Flash Fiction; Paris Street: Zoo Escape

              As the train came within sight of Paris, Jacque stood anxiously inside one of its cars and kept watch of the zoo animals inside as he thought about how he had ended up working as a zoo keeper for the Paris Zoo, rather than attending that fancy university in Paris he’d always dreamt of.

              His gaze at the ornate buildings of Paris was suddenly interrupted when the train began to rock back and forth, was finally derailed and flipped on its side, its doors flung open. Animals of all sorts cried out as the train toppled over, climbing out of their respective cars as the wreckage settled.

              Jacque ran toward the herds of animals leaving the wreckage, calling frantically for them to “please come back”, quickly realizing the lack of control he could wield over such wild animals. In this situation, he was immediately reminded of the hopelessness he felt throughout his life back at his family’s decrepit home in a poor region of rural France.

              Jacque caught short glimpses of animals, now scattered throughout the streets of Downtown Paris, as they weaved between the buildings; coming out from behind one and immediately disappearing behind another. The people on the streets were all hurrying somewhere, and none seemed to have time to be concerned about the oddity of the wondering zoo animals. Those passing by gave little more than a confused glance.

              Meanwhile, the zookeepers had given up their attempt to corral the animals, while Jacque wondered the streets still, hoping that if he could find the animals, maybe he would think of some way to lead them to the zoo. He could hear them all around him, their hooves and scaly feet pattering on the cobblestone streets as they moved about. He felt trapped. He felt all of the things he had felt helpless about in his life surround him, pattering on those same cobblestone streets. He became increasingly curious about these things, wondering if there would have ever been a way to make the dreams he once had within reach.  The animals moved ever farther out of reach, and as they did he supposed not, and those past dreams seemed to vanish with the animals.

              The streets now were empty. The people who were so unaffected by the strange sight were now wherever they had intended to be; at work, at the grocery store, at the post office. They had all arrived at their destinations now, and it was about the time that the animals would have arrived at their own destination, had they not been derailed from route.

              As the day neared its end, Jacque saw people emerge from the buildings, the grocery stores, and the post offices, who were now on their way to another destination. It was time to end the day and time to go home, and as Jacque and the other zoo keepers arrived at the zoo to tell their boss of the unfortunate train wreck and escape, they were met by the very animals who had wondered the streets of Paris just minutes before.

              It appeared that the animals had found their way to their intended destination just as the people of the Paris streets had. It was as if the animals knew all along the place for which they were intended. As they walked seemingly instinctively into the zoo, Jacque felt the helpless things in his life come within his grasp, and he felt, for the first time, at ease.
ARTIST ATTRIBUTION: Oil Painting by Meg Mickelsen, titled Paris Street: Zoo Escape