- a short short story about 5 brothers
Sam walked slowly down the aisle of stuffed toys. He was surrounded on all sides by dogs and tigers and bears and rabbits. But no lions with fluffy manes or silly looking monkeys. That�s what he was after, a lion and a monkey. He had a promise to keep and this was the fourth store he�d been to that afternoon in search of the perfect toys.
Sighing with resignation, he began to dig. They were out there somewhere, just waiting for him to find them. Just like Steven and Peter had been waiting to be found and their little family re-united. Twelve years was a long time to go without seeing your brothers. The two had changed so much because of what they had been through, yet Sam could still them as the little boys of 7 and 4 that he remembered. Remembered most clearly from that stolen afternoon at the zoo�
�We�re going where?� Ten-year old Nicky kept his voice low so as not to disturb their napping grandfather. He was in a particularly bad mood.
Sergei picked up little Peter. �The zoo. To see the animals.� He reached out and squeezed Nicky�s shoulder. He worried too much. �It�s okay. Mrs. Denisov gave me the money for it. She�s been saving it so we could get out for a little while before Dmitri comes back.�
The twins, Michael and Steven came out of the bedroom with their shoes on. �Let�s go!� Steven said softly. The seven-year old tugged on Sergei�s hand. �The animals might disappear and I want to see the lions!�
�And the elephants!� Michael added.
�Monkeys!� Peter squealed.
Sergei smiled and ushered them out the door, closing it behind them very, very quietly. If he woke up� Sergei shuddered and refused to complete the thought. None of them were going to worry today. Today, they were just five brothers enjoying a beautiful summer day.
They walked to the zoo, since there weren�t enough kopecks to ride the bus or the metro. But none of them seemed to mind. Michael and Steven raced through the crowds of people on the sidewalk, playing tag and laughing and giggling when Nicky started playing too. Sergei just watched, still carrying Peter. He was only four and couldn�t yet walk that far.
Arriving at the gates, Sergei paid for their tickets and the boys entered the Leningrad Zoo for the very first time. There was no rhyme or reason to their wandering down the paths, Steven led the way going in whatever direction he wanted. Eventually they stumbled across a petting zoo, and since there was no extra charge, Sergei let them go in.
Nicky made a beeline for the rabbits, stopping to pet a big lop-eared rabbit that sported a black moustache. Peter refused to touch them, and Michael had to hold the baby ducks.
Moving on they came to the elephants. It was Michael�s turn to stare as the giant creatures moved about, flapping their ears and swishing their tails. There was a baby elephant, and he dipped his trunk into the pond and then sprayed water all over his mother. Standing there for quite some time, they all laughed at the baby�s antics as he splashed through the water and tried to get his mother to chase him.
Looking up at Sergei, Michael asked, �Can we take him home?�
Sergei smiled. He�d been expecting that question. �No. He has to stay here so he doesn�t get sick. I think our place it too small for him. He�s going to get pretty big.�
�Oh.� Michael looked down for a moment, and then looked back up at Sergei. �When we get adopted by rich Americans, then can I have an elephant?�
�Of course you can!�
That was Michael�s dream, to get adopted by Americans and leave Russia. He was too young to understand that that would probably never happen to any of them. Even though their father was never around- too busy trying to get noticed by the Army officers in Moscow at the Kremlin, he would never give them up. Sergei had heard him say so.
Michael grinned, and then took Steven�s hand and they skipped down the sidewalk in the direction of the lions. Following Michael�s lead, Steven asked too.
�When we get adopted, can I have a lion?�
�Why not? We�ll have our own little zoo!� Sergei ruffled the boy�s hair and they stood and watched the lions. The female lion was trying to sleep, but the male lion didn�t want to let her and she kept pushing him away.
Peter was tired of watching all the other animals and he tugged on Sergei�s hand. �Monkeys, Sergei, monkeys!�
�Alright, Peter. To the monkeys!�
It took them several wrong turns to find the monkeys. The little boy didn�t yet know that they were really chimpanzees. When they did find the monkeys, Peter ran as close to the cages as he could, clapping and laughing at their antics. One was a banana thief, and another appeared to be an aspiring high-wire walker. In keeping with his brothers, Peter announced that he wanted a monkey, one of every kind!
They stayed at the monkeys the longest, watching them play and laughing. It was with great reluctance that Sergei quietly said they had to leave.
Sam moved slowly down the aisle, searching carefully, and when he reached the end of that side, he turned and began the same procedure on the other side. When he was almost to the end, he found them: the perfect lion and the perfect monkey, side by side beneath a large teddy bear. The lion was made to lay relatively flat so that he could be easily hugged. His mane was soft and fuzzy, just the way Steven said he wanted it to be. The monkey was black with a shock of bright red hair, a silly little grin and a t-shirt with a banana on it.
Sam hugged the animals tightly. He had never dreamed that he would actually get to keep that promise to make their own little zoo. These stuffed animals signified so much more though. It meant they were safe, and in America, and most importantly, together. He strode to the checkout counter and gently laid the animals down.
The girl checking him out, whose nametag read �Brittany�, smiled. �I�m so glad somebody is finally buying these guys. They�ve been back there for almost a year now.�
�Guess they were just waiting for the right person.�
Brittany nodded in agreement. �I was about ready to buy them myself. Would you like them gift-wrapped?�
�Please.� Sam leaned against the counter and watched as she wrapped them up. He�d never been able to wrap presents nicely. And he found himself wondering what the animals would be named. Bo had named his Squeak, and Nick had christened his Sherbert.
Brittany handed over the bag, and Sam took it gratefully, then headed back outside. He trudged through the snow to his truck, getting very anxious for Friday night to arrive so he could keep his promise.
Friday night was one of the best nights of Sam�s life. Peter was smiling and laughing, and ecstatic to finally see Nick again, even though his leg was broken and he could barely move. Sam had had to explain what a Navy SEAL was, and Peter didn�t like the idea of Nick being in that much danger all the time. But the cast wasn�t stopping Nick from letting Peter snuggle up to him.
Steven was more reserved, sitting quietly and watching everyone else, a deep sadness in his blue eyes. A far cry from the non-stop talker Sam remembered. He�d been through hell over the last six months and was still trying to accept the fact that he was indeed safe, and that the impossible had happened. The brothers were together again, and that made any place home in Steven�s eyes.
Once they had secluded themselves in Nick�s room downstairs, Sam presented the boxes to Peter and Steven. Sherbert and Squeak were hidden just out of sight between the nightstand and the bed, waiting for the rest of their zoo companions to appear.
�Open them!� Bo blurted out.
They did so, at the same time. Peter lifted the lid from his box and gasped, his eyes lighting up. He pulled the monkey out and hugged him tightly. Steven gently removed his lion and smoothed its mane, then looked at Sam. �I didn�t think anyone would remember that,� he whispered.
Steven still remembered how he�d been awestruck by the powerful lions. The memory of that summer afternoon had been his mental retreat for the last ten years, a safe place he could go in his mind and try to ignore what was happening to him. A place where Sergei could still hold his hand and make him feel safe with a simple smile and a little squeeze.
Sam took his little brother�s hand and squeezed it. �I will never forget that day, Steven.�
Steven looked at Bo, who was now hugging Squeak. Squeak was an elephant. He then looked at Nick, who had pulled Sherbert the floppy-eared-rabbit-with-a-moustache out from his hiding place and was playing with his ears.
None of them had wanted to leave the zoo that day. And now they had that day back, along with their own little zoo of stuffed animals.