The Pickpocket

Chapter 23 - Zoo Romance

“So what did you do after that?” Mel asks. I grimace. 

“I cut my arm so that my blood would mingle with it,” I reply slowly, “then ran away. I was found by an old couple walking in the park and they took me to hospital. I got my strength back then left. The old couple, Mr and Mrs Winters, looked after me for a while. Then Mr Winters was put into a home and Mrs Winters went with him. By then I was seventeen and I just went off and made my own way in the world. Learnt to drive, got a job, got a flat in London. I still have that job, still have that flat, still have my license. Everything’s going smoothly.” 

Mel nods and writes something down on her notepad. She finishes what she’s writing and looks up. 

“One last question,” she says. “What happened to the pocket watch?”

I frown. “I… I can’t remember,” I say at last. “I had it but I think it got lost in the tunnel.” As soon as I finish speaking the pocket watch appears on the table. Mel and I stare at it in surprise before reacting. I jump to my feet, backing out of the cafe. Mel reaches out for it but I knock it away. The pocket watch vanishes and all that is left is an awkward silence.

“Mr Hatchett,” Mel says, getting to her feet, “what on earth just happened?”

“I don’t know,” I reply, tears stinging my eyes. I bite my lip and back even further away so that I’m at the cafe door. “But I don’t want this all to happen again. I’m sorry.” I turn and shove open the door, only realising that it is a pull door when it falls into the street. I jump over it and start running. 

My feet are pounding against the icy pavements. I’m the only person out there in a T-Shirt, the only one not sliding about on the slippy surface. Well, until I reach a corner, that is. 

I clutch at a lamp post, trying to not skid into the road. Too late. I see the car coming but I can’t do anything to prevent it. I just do what penguins do and hope for the best - I throw myself down onto my belly and slide. 

The car passes over my head with barely an inch to spare. I breath a sigh of relief and come to an icy stop just in front of the zoo gates. Brushing myself down and looking over my shoulder to see children zipping about like penguins, I walk through the gates.

“Jamie!” Jimmy Carter calls, waving me over. I realised a long time ago that everyone I met whilst time travelling I would meet in modern day but the people would be changed. In this case, the name has changed - Jimmy - and he’s a lot younger. Jimmy’s still my best mate, despite being head zookeeper. 

“I should really tell you off, you know that, right?” Jimmy says, coming over. I nod, breathing heavily. It’s surprisingly tiring sliding a few hundred meters on your belly. 

“But I won’t,” Jimmy continues, “because of that epic slide and the fact that now all the little kids out there will now want to come here and see the penguins. My penguins. Hey, did I tell you? Cookie’s egg hatched! Come and see!” Jimmy hurries away, beckoning to me over his shoulder. I sigh because I know that I’ll never catch up with him. He’s practically made of leg. I make a little run up then slide, accidentally kicking Jimmy’s legs out from under him. We both go down laughing until a familiar face looms over us. 

“What are you two doing?” Ursula hisses. She owns the zoo and doesn’t like me one jot. 

“Sorry, ma’am, we were going to see Cookie,” Jimmy says quickly, helping me to my feet. He salutes sharply and nudges me with his elbow. Ursula’s sister, Crystal, is walking towards us. I feel my face flush scarlet and cough suddenly.

“And we really ought to be going,” I add before Ursula can say anything else. “Come on, Jimmy.” I drag Jimmy away towards the penguin enclosure. He keeps a straight face until Ursula and Crystal are out of earshot. Then he begins to laugh, loud and long. I know what he’s laughing at so I throw a bucket of fish at him. A penguin follows - Shambles, the clumsiest penguin of the lot. He falls over the side of the enclosure and I catch him, placing him back down with a fish for him to eat. Jimmy has finally stopped laughing.

*

Five hours after the penguin incident the zoo is nearing closing time. I did three reptile talks today and had to rescue a small child from Marlo the komodo dragon. Unfortunately, Ursula was watching me at that point so I think I might end up getting the sack.

“Hi,” a voice says from behind me, making me jump. I spin around, Batue the python winding around my arm. Crystal is stood behind me, smiling at my awkwardness. I feel my face flush (again) and turn back to Batue’s tank. 

“Um, hello,” I reply. Batue hisses at me - I’m being too rough - and I freeze. He’s the grumpiest snake of them all and spits poison quite a lot. I rarely ever have him out for reptile talks, normally only for training the other reptile handlers. I run the reptile house so I know how to look after all the animals there. But every so often, one of them turns. 

“We’ve lost three workers due to snake bites,” Crystal says quietly. I gulp and try to prise Batue form my arm. It’s no use. He strikes, biting my arm just below the elbow. Blackness fills my vision and I sink slowly to the floor.

*

Roughly around an hour later I wake up. My head is hurting and I can hear a weird throbbing noise in my ears. My right arm is bandaged and there is something cool on my forehead. I can see someone walking around, making sure all the reptile tanks are shut. They turn around and I see that it’s Crystal. 

“You’re awake then,” she says gently. I nod and try and take the thing away from my forehead. The second I do dizziness overwhelms me and I sink further to the floor. Crystal presses the thing back against my head - it’s an ice pack wrapped in a towel - and I can sit up straighter again. 

“Thanks,” I mumble. Crystal shrugs and stands up again.

“You’d be dead otherwise,” she replies. “And there isn’t anyone ready to take over from you so the zoo would have to shut. Then I’d be dead too. Ursula would kill me. Do you need a hand?” She can see that I’m struggling to get to my feet. I shake my head and force myself upright. Eventually I’m standing. I turn around to see that Batue is asleep. When I turn back Crystal is walking away, head low. I think for a moment before calling after her.

“Crystal.”

“Yeah?”

“I was wondering… if.. do you…” I cough to try and cover my awkwardness. “Do you want to go for a drink sometime?”