Head Zookeeper! Right up my alley. It ought to be a great first day. Head Zookeeper!

Of course I got there early. But when I drove through the gate to the parking spot all I could think was, “What the…”

“Hi! My name’s Mandy.”

Where did she come from? I had barely gotten out of the car, when, poof, there she was with her outstretched hand ready for me to extend mine. I obliged. “My name is…”

“Hal. I know. My boss hired you and I’m here to show you around. You know. Get you acquainted with the place. Then, we’ll hop on over to HR and get your paperwork done before we go see the boss.” Mandy smiled. I tried to smile back, but it was probably more of a grimace.

I looked back over my shoulder to where the sign for the zoo was. I could only see the back of it, so I turned to walk with Mandy. I gestured with my thumb over my shoulder. “Say Mandy, did I read that sign right? It says…”

“Yes. You read it right. But let’s get going with the tour, shall we?”

It was odd. Mandy had completed or cut off two of my thoughts already. But for some reason it was not getting on my nerves. It worked with her somehow. Even though it was strange.

“Say, Mandy. You’re not reading my mind or putting some sort of spell on me, are you?” She let me finish my thought and my sentences.

She continued walking and turned her face to look up at me. “Don’t you think I would have completed that thought for you too?”

It was not an answer, but it would need to be okay. We stopped in front of the first animal exhibit.

Mandy turned her whole body to look at me as I read the placard. She stated, “This is perhaps the most important exhibit in the zoo. It is, after all, the first one that the guests see. It is the home of the…”

“Hovering Bardinkle?” It was my turn to finish Mandy’s sentence.

Mandy smiled. “That’s right, Hal. Have you ever seen such wonderful specimens? This pair is going to give us some young ones that we can ship off to other zoos. And…”

“Hold on a minute missy.”

“The name’s Mandy.”

“I know. It’s just an expression.” I looked at Mandy. I took a deep breath. “I am a zoologist. I have trained for years. I have been a zookeeper at a prestigious zoo for a long time. But this was going to be my big break. A gig as a head zookeeper. But now you tell me that I’m going to take care of a…” I looked at the sign again. “…a Hovering Bardinkle? I’ve never even heard of a Hovering Bardinkle. I have no idea what a Hovering Bardinkle eats, how it sleeps, what its habitat is like, or anything else for that matter. In fact, I keep pinching myself to make sure this is not a dream. After all, that… that… that creature is indeed hovering in midair.” I looked again. “Isn’t it?”

Mandy nodded. “It is indeed hovering. Just as its name says it does. We do not name our magical animals all willy nillie like some people might think. No. There is careful deliberation that goes on when we name these precious magical creatures.”

“Magical creatures! Magical Creatures! This is crazy.”

“No. Just magical.” Mandy looked down at her shoes or some other interesting thing on the ground. Then, she looked up at me again. She sighed. “I told my boss that you might not be the guy. After all, when you came for your interview, you did not see that the sign said anything about magical creatures even though it is right there in the name. Mandy’s Magical Menagerie. And no. It is not my zoo. Mandy is also my mother’s name. This is her zoo. I just get to work here. And I love it. In fact, I told my mother, the boss, that I would be the best choice for head zookeeper. But no. She said that she wanted somebody who had a different perspective. Somebody who had worked someplace other than here. So she chose you. And now, you think it’s crazy. A magical menagerie is crazy.”

Mandy was looking up at me. Her face had softened a bit after her lecture that seemed like a quiet tirade. A little tear had formed in her eye. She jabbed me with her index finger. “You listen here mister.” The four jabs coincided with her words. “I love this place. And I know how to keep these animals happy. I know how to make sure they do not make guests disappear. I know how to make sure that head zookeepers do not disappear. But right now, I just want you to disappear. Not in a bad way. Just hop back in your car and drive away and forget that you ever saw this place. Forget all about Mandy’s Magical Menagerie. And when you forget about it, you won’t be able to find it again either. It’ll be like we never existed. Ever. Like it was just a dream that has become hazy even as you dream it.”

I was getting a little foggy in my brain. “Hey! I do not need you to put a spell on me. I don’t need you to hypnotize me and make me go away. I need this job. I need to get paid what a decent head zookeeper gets paid.” I paused when I saw Mandy turn away toward the Hovering Bardinkles. “I do get paid, right?”

Mandy directed her gaze at me again. If looks could kill, I would have been ashes on the ground. Hot ashes at that. “Yes.” She took a deep breath. It seemed she would breathe fire out of her nostrils. “You‘ll get a coin per month.”

“A coin? A single coin per month?” I breathed out. But I knew there would be no fire. I just hoped I could get my old job back. “Uh listen. Perhaps I was a bit hasty taking this job. And maybe you’re right. Maybe you should take care of these magical creatures. After all, it is your name on the sign.”

“My mother’s name.”

“Right. Still. It’s your name too. Besides, I know nothing about taking care of magical creatures like Hovering Bardinkles. Or Whangdoodles or Snozzwangers or Hornswogglers or Vermicious Knids.”

Mandy laughed. “We don’t have any of those last four. They’re mythical creatures from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Willie Wonka mentions them in the movie and in the book by Dahl.” She smiled. “Maybe you do have enough imagination to make it here. Just maybe. As long as you can learn.”

I smiled back, but I had already made my decision. “Listen Mandy. I think I made a mistake. Plus, it sounds like you’re the one for the job. I don’t even think I’d be a good assistant.”

I turned to go. Mandy walked with me.

“You don’t really need to go. You could do well here.”

I faked a smile. “I don’t think so. I’d just be asking you questions all the time.”

“You’re right, of course.” Mandy smiled. “But you could still work here. Mother might even give you two coins per month.”

We had reached my car. I stuck out my hand. “It was nice to meet you, Mandy. I hope that you do well as the head Zookeeper here. It really is a wonderful place.”

“Even though you only saw the first exhibit.”

“Even though I only saw the first exhibit.”

We shook hands. “It was good to meet you, Hal. I hope you get your old job back. I think they’ll take you. After all, there are only so many good zoologists out there. Especially ones with your talents and experience.”

How did she always seem to know what I was thinking. “Thanks.”

I drove out of the parking lot and looked in the rear view mirror. I saw Mandy waving. I stuck my hand out the window and waved back. When I got to the street, I looked back again. The sign and the driveway to Mandy’s Magical Menagerie had disappeared. I had one last thought before I wondered what I was doing in the area. I wondered if the coin I would have gotten paid was a gold doubloon or something like that.

Nah.

Then I wondered. Why had I quit my job? I wondered if I could get it back.