The Zoo at the Edge of the World by Eric Kahn Gale

guests’ safety” up in the stands. But it was just a polite way of sparing me from having to address the crowd.
    I made sure to situate myself far from where the Bradshires were sitting but watched Olivia out of the corner of my eye. She was faced forward the entire time, enthralled with the circus.
    â€œYou’ve journeyed a long way,” Father bellowed. “You’ve seen the splendors of the jungle. You’ve experienced the sights and sounds of its strange and entrancing animals. Now prepare to see them uncaged!”
    Father signaled to Zargo and Manray, who were standing at the back of the pit. With one great heave, they swung open a wooden door, and Longsnout and Bottlebee, our two tapirs, came in. A tapir is a jungle animal that looks like a tall pig but has a short, movable snout similar to an elephant’s. The gentle creatures looked scared, and the tail of the whip struck Bottlebee as he rushed forward.
    â€œPlease welcome the Talented Tapirs!” Father shouted. It wasn’t clear what talent they had, as they were merely being chased around the pit by Zargo and Manray.
    â€œWhy are they doing this?” Kenji asked from my shoulder. “They’re just running in a circle.”
    â€œI don’t know, Kenj. The guests seem to like it.”
    â€œYeah. How come you’re not sitting with that girl?” Kenji asked. “She’s right over there. You want Kenji to get her?”
    â€œNo.” I grabbed her by the tail before she could run off. “Not right now.”
    The tapirs disappeared out the back door and Dreyfus, the elephant, entered trumpeting.
    â€œWhat did he say?” Kenji asked, looking confused. Dreyfus’s sound didn’t make sense to me either. It seemed like a noise he was forced to make, so it didn’t have any meaning. It was strange learning how this all worked.
    Tim snapped his fingers and the elephant went down on one knee. He placed his boot on Dreyfus’s leg and took hold of his trunk. Then Dreyfus swung him up onto his head, where Tim sat between the elephant’s ears. The crowd loved this, and even I couldn’t help but be impressed. I didn’t know Tim could work like that with an animal. Dreyfus’s eyes rolled up in his head, trying to keep track of Tim’s swinging boots, which were carelessly dangling in front of his face.
    The elephant seemed worried, but Tim was exultant. The guests cheered him on. I even caught Olivia applauding. I wondered if she thought knowing Tim would be just as exciting as knowing me. He was a Rackham too. And he could actually talk to her.
    The other acts were all the same. Animals were ushered in, made to run around or be stood on, and then ushered out again. I’d never seen a real circus, but I’d read about them, and they seemed like more grand affairs, with clowns and acrobats and bears that rode unicycles. Our circus was just a circle where animals were let out of their cages.
    Later in the show, Father stepped to the center of the pit. “Clear the stage!” he bellowed, and everyone left, even Tim.
    â€œThank you, ladies and gentlemen,” he called above the crowd. “I like to think you’ve enjoyed yourselves, but I know the truth.” He bowed his head sadly. “Our circus is but a little thing.”
    The crowd whistled at this.
    â€œNo, no, it’s true,” Father repeated. “We can’t compare to the big top at Banister and West or any of the touring shows in England. We have no special acts, and our animals are trained to do little more than run in circles.” Murmurs of laughter from the crowd. Father smiled.
    â€œI also know that you good people did not travel to the countryside for your holiday. You journeyed here, to Guiana, and that makes you a different breed. You came to find something that no longer exists in the old countries. You came to the Zoo at the Edge of the World. Here, we aim to