Page 25 of What Haunts the Heart
Oakley
“Uncle Oaky, come look at the monkeys! They look like you!”
Fallon howled with laughter in his Loch Ness monster costume, his lizard tail swinging from side to side. He pranced around the entrance of the zoo, where the capuchin monkeys hung from limbs and vines in their octagon-shaped enclosure. It was surrounded by a shallow moat.
I rolled my eyes and let go of Eden’s hand to join my ornery nephew at the monkey exhibit. I knelt down beside him, my hands on my knees, and peered into the dark enclosure. One of them scampered over to the fencing and grabbed it with both hands, then shrieked louder than Khloe ever had.
“See?” Fallon chimed out. “It’s you!”
“No way,” I argued, cuffing him lightly on the back of the head. “If anything, that little imp looks and acts exactly likeyou!Hah!” I shot to my feet, grabbed Fallon around the waist, and tossed him into the air. He squealed when I caught him. “You should’ve been a monkey for Halloween.”
He huffed at me, his green and black monster face scrunching up. “Dad! Uncle Oaky’s being a big ol’ jerk.”
“Don’t be a jerk, Oakley,” Chester singsonged back.
Claire and Eden burst into giggles. I pinned them with a glare, but Claire was the only one with the decency to hide her smile behind her hands. Eden simply smirked at me.
“Uncie Oaky’s a jerk!” Khloe cried from the stroller that she and Angel were both strapped into. Angel was dressed in a cute ladybug onesie with a bouncy antennae headband. Khloe was a princess, of course, complete with a shiny crown atop her midnight-black curls.
I gave Fallon’s Nessie-tail a yank and stood. “Maybe I should throw you in that moat, see if you can swim like a monkey.”
“Monkey’s can’t swim,” he argued.
The monkey in question rattled the fencing, then shrieked again, as if to say, “I can too! Just watch me!”
“Let’s go guys,” Kinsley called out. “We’ve got an entire zoo to walk, so c’mon.”
He wasn’t wrong.
The zoo two towns over started offering Halloween visits last fall, and when Kinsley brought it up, I was the first to jump on board. I’d always loved the zoo and tonight, it was all dressed up for the season.
Glimmering purple and orange lights were strung along the rails and up over the archways, and tattered black streamers hung from both entrances of the tunnel that separated the different areas of the zoo. Pumpkins carved into animal faces flickered in the darkness, turned into fierce tigers and silly hippos.
A spooky ambience played through the loudspeakers as we walked down the foggy path. Although some of the animals had gone inside their enclosures for the day, many were active and seemingly curious about the costumed minions hooting and hollering.
We ambled through the zoo, pausing only to take in the sights. I had to admit, the staff had done a really good job of decorating, and the neon face paint and glow sticks they wore around their necks even made their presence kind of eerie. More than once, I saw a couple of younger kids start to run up, only to skitter back to their parents. It made me smile.
Fallon wasn’t afraid of them. He puffed out his cheeks and made faces right back, his laughter echoing down the long tunnel. He pranced several feet ahead of our little pack without a care in the world. Kinsley had to keep wrangling him back. My sneakers squeaked on the damp pavement as we made our way to the next exhibit.
“Kitty!” Khloe pointed.
We came to a stop in front of the tiger exhibit, the little kids holding onto the rails that separated them from the heavy-duty fencing. I squinted into the darkness, but I couldn’t see anything. Still, the big cat’s presence could be felt. My inner-wolf let out a growl as the hairs on the back of my neck stood straight up.
I heard Eden gasp. He grabbed my hand, then pointed in the same direction. There, shrouded in darkness, gleamed a pair of silvery eyes. Just a flash. The powerful beast stalked through the trees, his footfalls completely silent. A deadly predator.
Fallon leaned against the metal railing. “Papa—”
“Don’t taunt the big kitty, Fal,” Eden muttered under his breath. “I don’t want to become a chicken tender.”
I squeezed his hand. “Oh, you’re fine, you big baby. Not like that cat can reach you.” With a laugh, I pinched his side. He squealed softly, then rammed his body against mine. “Besides,” I teased. “You’remychicken tender.”
“Ew,” said Fallon, loudly. “Cooties. Wait.” He spun on us, wide-eyed and grinning like the imp he was. “Does this mean I get to call you Uncle Eden?”
Eden froze. “Uh…” He cut a quick glance to me. When I shrugged, he offered a smile. “Sure? Knock yourself out, kiddo.”
“Uncle Eden and Uncle Oaky sittin’ in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g.”
Kinsley grabbed his son by the shoulder. “Hush. You’re upsetting the wildlife.”
