The Zoo's Sad Secret
Ten-year-old Luna, with her bright, curious eyes and a shock of fiery red hair, visited the city zoo. She loved animals. But one monkey, Miko, caught her attention. He sat alone, listlessly picking at a meager pile of fruit. His cage was too small; his eyes held a deep sadness. Luna felt a pang of sympathy. She watched him for a long time, her small hand resting on the cold bars. A zookeeper, a tall man with a tired smile, noticed her. "He's a little…spirited," the keeper said, sighing. "We're trying to find him a bigger home." Luna left that day feeling a knot in her stomach. She knew she couldn't just leave Miko like that.
Planning the Great Escape
That night, under the cloak of darkness, Luna crept back to the zoo. Her heart pounded. Her trusty flashlight cut through the inky blackness. She wore her favorite denim jacket and sneakers. She'd brought a small, lightweight backpack containing her grandmother’s old, sturdy canvas bag, a banana, and a rope. Luna knew she needed a plan. The zoo was quieter at night; only the occasional owl hooted. She carefully studied Miko’s cage, the locks, the layout of the enclosure. She concluded that the best approach would be to work on the latch of his smaller inner cage, inside the larger, outer enclosure. Luna thought for a while, meticulously focusing on how to get past security. How could she do this without triggering an alarm?
The Carefully Executed Plan
Luna used a small hairpin to carefully unlock the inner cage— a skill learned from watching her dad fix broken things around the house. It took a great deal of stealth, patience, and a few failed attempts, but finally, the catch clicked. Miko, startled, looked around, his eyes huge. She offered him the banana. He cautiously took it, his dark eyes meeting hers. Next, with the rope, she painstakingly secured the canvas bag (her grandmother’s solution to anything!) to one of Miko’s bars. Luna then gently coaxed Miko into the bag. It wasn't easy, the little monkey needed some trust. Luna’s small hands worked skillfully and patiently.
