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A Fine Day at the Zoo [MultiFormat]
eBook by Gene O'Neill
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$0.49 |
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$0.42 |
eBook Category: Science Fiction
eBook Description: An overwhelming horrible stench blows over Devlin and his son, Robbie, on their first trip to the San Francisco Zoo. But they recover from the depressing experience, Robbie as enthusiastic as his dad and they see it all, every animal exhibit.
eBook Publisher: Fictionwise.com, Published: Rockers, Shamans, Manikins, and Thanathespians, 2001
Fictionwise Release Date: November 2002
Available eBook Formats [MultiFormat - What's this?]: Adobe Acrobat (PDF) [50 KB], eReader (PDB) [23 KB], Palm Doc (PDB) [9 KB], Rocket/REB1100 (RB) [9 KB], Microsoft Reader (LIT) [63 KB] - PocketPC 1.0+ Compatible, Franklin eBookMan (FUB) [80 KB], hiebook (KML) [52 KB], Sony Reader (LRF) [40 KB], iSilo (PDB) [8 KB], Mobipocket (PRC) [10 KB], Kindle Compatible (MOBI) [38 KB], OEBFF Format (IMP) [16 KB]
Words: 2590
Reading time: 7-10 min.
Microsoft Reader (LIT) Format: Printing DISABLED, Read-Aloud ENABLED
Adobe Acrobat (PDF) Format: Printing DISABLED, Read-Aloud DISABLED
All Other formats: Printing DISABLED, Read-aloud DISABLED
 
8:30am The sunlight streaming through his bedroom window awakens Shane Devlin. For a moment or two, as is his recent custom, he lies there lazily, but as the seconds tick by he feels a sense of urgency building and stirring his body-- Today is the day! He sits up abruptly, shedding sheets and blankets. Yeah, today just may be the day Robbie speaks again, he thinks, springing up from the bed to gaze out the big picture window of his Knob Hill apartment on Taylor Street. The panoramic view east across San Francisco Bay is absolutely stunning, really unusual for a morning this time of year--normally it is obscured by fog until noon or later. But today is clear and sparkling, and in front of him Angel Island and Alcatraz seem so close, as if they are right in his back yard. The view is anchored on the left periphery by the Golden Gate Bridge, its burnt-orange twin towers rising up gloriously into a cloudless faded denim sky; anchoring the right is the grayish-blue Bay Bridge, its long twin spans separated by Treasure Island. Looking directly across the Bay is the most remarkable sight, because there is absolutely no smog haze; and Devlin can clearly make out the distant Berkeley Hills, even the Tower on the UC campus, and it has been that way for the last month He shakes his head trying to recall, with no luck, another time in the recent past when the yellowish-brown haze did not shroud the East Bay hills. Devlin sucks in a breath, lingering in front of the golden morning, the post card perfect view stimulating an almost numbing sense of euphoria. Then, suddenly he remembers his six-year-old son, Robbie, who is waiting for today's promised trip to the zoo. "Holy shit, it's 8:45 already," Devlin says aloud, after checking the clock, recalling that the zoo opens at 10:00. He hustles around the bedroom, getting dressed, putting on shoes. In the kitchen, he gulps a glass of orange juice, and crams down a strawberry yogurt bar. It is just after 9:00 when Devlin dashes down the five flights of stairs to the garage and his silver-blue BMW, with the license plate: Bad Boy-1. He pauses for a moment, frowning as he gazes at the plate. It won't be easy getting Robbie's wheelchair into the trunk. Actually, he needs one of those new vans with the sliding side door. As he slips behind the wheel of the car, he makes a mental note to check out the showrooms over on Van Ness the first chance he gets. * * * *Devlin negotiates the ride down from Knob Hill over to the Marina quickly and easily, running into no traffic at all, swinging around the occasional double-parked car or abandoned vehicle, making the whole trip in less than fifteen minutes. He double-parks in front of Lil's townhouse on Chesnut, but hesitates for a few moments, looking up at her second story window, his euphoria dampened by feelings of nostalgic guilt. Jesus, how long had he lived there? Five, six years? He slips into the past...
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