It was a normal day at the New York Unique zoo. Well, what we would call unique. Our animals are, different. We have dragons instead of zebras, we have griffins instead of giraffes, and we have goblins instead of mere cats, and we have one lone tiger. His name is Ben. Today, Ben was being a bad boy. He was prowling around inside his space and eyeing you. He looked like a regular tiger, but I didn't think that normal tiger did this. Today, as I was reading the paper, I read of a massive zoo breakout. There was someone, or something that was unlocking all the cages to all the big cats in New York, and our zoo was next! So I put extra security on the job, including the newest member of our team, who I had hired the day before last. That night, I went home thinking that the tiger would not get out.

The next morning, as I drove up, I saw police cars parked in front of the zoo. So I got out, and ran to the cars.

“As a policeman, I cannot let you passed this blockade.” said a tall, stalky policeman, who looked overtired

“Let me through! I am the zoo manager!” I told him as I shoved my way passed him.

The sight that met my eyes was not a pretty one. The security I had hired was not anywhere to be seen. But there was one. His body was mangled and broken. His face twisted into an expression of horror. He had long gashes along his legs, and teeth marks on his face. His stomach had been ripped open, and his intestines were spilled out onto the pavement.

“OH MY GOD!!!!” I screamed. “WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM!?!?”

“The tiger in your zoo got out last night. We don't know who did it, but we are examining the scene.” said another policeman, quite resembling a oompa loompa.

So I looked over to the former tiger cage. There were about fifteen policemen taking fingerprints of the tiger came latch. There were ten on the pavement, trying to take a footprint mold.

“will out zoo be shut down?” I asked, trying not to sound to anxious.
“Yes. It will probably be shut down until we find the tiger and the person who let him out. Until then, we will make sure you find other work until this has happened. Now I must ask you to leave, so we do not confuse your footprints or fingerprints of those of the criminal.”

So as I walked out of the zoo, I was wondering who could have done this horrible crime. Then it dawned on me.

“WAIT!! I think I know who did it,” I said as I ran up to the oompa loompa policeman. “I think it was the new security guard I hired two days ago. I put him and one of my senior officers, the one that is dead, to guard the tiger cage. He must have let the tiger out, and then Ben attacked my senior officer.”

“Thank you for this information, now please, get going sir.” said the policeman.

So as I left the zoo again, I went home and was wondering what job I would get in the spare time I had, since I wouldn't be working at the zoo for a while.

The next day, I got a phone call. It was the police station. They had found a job for me! So I asked then what it was. They told me probably the most horrible job in my view. I had a sewage job! Yuck! They told me that I could start right away. So I told them;

“No way am I working in someone else's sewer! It's too gross.”

Then they told me that they did have an opening there at the police station. “I'll take it! Any job other than working in the sewage system. Thanks guys!” So I hurried my bottom down to the police station and they told me that I had to over go training before I could work there. So they put me with Calvin, who was their training associate. He took me through a series of training until he thought I was ready. The last one was the worst. I lost my lunch. He took me into a padded room and took out a knife.

“Are you ready to forego your final exam?” he asked me in a menacing tone.

“Y-Y-Yes?” I answered, think that he would run me through.

But instead, He put the knife to his arm, and drew a long gash into his arm. Blood spilled out of the bone-deep wound. If you looked at the right angle, you could see the ripped vein, still pulsing blood, and his once white bone, was red with blood.

“This task, was to make sure you wouldn't faint at the sight of blood.” he told me, whit what seemed no expression of pain on his face.

“How can you withstand that amount of pain?” I asked in a tone of awe.

“Many years of training.” he told me. “Now I better get washed up, before it starts to fester.

As I was walking back, I thought about that blood red bone, and the still pulsing vein, and I lost it. Then and there. My lunch and breakfast came up. Toast, and who knows what else. So the rest of tat day, I was cleaning the mess I had made, and the blood from the padded room in the back. That was my first day as a policeman.

It went on like that for about two weeks, then the station got a phone call. The phone call was a call about a speeder on route 101. Since I was the fastest driver, I was picked to go after the speeder. I jumped into my yellow and black Lamborghini, and sped off. I had recently hooked up a better break system, and had filled my gas tank with extra premium gasoline, and got a faster motor. My car could now hit about 300 mph. So I sped off to catch the speeder. It took me a while to get my nerves in control because I was going my top speed. As I passed a school bus, the kids on the bus all looked at my hot car. They were pointing, and taking pictures with their phones. I slowed down a little to let them take a god picture, but then I was off again.

“Alan, the speeders turned off of route 101. He's now on a back road, and is going to pass you. He will be coming off the road at Cedar St. Maybe you can cut him off.” said my cop radio.

“10-4, over an' out.” I replied.

So I sped of in the other direction, and I passed the school bus again. But this time I didn't slow down. As soon as I reached Cedar St, I slammed on the breaks, and hopped out of the car. I grabbed the nail carpet that all cop cars needed. It was a carpet that covered the entire road, so if the speeder ran over it, it would pop his tires, and I would catch him. So I quickly laid the nail carpet over the road, and waited. Soon, his car came into view. I was hiding in the bush next to the road. It was a nice car. A red ferrari, with a convertible roof. Sure enough, he didn't see the nail carpet, and ran right over it.

“Haha! Now i've got you!” I yelled at no one.

So I went over to the ferrari, and opened the door, but it was locked.

“Open up, or I'll shoot out your window!” I yelled at the man inside the car.

Then, the door opened, and out came the man. He pulled off his helmet, and hair fell.

“I am no man.” she told me.

“I'm sorry.” I told her dryly. “Come with my, I'm taking you in.”

So I put her in handcuffs, and shoved her in my car.

“Nice car for a cop. Aren't cops supposed to have like, a box with wheels?” she asked me.

“No, a cop can have whatever car he wants. The station helps to pay for it. That's why I got this car. The station payed for half of it. They always call me when they get speeders. I am the speeder cop. Now no more questions. I've got to turn you in.” As I sped away, I couldn't help thinking why she had a ferrari.

The next day, I went to visit her cell in the prison.

“Do you know anything about an escaped tiger from the zoo?” I inquired.
“Yea, why do you want to know. What do you care about that? You're only on speeding duty with your fancy-shmancy car.” she replied sourly.
“I need to know. I used to work at the zoo before this. Then the tiger got out and mauled one guy.”
“Yea, I saw it 1 day ago when you caught me. He was prowling around in the woods. I didn't stick around after that.”
At first I didn't really hear her. Then it started to sink in. I didn't even thank her, but just got up and ran down the cell corridor.
“you're Welcome!” she called after me, chuckling to herself.

So I hopped into my lamborghini, and sped off. When I reached the forest, I could tell that Ben had been there. There were footprints everywhere. So I followed them. Then, I saw him. He was fat and round. He was asleep next to a stinking rotting deer. I ran back to my lamborghini, and grabbed the net that I always carry with me. Since Ben was asleep, it was no problem throwing the net over him, and calling the station. They came with a tow truck and took the roaring, hissing Ben away from slaughter.


~Three Months Later~



It was a sunny warm day in late August. The station was working as usual, no problems. Then sergeant Macintosh called me up to the front desk to talk.

“Mr. Lee, we have caught the culprit who had set your tiger loose. He will not be bothering you or anyone else anymore, because we shot him down. You can return to the zoo and continue on your life.”

“Will I be able to keep my car?” I asked hopefully.

“Well, if you go back to work there, you will have to pay the full price for it. E cannot help you if you do not work for us.”

I thought a while then said; “I think I will continue on working here until my cars engine runs down and it breaks.” I told him

“Great! We need the extra help!”

So I walked off to go back to waxing my car. And I worked at the station till the end of my days. I still went to the zoo, but I didn't work there anymore. The new zookeepers name was Jill. Jill was a fine young lady. We spent many hours together watching the spectacular animals at the New York Unique Zoo. We ended up getting married on August 7th, 2010. We had 2 daughters and a son. Jill past away on October 31, 2021. She was 31 years old. We had been married for 11 years. She died from lung cancer. The doctors did all they could, but they couldn't save her. It was too late. I was a devastating loss for our family. My children cried for the mommy, but she did not come back. I still think about her. Her long flowing brown hair, the smell of tangerines, and the feel of her small hand in mine. I miss her so much, but I am married again, and we still have our 3 children, all resembling Jill.


THE END