Tim and Will were just about halfway

 Page 5.

Tim and Will were just about halfway to the Lion House when they again heard a man's voice calling out,” Crackers, Crackers, get your Animal Crackers while they still last”. But now the sound appeared to be coming from two different directions and this had the boys more confused than ever! Just then Tim felt a light tap on his left shoulder and whirled around like a spinning top causing Will to crash into him almost head on. There stood a middle aged man pushing a small wooden cart brightly painted with animals from all over the world. Wearing an outfit something in between a pirate and Burger King he wore a gold colored monocle that dangled across his nose and covered his head with a straw colored hat. Sporting a thin black handle bar mustache his green eyes sparkled as he introduced himself to the boys as Mr. Gibbs from where ever anyone would really like to be? Tim almost instantly felt at ease with Mr. Gibbs while Will remained somewhat timid not knowing what to think of such a colorful fellow and besides Will expected Opus and Sergeant Collins at any moment. Mr. Gibbs who told the boys today was his first day on the job and he would be selling his animal crackers throughout the zoo. Mr. Gibbs continued, “I've got something I'm sure you'll both enjoy, however; it does involve a choice of a lifetime if you dare”.

Mr. Gibbs handed Tim a brightly colored box of animal crackers beautifully decorated with various animals such as “Tiny the Hippopotamus”, “Ernest the Elephant”, ''Charles the Chimp”, “George the Giraffe”, ”Ellen the Eagle” and of course “Lars the Lion” who was always everyone's favorite? Mr. Gibbs explained the crackers where not your garden variety snack but were a gateway or a dimension to a new world and a new life. Mr. Gibbs continued and told the boys that to eat just one depending on the animal they would in fact become that creature for just a few moments and then return back to their normal selves. Mr. Gibbs handed both Tim and Will a box and said, “Imagine standing twenty feet tall like the Giraffe or traveling through the treetops like the Chimpanzee or soaring the skies like and Eagle”. Will smiled and then laughed thinking to himself what it would be like to sit on Opus as a Hippopotamus or become a Chimpanzee and break a dirty ashtray over Sergeant Collins head. Tim turned toward Mr. Gibbs and said, “This is all to fantastic to believe Sir, not that I wouldn't want to at least try just one”.  Mr. Gibbs began to smile and said, “Lads the choice is yours and yours alone but remember the last cracker in the box is permanent and you will remain that animal for your lifetime on earth.

Before the boys could ask another question Mr. Gibbs had disappeared into an excited crowd of young children with their parents all racing toward Crittenden's famous Monkey Island. Will still wasn't convinced but for just a few precious moments his mind was free of the constant fear and doubt that plagued his young life through no fault of his own. Tim couldn't wait any longer and opened the box and selected an animal but Will stopped him and said, “Let's do it together, so here goes Charles the Chimpanzee”. High pitched laughter and squeals of delight filled the air as a small army of youngsters gathered around Monkey Inland as Tim tried to yell, “Ouch” after a big green Granny Smith apple struck him on the head. Tim then looked over at Will who looked just like a Chimpanzee and then he looked at his hands and they looked just like a Chimpanzee. By now the zoo's resident Chimp named, “Bonzo” charged toward Tim and Will surprised by their arrival to his enclosure and pushed Will quickly aside for the apple that bounced off Tim's head. One of the little girls who stood watching from above yelled,” Do it again Daddy, throw another one”, and as the child father lifted his arm to hurl another apple Will returned the favor with something not as pleasant as a Granny Smith?