Today, we'd like to share another story that's a precursor to the Anipal Land Adventures. This one is titled "Zack and the Fall Festival," and mommy wrote it in 2010 a few months after Chloe was adopted. We hope you enjoy this short tale of more Zack adventures that grew into the Anipal Land stories we know and love now!
Zack and the Fall Festival
Zack peered out of his carrier in wonder, taking in the sites as his human Daddy carried him through the community Fall Festival. It was a beautiful day, and Zack was amazed by everything happening in the town square. Everywhere he looked, people were having fun on rides, eating snacks, or visiting one of the various booths selling items along Main Street. Most of all, he loved the trees. The leaves were beautiful shades of red, yellow, and orange. All of the bright colors made him happy.
“There they are!” Mommy said, pointing to the church at the end of the street. A large group of people had gathered on the front lawn with their pets. There were all sizes of dogs on leashes and furry cats in carriers, but the one that caught Zack’s eye was another gold and orange bird in a carrier much like his. The Pastor waved at Mommy and Daddy.
“Look, we have another bird here for the Blessing of the Animals! Please, sit down.”
Mommy and Daddy nodded and took their seats, sitting Zack’s carrier beside the other bird’s carrier. Zack puffed up his face feathers. “Hi, I’m Zack.”
“Hi, I’m Chloe!”
Zack cackled and crawled next to Chloe. “I didn’t know there were other birds like me in this town.”
“I don’t live here,” Chloe said. “I’m up for adoption at the pet adoption booth.”
“You haven’t been adopted by a human family?”
“No,” Chloe said, looking at the man that held her carrier. “He thinks it’s because my adoption fee is very high. He hopes a human family will adopt me today.”
“I hope you get adopted too,” Zack said. “Maybe we can play together. Both of my human parents work so I’m at home by myself all day. Sometimes I get lonely. It would be nice to have a friend nearby.”
“I’d like that!” Chloe said. “There aren’t many birds at the shelter, and I can’t understand the cats and dogs. They speak a completely different language!”
The Pastor started his service and they had to be quiet. When he passed by to bless Zack and Chloe, he prayed that a good family would adopt Chloe today.
The service ended, and everybody stood up. “It was nice to meet you!” Zack said. “I hope the Pastor’s prayer is answered and you’re adopted by a good family today!”
“Me too!” Chloe said, as the man picked up her carrier and walked away.
Zack had fun walking around the festival with Mommy and Daddy. They sampled some snacks and shared peanuts and popcorn with Zack. Then they walked around to visited some of the booths, and went inside the convention center to see the art exhibits. Mommy entered a painting she made of the beach. She was surprised when a lady handed her a blue ribbon and an envelope as she walked in the door.
“Congratulations! You’re painting won the grand prize in our arts competition!”
“Really?” Mommy said. She smiled as a reporter from the newspaper took her picture with Daddy and Zack.
“My goodness,” Daddy said, opening the envelope, “you won a lot of money! What are we going to do with it?”
“I don’t know,” Mommy said.
Just then, they heard a loud squawk. “What’s that?” Daddy asked. “It sounds like the sound Zack makes when he’s mad!” They walked outside. Zack looked around and discovered that the squawking was coming from the nearby Pet Adoption Booth.
“Chloe?” he called.
Mommy and Daddy walked to the pet adoption booth. Sure enough, Chloe was the one squawking. Her feathers were standing up and she was flapping her wings. “Zack, help me! Nobody adopted me and they’re taking me back to the Pet Adoption Center! I don’t want to go back! I want to stay here and find a home!”
“What’s going on?” Daddy asked the man at the booth.
The man picked up Chloe’s carrier. It rattled as Chloe squawked and flapped her wings. “I’m taking her back to the Pet Adoption Center. I hoped somebody would adopt today, but they didn’t and we have to get her back to the center before closing time.”
Mommy took out the envelope the lady gave her for the painting and counted the money. She and Daddy whispered for a moment.
“We’d like to adopt her,” Daddy said, handing the man the envelope.
“You would?” Chloe asked.
The man counted the money. “This is enough to adopt her.” He shook Daddy’s hand. “Congratulations! You have a girl bird!”
“I can’t believe it!” Chloe said. “I was adopted by your parents!”
“I know,” Zack said. “Now we’ll live together and be able to play all day while Mommy and Daddy are at work!”
The Pastor walked by and smiled when he saw Mommy and Daddy signing the adoption papers. “So you decided to adopt her!”
Mommy smiled. “I won just enough money to buy her!”
“That’s great!” the Pastor said. “It looks like our prayer was answered. How wonderful!”
“It is wonderful,” Chloe said, puffing her face feathers. “It’s more than I ever dreamed of!”
Daddy picked up Zack’s carrier and Mommy picked up Chloe’s carrier, waving at the pastor and the man at the pet adoption booth. “Come on,” Daddy said, turning toward the setting sun. “Let’s go home.”
Zack and the Fall Festival
Zack peered out of his carrier in wonder, taking in the sites as his human Daddy carried him through the community Fall Festival. It was a beautiful day, and Zack was amazed by everything happening in the town square. Everywhere he looked, people were having fun on rides, eating snacks, or visiting one of the various booths selling items along Main Street. Most of all, he loved the trees. The leaves were beautiful shades of red, yellow, and orange. All of the bright colors made him happy.
“There they are!” Mommy said, pointing to the church at the end of the street. A large group of people had gathered on the front lawn with their pets. There were all sizes of dogs on leashes and furry cats in carriers, but the one that caught Zack’s eye was another gold and orange bird in a carrier much like his. The Pastor waved at Mommy and Daddy.
“Look, we have another bird here for the Blessing of the Animals! Please, sit down.”
Mommy and Daddy nodded and took their seats, sitting Zack’s carrier beside the other bird’s carrier. Zack puffed up his face feathers. “Hi, I’m Zack.”
“Hi, I’m Chloe!”
Zack cackled and crawled next to Chloe. “I didn’t know there were other birds like me in this town.”
“I don’t live here,” Chloe said. “I’m up for adoption at the pet adoption booth.”
“You haven’t been adopted by a human family?”
“No,” Chloe said, looking at the man that held her carrier. “He thinks it’s because my adoption fee is very high. He hopes a human family will adopt me today.”
“I hope you get adopted too,” Zack said. “Maybe we can play together. Both of my human parents work so I’m at home by myself all day. Sometimes I get lonely. It would be nice to have a friend nearby.”
“I’d like that!” Chloe said. “There aren’t many birds at the shelter, and I can’t understand the cats and dogs. They speak a completely different language!”
The Pastor started his service and they had to be quiet. When he passed by to bless Zack and Chloe, he prayed that a good family would adopt Chloe today.
The service ended, and everybody stood up. “It was nice to meet you!” Zack said. “I hope the Pastor’s prayer is answered and you’re adopted by a good family today!”
“Me too!” Chloe said, as the man picked up her carrier and walked away.
Zack had fun walking around the festival with Mommy and Daddy. They sampled some snacks and shared peanuts and popcorn with Zack. Then they walked around to visited some of the booths, and went inside the convention center to see the art exhibits. Mommy entered a painting she made of the beach. She was surprised when a lady handed her a blue ribbon and an envelope as she walked in the door.
“Congratulations! You’re painting won the grand prize in our arts competition!”
“Really?” Mommy said. She smiled as a reporter from the newspaper took her picture with Daddy and Zack.
“My goodness,” Daddy said, opening the envelope, “you won a lot of money! What are we going to do with it?”
“I don’t know,” Mommy said.
Just then, they heard a loud squawk. “What’s that?” Daddy asked. “It sounds like the sound Zack makes when he’s mad!” They walked outside. Zack looked around and discovered that the squawking was coming from the nearby Pet Adoption Booth.
“Chloe?” he called.
Mommy and Daddy walked to the pet adoption booth. Sure enough, Chloe was the one squawking. Her feathers were standing up and she was flapping her wings. “Zack, help me! Nobody adopted me and they’re taking me back to the Pet Adoption Center! I don’t want to go back! I want to stay here and find a home!”
“What’s going on?” Daddy asked the man at the booth.
The man picked up Chloe’s carrier. It rattled as Chloe squawked and flapped her wings. “I’m taking her back to the Pet Adoption Center. I hoped somebody would adopt today, but they didn’t and we have to get her back to the center before closing time.”
Mommy took out the envelope the lady gave her for the painting and counted the money. She and Daddy whispered for a moment.
“We’d like to adopt her,” Daddy said, handing the man the envelope.
“You would?” Chloe asked.
The man counted the money. “This is enough to adopt her.” He shook Daddy’s hand. “Congratulations! You have a girl bird!”
“I can’t believe it!” Chloe said. “I was adopted by your parents!”
“I know,” Zack said. “Now we’ll live together and be able to play all day while Mommy and Daddy are at work!”
The Pastor walked by and smiled when he saw Mommy and Daddy signing the adoption papers. “So you decided to adopt her!”
Mommy smiled. “I won just enough money to buy her!”
“That’s great!” the Pastor said. “It looks like our prayer was answered. How wonderful!”
“It is wonderful,” Chloe said, puffing her face feathers. “It’s more than I ever dreamed of!”
Daddy picked up Zack’s carrier and Mommy picked up Chloe’s carrier, waving at the pastor and the man at the pet adoption booth. “Come on,” Daddy said, turning toward the setting sun. “Let’s go home.”
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