Chapter Three: A Royal Encounter in the Reptile House
Chapter Three: A Royal Encounter in the Reptile House
Ariel stared at the dark doorway leading into the snake exhibit, her heart thudding loud enough to fill the quiet corridor. The tall wooden sign above the door was carved in swirling letters:
Reptile House: Slithering Wonders Inside
A single overhead light flickered ominously, making each scaly illustration on the sign seem to move.
Next to her, Rat the Rattlesnake adjusted his tiny glasses with the tip of his rattler. Koi the Kangaroo, however, was already hopping in reverse. He shook his furry head, ears bouncing. “Well, in ya go, mate,” he said, arms waving toward the door. “Off you pop.”
Ariel spun to face him, incredulous. “What? This is your mystery—why aren’t you going in there?”
Koi pressed a paw to his fluffy chest. “Now, hang on a tick. It’s our mystery, remember? You agreed to help me find Mole the Meerkat. I can’t be going to every nook and cranny in the zoo, can I? I mean, look at me—two big feet, not the sneakiest fella at night. Besides, Rat here’s got your back.”
Ariel opened her mouth, but Koi was already hopping away, a playful smirk on his face. “I’ll be waitin’ right out here. Can’t wait for you to locate our pal Mole. See ya back soon, good fella!” He gave a jaunty salute, then leaned against a tall potted fern, quite pleased with himself.
“Unbelievable,” Ariel muttered. “This is so not fair.”
Rat cleared his throat with a tiny squeak. “Shall we, then?”
Into the Gloomy Snake Exhibit
With no choice, Ariel swallowed her anxiety and stepped inside. Immediately, the air felt cooler and carried a faint, earthy smell of damp soil and reptile musk. Rows of glass enclosures lined both sides of the winding corridor. Dim overhead lights revealed rock ledges, twisted branches, and small pools of water within the habitats.
Everywhere she looked, she caught glimpses of scales and flickering tongues: a python curled on a branch, a boa peeking over a rock, a garter snake winding through the leaves. Some enclosures had large windows that reached almost floor to ceiling, others were smaller tanks stacked in pairs.
Rat slithered gracefully at her side, the tip of his rattle gently scraping the floor. “Be not afraid,” he whispered, as if reading her thoughts. “My brethren and I are accustomed to quiet nights. Though…tonight is a bit unusual with you humans creeping about after hours.”
Ariel rubbed her arms, feeling goosebumps. The soft hisses, the occasional rustle of scales on stone—it all made her heart race. “So…it’s just us in here, right?” she asked warily.
Rat blinked. “Oh my, no. There are sooo many others. This is the Reptile House, after all!” He waved his rattler like a pointer, indicating the length of the winding corridor. “We have geckos, iguanas, pythons, cobras, anacondas—”
“Okay, okay,” Ariel interrupted, trying not to imagine the army of scaly creatures lurking in the darkness. “Let’s, uh, just get to the back, yeah? You said Mole was near the King Cobra’s spot.”
Rat nodded. “Yes. Follow me.”
They made their way deeper into the exhibit, the path curving around like a labyrinth. Dim, underwater-themed murals covered the walls, and every few steps a new enclosure came into view. Some were labeled with fancy plaques—like “Desert Vipers” or “Tropical Pythons.” Ariel’s sneakers squeaked on the polished floor, the sound echoing in the hush.
Meeting the Self-Proclaimed King
At last, they reached a larger glass-fronted habitat. A battered sign above read:
King Cobra Domain—Approach With Caution
The glass was decorated with painted hieroglyphics, as if to imply this particular cobra was as grand as an ancient pharaoh.
Rat raised his tail, signaling Ariel to stop. She peered inside and immediately spotted a lanky cobra perched on what looked like an old cardboard box plastered with colorful hamburger logos. A battered plastic tiara—perhaps a child’s party favor—teetered on top of his narrow head, threatening to tumble with every move.
“Ah, Kiwi the King Cobra,” Rat whispered. “I suppose we should make ourselves known.”
The cobra—Kiwi—lifted his hood and glared at them through the glass. Spotting Rat, he flicked his tongue in recognition. Then, with a dramatic flourish, Kiwi slithered forward and nudged open a small side door to his enclosure, emerging into the corridor where they stood. Ariel’s pulse kicked up again. A free-roaming cobra?
“Greetings, servant,” Kiwi hissed, addressing Ariel first. He lowered his head regally. “You stand in the presence of Kiwi, the King Cobra. Bow before me if you wish.” The plastic tiara wobbled dangerously, almost falling off. Kiwi shot up a coil to keep it on, then coughed as if to recover some dignity.
Ariel blinked. “Um… hi, Kiwi. I’d rather we be…friends, not, uh, servant and king. You know?”
Kiwi’s eyes widened as if she’d just spoken an unspeakable taboo. “Friends? I’m a king, though, correct, Rat?” He swiveled his head to fix Rat with a piercing stare.
Rat’s mouth twitched in a nervous smile. “Oh, absolutely. You’re definitely a big ole… king.” He nodded in an effort to appease Kiwi.
Ariel couldn’t help but giggle softly. Kiwi’s “throne” was a stack of hamburger boxes that looked ready to topple, and his “crown” was a child’s costume accessory that barely stayed perched on his head. He certainly wasn’t the fearsome regent she’d imagined.
“Look, Kiwi,” she said gently, “maybe you’d have more fun if you didn’t try to boss everyone around all the time. Real friendships come from, well, being nice.”
Kiwi’s hood flattened slightly in thought. “Nice? But how else shall my subjects know I’m a king?” He puffed out his chest, which only made the tiara slip further.
Rat rattled an idea. “Perhaps by setting an example? Ruling with kindness instead of bossiness?”
The king cobra glanced from one to the other. His tail swished, scattering an empty ketchup packet off his throne. “Kindness, hmm… That’s a big word. But maybe you have a point. Truthfully, I don’t have many…er…friends.” Kiwi drooped a little, letting out a sad hiss. “I just thought if I acted grand and important, everyone would look up to me.”
Ariel placed a comforting hand on the cobra’s cardboard throne. “I bet if you treat them well, you’ll all have a better time. Maybe you can even get a sturdier throne.”
Kiwi’s dark eyes brightened. “You know, I’ve always wanted something a bit more…regal. Maybe bamboo crates or a nice wooden bench. I suppose I could ask them politely to help me build something better.”
“That’s the spirit,” Rat said.
A Royal Revelation
They chatted for a moment about Kiwi’s plans to revamp the exhibit—less bossing, more community building—and Ariel began to relax. Once Kiwi warmed up to the idea, he seemed like a surprisingly playful cobra, bobbing his head and daydreaming about how to decorate a new throne with leaves and ribbons.
Suddenly, Ariel remembered her main purpose. “Oh! Uh, Kiwi…we’re actually on a mission. We heard you might have seen Mole the Meerkat around here?”
Kiwi’s hood rose in a show of importance again, though gentler this time. “Ah, yes. A little furry fellow with a massive rucksack. I saw him scurry through, heading that way.” He gestured down a side corridor that presumably led outdoors again. “It goes off toward the…Penguin Exhibit, I believe. A big old sack—I’ve no idea what was inside, but it clinked about like wind chimes in a storm.”
Ariel and Rat shared a meaningful look. So Mole really did pass this way. Ariel felt a rush of determination. “Thank you, Kiwi. That’s really helpful.”
Kiwi tried to nod regally, but his plastic crown took the opportunity to slip forward over his eyes. “My pleasure…er…friend,” he said, pulling the tiara back into place. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to start this new policy of not scaring away all my subjects.”
She gave him a bright smile. “Good luck with that. I’m sure you’ll all be happier.”
Just then, there was a rustling behind Ariel. She turned and nearly jumped out of her skin. At least twenty snakes of varying colors and sizes had crept up silently, forming a serpentine audience. They blinked in unison when she spun around, seemingly startled by her reaction.
“AHH!” Ariel cried out, nearly stumbling backward.
Kiwi cleared his throat. “These are my ser—” He coughed mid-sentence, remembering Ariel’s advice. “I-I mean, my friends. Let me introduce them!”
He pointed his tail, indicating each snake in turn. “That’s Shark, Sheep, Skunk, Salamander, Salmon, Swan…”
He rattled off name after name, each more unexpected than the last. They all bobbed their heads politely, as though greeting royalty. The murmured “Hello, Ariel” from numerous hissing voices sent chills up her spine but also made her grin. This was definitely not something she experienced every day.
Finally, the snake Kiwi had called Salmon slithered forward with a friendly sway, its scales shimmering like sunlight on water. “Thanks for teaching Kiwi that friendship is better than bossiness!” Salmon hissed, sounding sincere. “We appreciate it—really.”
Ariel let out a shaky laugh. “Y-You’re welcome.” She still held a healthy respect (and a good bit of fear) for all those pointy fangs, but she felt proud that she’d somehow helped them in a small way.
Smiling as best she could, she squeezed past the throng of reptiles. They parted graciously for her, leaving a wide path back to the main entrance. Rat slithered by her side, escorting her.
Rejoining Koi
The moment Ariel reached the door, she spotted Koi leaning against that same potted fern outside. “Oi!” he called. “You alright there? Didn’t get bit or swallowed or anythin’…or worse?”
Ariel rolled her eyes, stepping into the corridor’s light. “Do I look swallowed? I’m right here. For the record, I think you’re way braver than you let on, letting a little kid go in alone.”
Koi raised his paws defensively. “You’re made of tough stuff, mate. Never doubted it. So, did ya find any leads?”
Ariel quickly filled him in. “Kiwi the King Cobra—who’s apparently also the self-proclaimed Snake King—saw Mole hauling a big rucksack. He was heading toward the Penguin Exhibit.”
Koi rubbed his chin with a fuzzy paw. “I see, I see… Alright then, we’d best get over there, yeah?”
Ariel narrowed her eyes. “I’m going to ask you again—what’s in that bag, Koi? This is starting to feel like some super-secret spy mission. And if I’m going to help, I want to know why it’s so important.”
The kangaroo shuffled a bit, avoiding her gaze. “Erm, well, let’s just say it’s…uh…something that I really, really need, alright? It’s personal business. Nothing to worry your sweet head about.”
“Personal business,” Ariel echoed, unimpressed. “Got it.”
Koi slapped his tail against the ground and forced a grin. “Let’s not dilly-dally, kiddo. We’ve gotta track down Mole, remember?”
While she was definitely not satisfied with his answer, Ariel decided to let it go for now—mostly because the idea of a missing meerkat dragging a giant bag around a zoo after midnight was too intriguing to ignore. “Fine,” she said with a sigh. “But you owe me a real explanation.”
Koi offered a quick nod. “Deal.”
And with that, the pair made their way past the reptile sign, back out into the moonlit pathways. The night air felt almost refreshing after the humid, slithery atmosphere of the snake exhibit. As they walked, a distant chorus of penguin squawks rose in the air.
Ariel took a deep breath, ready to face whatever weirdness the Penguin Exhibit might throw at them next.
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