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by Eleanor, aged 9

The sun had risen by the time the zoo had opened. Every enclosure, from the penguins to the giraffes, was bathed in a warm summers glow. It was the holidays and excited hoards were streaming in through the gates. Queues had already started to form at the ice cream and burger stalls; and the cries of whinging children were growing deafening by the second.

The gorilla enclosure had opened once more, after the arrival of a new baby. It stood in the middle of the park surrounded by tall trees and prickly bushes. As the keeper opened the gate to the public, children ran through in anticipation.

Johnny clung to his mother. His big, brown eyes hardly daring to peek at the animals in front of him. As he grew in confidence he started to jump up and down. His little legs pumping, arms waving in excitement. The more he jumped, the more the animals seemed to like it. Jimmy and Jemima smiled, delighted their son was enjoying the day so much.

Lunchtime passed and visitors arrived and left, but the family of three stayed. Jemima stared through the glass, watching a small one as his mother passed him a banana to keep him quiet. ‘They’re so like us’ she thought to herself. “Gosh, aren’t they noisy,” complained Jimmy, as he stared absent-mindedly into the sky.

Throughout the day the crowds came and went, everyone wanting to see the star attraction - the gorillas. Johnny, now tired, wailed, “I’m bored. I’m fed up with looking at all the animals.” Frowning, he flicked a banana skin across the floor, and began stamping on it. “Don’t do that!” said his mother. “Give it a break!” hissed his father. Johnny sighed and scratched his head repeatedly. “Stop scratching,” his mother whispered angrily. “People will start staring. Anyone would think you had fleas! It’s not long till closing time. Be patient!”

The clock struck six. Crowds started to melt away, like wax from a candle. All that was left behind were some empty crisp packets dancing in the breeze, and sticky finger prints marking the glass of the gorilla enclosure.

Jemima settled herself down in the corner of the cage and started removing fleas from Johnny’s soft head. Jimmy pushed his mop of thick, black hair from his eyes, and took a banana with his big, hairy paw. As he swung himself upside-down on his climbing frame, he murmured, “Those animals are so noisy when they are here, but I do miss them during the night. They are very entertaining to watch. It just goes to show how alike we are.”