Zaak and Timmy's Wild Adventure

I was always fascinated by stories of exploration. Of heroic men who set out on a quest to find the source of a river, or to map the last uncharted area of the world. They traveled to the ends of the earth. They risked their lives in the face of peril to discover the unknown.

I would read these stories in the public library in my hometown of York, Pennsylvania. I never could understand what drove them to leave their families and homes behind to explore the world. I certainly couldn’t imagine ever doing it myself. Perhaps if my family didn’t live there. Perhaps if my friends weren’t so close by. Perhaps if I had more courage.

I suppose you could say that I wanted to be a hero. I wanted to prove to the world that I was not some meek and groveling man who could be pushed around by others. So, when I found myself facing the most imposing and frightening task of my short 18 years of life, I decided that I would have to show the world I was up to the challenge.

I was looking at the stars one night when I heard a loud bang outside my window. It was so sudden that it startled me. The noise was followed by the sound of breaking glass and a child’s cry. I ran down the street and found the source of the noise: the local ice cream parlor.

The door to the parlor was kicked in with a sickening crunch accompanied by a loud thud. I slowly entered through the busted door and was immediately assaulted by a humid smell. It smelled like death. I had to take off my shirt to scrape away all the sweat that had accumulated on my body as I sprinted over.

What I saw was truly horrifying. An old lady lay dead on the floor. Her face was mutilated beyond recognition. Blood was splattered everywhere, along with several teeth and other dismembered body parts. The worst was the ice cream parlor itself. All the delicious treats were smeared across the floor in a kind of pink, red and brown mess. What the hell happened here, I thought to myself?

Then I heard it. A girlish laugh from the back room. I cautiously walked towards the laughter, repeating to myself that I was a hero who had to protect this family. As I approached the doorway, another child’s cry stopped me in my tracks. I took a deep breath and held my ground. I was ready to face whatever was in the room.

When I finally stepped into the room, I was greeted by a most terrifying sight. In the corner of the room was a small girl with bright blue eyes and a very long neck. She was sitting on the floor with her pet giraffe. She looked at me with curiosity and asked, “Hi mister, do you want some ice cream?”

I blinked a couple times to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating. I then looked down at the floor to make sure I wasn’t either. The floor was covered in pink, red and brown. Then it hit me. These two kids killed the old woman and ate her. I backed away slowly, keeping eye contact with the girl.

“Are you leaving?” she asked.

“Yes, I’m leaving,” I replied.

“That’s too bad. We just got done with dessert.”

I turned around and began to run out of the room. I heard the giraffe stomp its feet behind me. I jumped in fear as my feet slipped on the bloody floor. I landed flat on my face. I looked back and saw the giraffe jump over me, with the little girl on his back. She laughed as she approached me.

I tried to scramble away, but the girl grabbed my ankle. She pulled me back and sat on top of me. I looked up and saw her face only inches from mine. Her eyes were still a vibrant blue, but they were glazed over with a thin layer of red blood. She smiled at me, revealing several missing teeth.

“I hope you don’t mind my giraffe eating you. He’ll eat everybody if you don’t stop him,” she said with a smile.

I struggled to get up, but she held me down with surprising strength. The giraffe lowered his head and opened his mouth. I saw a piece of the old lady’s arm fall out onto the floor. The giraffe closed his mouth and looked at us. The girl held my face between her hands, staring into my eyes.

“I’m Timmy,” she said.

“And I’m Zaak,” said the giraffe.

“It was fun eating people. I like the taste of human flesh. You can try it too. Humans taste better than animals,” she told me.

Then I saw the giraffe bend down and pick up the piece of old lady’s arm. He brought it to my mouth and pushed it against my lips. He did it again until I opened my mouth. I gagged as the giraffe shoved the arm into my mouth.

The giraffe and little girl stared at me expectantly. I didn’t know what else to do, so I chewed on the old lady’s arm. It tasted horrible. My stomach twisted and turned as I tried to hold down the bile rising up my throat.

“Good job,” said the girl.

“You taste delicious,” added the giraffe.

They both laughed and hugged each other. I watched as they continued to eat pieces of the old lady’s body. I felt my stomach begin to heave. I rolled onto the floor and vomited. When I finished, the girl looked at me and smiled.

“I’m glad you like our food. I’m going to go play with my toys. Want to play with me, Timmy?” she asked.

I was in complete disbelief. Was this a dream? Was I hallucinating? I looked at my hand and it was covered in blood. Yes, this was real. This poor family was dead and I was being consumed by two murderous children. I had to escape. I had to prove that I wasn’t a coward.

“I’d love to play with you,” I said.

She smiled at me and jumped off the giraffe. She giggled as she went to the corner to get a toy. The giraffe looked at me and smiled. He then put his head down and began to chew on the old lady’s leg. I watched him finish, and then he looked up at me and smiled again.