New Year's Day - Part 2

After a bit of walking, we caught up to the group at an exhibit featuring alligators. The reptiles were lounging about in the sun without moving. From afar, they almost looked like statues.

“Sorry for the wait! Did we miss anything?” Maple asked Daniel.

“Nope, you’re just in time for the show! They’re about to feed the gators!”

Right on cue, two employees entered the exhibit through a door in the chain-link fence.

“Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the feeding show! Today, we’ll be feeding our gators, starting with Dante, our male alligator clocking in at 12 feet and over 700 pounds!” announced a host with a microphone.

The crowd cheered en masse as the other employee tied a chunk of meat to a pole. Walking forward, he planted himself near the water’s edge, then called out to Dante while also making clicking noises with his tongue. Sure enough, Dante surfaced at the top of the pool. How they knew it was him and not the other alligators was beyond me.

“As you can see, he’s one big boy! For those who don’t know, he was found in someone’s pool, then captured and transferred to live here for the last twenty years! And you can bet an alligator his size has a mighty bite! In fact, we clocked him at over 2,000 pounds per square inch!” said the host. “Alright, I think Dante is warmed up now! Let’s feed him now!”

“Feed him, feed him!” chanted the crowd.

With incredible speed, Dante leapt out of the water, clamping down on the meat with a definitive thud. The handler was now wrestling Dante in a game of tug of war. According to the host, it was a form of enrichment and exercise for the alligators. Everything seemed to be going to plan, but things quickly went downhill as the handler slipped onto the grass. His pole was yoinked into the water by Dante, who then promptly released it, seemingly with a bigger meal in mind.

Thankfully, the handler was able to get up in time before Dante or the other alligators could reach him. He was clearly shaken, but still managed to deliver a bow, much to the audience’s delight and relief.

“Whew, that was close, wasn’t it? But don’t worry, we have a whole wagon of meat we can throw to feed them!” reassured the host, who then nodded to the handler to begin tossing the food.

In no time at all, the pool turned into a feeding frenzy with each alligator clambering for a bite. There must have been at least a dozen of them.

“Look at them go!” Maple shouted. “Aren’t they so awesome?”

“Awesome? Maple, are you a fan of alligators or something?” I asked.

“Not before coming here, but I sure am now! They look cute with their little beady eyes and smiles!”

“Cute!? They aren’t smiling, that’s just how their mouths naturally align.”

Maple and I continued on about the animals for the rest of the show. Following the conclusion of the feeding, we set off to explore the rest of the sanctuary. Like last time at the water park, Maple and I departed from the group to spend time together, separate from the others.

Using an online map, we navigated our way to a bird aviary housing a variety of species, such as cockatoos, macaws, and budgerigars. There were also dedicated exhibits housing emus and flamingos, respectively. Upon entering the area, the parrots welcomed us by imitating human speech.

“Hello! Hello! Hello!” said one of the cockatoos.

“Hi! You’re a pretty bird, aren’t you?” Maple replied. “Your feathers look so fluffy and cute!”

“Cluck, cluck, cluck!”

It sounded like a chicken now. Were people making chicken noises in front of it? Giving things a try, I attempted to talk with it, only to receive a series of deafening screeches.

“Paige, I don’t think he likes you!” Maple giggled.

“He? How do you know?”

“It says here on this display. His name is Maxwell, and he’s apparently 50 years old.”

“50!? He’s over twice our age!”

“Scraw! Scraw! Maxwell! Maxwell!”

“Oh, you think you’re funny, hmm? Tell me a joke then,” I asked Maxwell.

“Celery at seven degrees, celery at seven degrees, celery at seven degrees!”

“What are you saying!? Agh, you’re driving me nuts!”

“Six, seven, six, seven, six, seven, six, seven!”

“Six, seven!?”

I knew it was fruitless to argue with a parrot, but Maple was having so much fun that I kept the bit up to make her happy. However, I eventually exhausted my voice and had to take a break, so we headed to an ice cream cart. Having cooled off with passion fruit and mango ice cream, our next destination was a hands-on snake activity.

The thought of a snake coiling around my arm was repulsive. Had it been with anyone else, I would have declined in a heartbeat.

“Wanna go first?” Maple asked me.

“N—No thanks!”

“Heh, you’re so silly, Paige! Don’t worry, they don’t bite or anything. If anything, they’re more afraid of you, so relax, dear!”

Although she was correct about the last part, it didn’t really help ease my nerves, especially with the snake they brought out. It was a boa of some kind, almost as long as Dante the alligator from before. As it slithered up Maple’s arm, I tensed up, expecting the worst.

“Aww, this is sweet! Not slimy at all. Kinda feels relaxing actually!” Maple said.

It wasn’t long before it was my turn.

This was going to suck!

Switching places with Maple, I let the snake do its thing.

“Huh!?” I let out as it went underneath the sleeve of my shirt. Seeing its head beneath the fabric was enough to thoroughly freak me out, so I called it quits. As the staff removed the snake, everyone in line began clapping as if what I did was some grand accomplishment.

“See, I knew you could get over your fears!” Maple said while smiling.

“Uh, I don’t know if I exactly ‘got over it,’ but I suppose it’s something.”

“The specifics don’t matter. I’m just happy that you tried something new! Let’s continue our adventure, dear!”

We continued through the park to see everything they had on offer. By the time we finished, we were worn out and hungry, perfect for the hot pot we planned to have before the fireworks.

Now riding to the restaurant, I couldn’t help but salivate thinking about the food coming our way.

It was going to be truly delicious.

And who better to eat with than my dearest Maple?