I shot one last look at Harry, and I left my tank for the first and the last time.
My jaws dropped at the sight. Yes, I was out of the invisible barrier, but there were many more
tanks like mine. I could see many tanks with snakes, and the idea of all these snakes living like I
did for the rest of their lives with the creatures staring them all day gave me goose bumps. I was
at the place where the humans usually stood, watching me. I realized that a human could find me
at that space, and headed towards what looked like an open space that led to the next room.
To my horror, it was another room full of tanks that kept creatures that I have never seen.
They had hands and feet like the humans, but their body looked more like mine; it had green
scales that covered its small body. I could imagine the creatures getting tortured by the pair of
eyes and the lights that revealed everything without mercy. I hardened myself. I had to survive,
and live the life that all these snakes deserve.
Endless rows of rooms full of animals stretched before my eyes. I knew there wasn’t much
time left until the zoo opened to let humans in. I had to move faster.
As I scurried around, room after room, I arrived in a room with no animals. At the other end
of the room was a small creak of a panel attached to the wall, and through the creak light was
streaming in.
I edged myself towards the creak, and with excitement, took a peek through the hole.
Anything I saw was beyond my imagination. Strong rays of light seemed to dry my skin out
almost instantly, but the feeling wasn’t unpleasant. I felt the pleasant hum of the wind rattling my
head, tickling my very heart. The sky was spotless blue, not the bottle blue you see on the walls,
but the most beautiful shade of blue of which the beauty was almost indescribable.
I heavily breathed in, noticing the slight scent in the air…was it lavender? I couldn’t be sure.
Hypnotized at the beauty, I crawled out of the creak, pushing open the panel, and before I
knew it, I was out of the zoo. Unable to restrain myself, I cuddled under a tree (a proper alive one)
and began to sleep.
“You have lost a snake?” screamed the zoo manager. His face turned into a wild shade of scarlet.
“And you expect me to calm down?”
Kai and Kris could do nothing but stare at their toes. They were unable to understand how Tao
suddenly disappeared when they turned up for work this morning. Harry was sleeping soundlessly
in the tank, and didn’t seem to bother about his friend’s disappearance. There was no evidence of
escape in the tank, and the only possibility seemed to be Tao being stolen.
“I am taking sixty thousand rmb out of each of your wages!” shouted the mad zoo manager.
Kai and Kris looked up, panicking. Considering that their yearly wage was one hundred thousand
RMB, paying sixty thousand rmb out of their pockets was back-breaking.
Kai and Kris looked at each other thinking the exact same thing, that freaking snake!
“Wake up, Tao” said Harry. The smaller snake responded almost immediately.
“Harry? Is it you?” asked Tao, looking around himself. But he could not see through the thick
white frog surrounding him.
“Yes” replied Harry.
“Now listen to me” continued the snake
“The humans found out you escaped from the zoo. You’ll have to go as far as possible from
the zoo”
Tao was startled.
“But how?” he asked. There was a pause, and a sigh.
