The Grandest Day

Today was an exciting day for Lilliana and Charlie. They were going to the zoo. Their mama woke them up and helped them get dressed for the day. Then they all piled into the car and daddy drove them to the zoo.

There were lots of things to do at the zoo. They saw lions 🦁, tigers 🐅, elephanta 🐘, and giraffes. Charlie fed some lettuce to the giraffes.

"Careful," Lilliana teased, or they'll get your fingers.

But they didn't. The giraffes were really gentle and shy.

After a while they came to the primate exhibition. Lilliana made faces at a silver haired gorilla, while Charlie hung on to her mama. They saw all kinds of monkeys 🐒, chimpanzees, and orangutans. Lilliana liked the monkeys most of all.

Then they came to the carousel. Lilliana chose to ride a horse 🏇. Mama stood beside her, while daddy rode in one of the carriages with Charlie. Up and down the horse 🏇 went, while the carrousel spun. Then something strange happened. The horse jumped off of the carrousel. Lilianna held onto the pole and mama jumped into the back of the horse  🏇

Behind them, Lilliana could hear her daddy yelling, whoa, but the horse 🏇 kept going. She took a quick peek behind her and saw that the carriages carrying her dad and sister was following behind. Charlie was laughing, while she leaned over his shoulders, waving goodbye to the carousel, which was disappearing in the distance.

"This was what they must have meant by deluxe ride," her daddy said.

"Jeremiah, you didn't," mama said. "Well, I suppose there's nothing to do but enjoy the ride. I'm sure they'll take us back eventually."

The horse🏇 galloped along the river, where they saw crocodiles and a few snakes. They trotted past kangaroos. They splashes through a pool where baby polar bears were playing. Then they raced a train back to the carrousel.

The horse 🏇 and carriage took their places on the ride and it came to a stop. Just in time too. It was getting late, and Charlie was tired. They left the zoo, souviners in hand and drove home. Lilliana yawned and closed her eyes. It had been the grandest day.