long?”
“He sponsored me to come from Russia. For three years we worked together. Always together.”
“You must have gotten to know him pretty well,” I said.
“Yes, I knew him very well.” He paused. “Enough talk. Vladimir has work to do. Unpack and then you come.”
Nick jumped down from the bunk bed. He pulled open the top drawer of the dresser and, in one motion, grabbed his bag, unsnapped it, turned it upside down and dumped the contents into the drawer. “I’m unpacked, so I can come now.”
“I can unpack later,” Danny added.
“So can I!” Samantha piped in.
Vladimir chuckled. “And you, big girl Sarah?”
Part of me really liked the idea of them all going away and letting me have at least a few minutes on my own, but what the heck. “I can unpack later, too.”
•
“Can we see the elephants first?” Nick asked as we walked along with Vladimir.
“No. You can’t see elephants.”
“Why not?” Nick persisted.
“No elephants anymore. Just elephant.”
“But it said in that brochure that you had three elephants.”
“Had three. Now one.”
“But how old are those brochures?” I asked.
“Only a few weeks old. The two elephants have been gone only a few days.”
“Where did they go to?” I asked. “They didn’t … they didn’t …”
“No, not die,” Vladimir said. “Both are young elephants, healthy elephants.”
“Then what happened to them?” Nick asked.
“Sold.”
“Somebody bought two elephants?” Samantha questioned. “I just can’t imagine somebody buying a couple of elephants.”
“Not somebody. Something. Zoo. Another zoo.”
“But why would your zoo get rid of them?” Nick asked.
“Maybe there wasn’t enough space,” Danny said.
“There’s lots of space,” Vladimir said.
“But why did you get rid of them then?” Nick asked again.
“Money.”
“You couldn’t afford to keep them?” Danny asked.
“Not money to keep. Money to go. When big animals go, you get big money back. Enough talk. You want to see animals or not?”
“Of course!” I exclaimed.
“Good. Then look at Boo Boo.”
“Boo Boo?”
Vladimir stopped and pointed into a cage. “Boo Boo the bear.”
“I don’t see any —
whOOO
!” Nick screamed as a black blur shot up a tree in the middle of the pen, stopping at the very top of the trunk. It had to be almost ten metres up.
“I’ve never even seen a squirrel that could climb that fast,” I said.
“Boo Boo is a good climber.” Vladimir smiled and rested his hands against the screening, looking up at the animal perched in the tree.
“He’s big,” Nick said. “Really big.”
“Not so big,” Vladimir said with a shrug. “Russian brown bears, they are big bears.”
“He looks pretty big to me,” I said, agreeing with Nick.
Vladimir shook his head. “Not big. Maybe two hundred and seventy-five kilograms. And not he — she.”
“I had no idea bears could climb that fast,” I said, still amazed at the speed with which it had scaled the tree.
“Black bears are good climbers. Other bears not so good. Want to hear an old joke? You know the difference between a black bear and a grizzly bear?”
“Um, the size and colour maybe,” I suggested.
“Yes, but another way: you run from the bear and climb a tree. If the bear climbs up after you, then it is black bear.” Vladimir paused, and a smile crept onto his face again. “If the bear grabs the tree and shakes till you fall down, then it is grizzly.”
I shuddered at the thought while Nick and Danny laughed along with Vladimir.
“How much bigger than Boo Boo is a grizzly?” Nick asked.
“Grizzly is twice as big.”
“I can’t imagine any bear being twice as big as that,” I said, gesturing at the tree.
“She doesn’t look that big,” Samantha said.
“She’d look a whole lot bigger if she was standing right in front of you,” I said. Samantha wasn’t the only one who could be disagreeable.
“Would you like to see
“He sponsored me to come from Russia. For three years we worked together. Always together.”
“You must have gotten to know him pretty well,” I said.
“Yes, I knew him very well.” He paused. “Enough talk. Vladimir has work to do. Unpack and then you come.”
Nick jumped down from the bunk bed. He pulled open the top drawer of the dresser and, in one motion, grabbed his bag, unsnapped it, turned it upside down and dumped the contents into the drawer. “I’m unpacked, so I can come now.”
“I can unpack later,” Danny added.
“So can I!” Samantha piped in.
Vladimir chuckled. “And you, big girl Sarah?”
Part of me really liked the idea of them all going away and letting me have at least a few minutes on my own, but what the heck. “I can unpack later, too.”
•
“Can we see the elephants first?” Nick asked as we walked along with Vladimir.
“No. You can’t see elephants.”
“Why not?” Nick persisted.
“No elephants anymore. Just elephant.”
“But it said in that brochure that you had three elephants.”
“Had three. Now one.”
“But how old are those brochures?” I asked.
“Only a few weeks old. The two elephants have been gone only a few days.”
“Where did they go to?” I asked. “They didn’t … they didn’t …”
“No, not die,” Vladimir said. “Both are young elephants, healthy elephants.”
“Then what happened to them?” Nick asked.
“Sold.”
“Somebody bought two elephants?” Samantha questioned. “I just can’t imagine somebody buying a couple of elephants.”
“Not somebody. Something. Zoo. Another zoo.”
“But why would your zoo get rid of them?” Nick asked.
“Maybe there wasn’t enough space,” Danny said.
“There’s lots of space,” Vladimir said.
“But why did you get rid of them then?” Nick asked again.
“Money.”
“You couldn’t afford to keep them?” Danny asked.
“Not money to keep. Money to go. When big animals go, you get big money back. Enough talk. You want to see animals or not?”
“Of course!” I exclaimed.
“Good. Then look at Boo Boo.”
“Boo Boo?”
Vladimir stopped and pointed into a cage. “Boo Boo the bear.”
“I don’t see any —
whOOO
!” Nick screamed as a black blur shot up a tree in the middle of the pen, stopping at the very top of the trunk. It had to be almost ten metres up.
“I’ve never even seen a squirrel that could climb that fast,” I said.
“Boo Boo is a good climber.” Vladimir smiled and rested his hands against the screening, looking up at the animal perched in the tree.
“He’s big,” Nick said. “Really big.”
“Not so big,” Vladimir said with a shrug. “Russian brown bears, they are big bears.”
“He looks pretty big to me,” I said, agreeing with Nick.
Vladimir shook his head. “Not big. Maybe two hundred and seventy-five kilograms. And not he — she.”
“I had no idea bears could climb that fast,” I said, still amazed at the speed with which it had scaled the tree.
“Black bears are good climbers. Other bears not so good. Want to hear an old joke? You know the difference between a black bear and a grizzly bear?”
“Um, the size and colour maybe,” I suggested.
“Yes, but another way: you run from the bear and climb a tree. If the bear climbs up after you, then it is black bear.” Vladimir paused, and a smile crept onto his face again. “If the bear grabs the tree and shakes till you fall down, then it is grizzly.”
I shuddered at the thought while Nick and Danny laughed along with Vladimir.
“How much bigger than Boo Boo is a grizzly?” Nick asked.
“Grizzly is twice as big.”
“I can’t imagine any bear being twice as big as that,” I said, gesturing at the tree.
“She doesn’t look that big,” Samantha said.
“She’d look a whole lot bigger if she was standing right in front of you,” I said. Samantha wasn’t the only one who could be disagreeable.
“Would you like to see
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