As he walked across those cages he felt a sudden look, and he turned one side, and the other, and he saw nothing. He kept walking and he asked himself about the weather, not that it really mattered. And so he kept going, he remembered being there, long ago, when there was still grass at the entrance, and the cages where full of animals. But now, as the zoo was abandoned by the owners and forgotten by the people, he found himself there, alone, walking through the aisles which once where his playground, and he remembered, vaguely, those days.
Then, he felt a cold wind, and he stopped. What was he doing there? He felt a little lost as he turned around and he saw the crocodile, it was big, very big, just as he remembered, “Stay away from that cage son.” He could listen. From far away, a voice kept telling him that, a voice which he had forgotten, but still it sounded very familiar, a voice that ached now. Deep in his bones, that voice caused an enormous pain.

So, he sat by the side of the crocodile’s cage. He watched him for a minute, or two, or maybe it was for hours. The crocodile looked back at him and they exchanged sights, and he was waiting for something to happen. Then he felt a raindrop in his feet, and he realized he was barefoot, and he felt it again and again. It stared raining and he didn’t move. Suddenly someone was running towards him and with a worried and broken voice shouted, “Todd! Todd!” She reached him, and hugged him, “Where have you been?, Why would you do this?, have you any idea how scared I was?” Todd looked at her, and she was crying. But she kept talking “They just ca-called me… a-a-an they told me you where gone, we’ve been looking for you for… over 7 hours,” Todd kept that indifferent smile he always had, “Come here, you dummy, lets dry you and take you home.”
She helped him up, and they walked away, and as Todd turned to the cage, a red marvel fell from the crocodile’s eye. And he kept walking. They both left the abandoned place, which hadn’t had any animals for 20 years. Gina took her phone out, and dialed, “I’ve found him”.
The nurse walked towards the nurse’s station, “They’ve found 511”

[ Mrs K i t e ]