemence in the other boy’s words. Sherlock’s lips were set in a frown, his eyes hard for one so young. He was watching the elephant rather than meeting John’s eyes. Knowing the signs, as his father had been less than stellar, John reached out and patted Sherlock’s shoulder.

“I know that feeling,” he said softly. “Families should care for each other. It hurts when they don’t. Feels like something’s wrong, you know?”

“Yes,” Sherlock agreed, turning startled eyes to John. John smiled and nodded, letting Sherlock know that he understood. They stared at each other for a few seconds, coming to an accord. As one, they turned back to watching the elephant that was now ambling through its enclosure. One of the teachers found them still there, about an hour later when it was time to leave. Sherlock sighed regretfully as he closed his notebook and tucked the pen back into his pocket. Then they followed after the teacher, still not speaking.

After that day, John started spending more time with Sherlock. Slowly, the younger boy started to open up and talk with John. They became close friends by the end of the school year and were inseparable over the summer. Sherlock was a frequent guest at John’s house and Mrs. Watson treated him like another son. And, even though John noticed the tears in Sherlock’s eyes the first time it happened, they never mentioned anything about it. It was understood that Sherlock was welcome anytime. Sherlock was overjoyed to finally have a family who cared and John was happy to have provided it.