August 2025 Short STory

Whhiiiiiii Whiiiyyiihhiiii! Grant’s albatross alarm clock went off, signalling the start a new day. Today was the day. Today was when all his live animals would arrive in preparation of their opening day to the public tomorrow. Sluggishly sitting up and stifling a yawn, he walked over the glass floor in his bedroom, overlooking the ocean with all its natural beauty. All manner of fish and wildlife swam under him; the room had been built deep in the ocean, giving a full view of the watery depths as one slept. The washroom had some privacy, as relieving oneself or showering with a group of fish watching you was quite awkward. It had been a long twenty years slowly building this wildlife resort, starting with picking the perfect spot and buying the land. 

Then came the backbreaking work of digging, foundation laying and structural building. Grant exited his residence and looked happily at the resort which was almost near completion. He had always had a fascination with wildlife, reading multiple encyclopedias as a child, describing nearly every creature known to man. With a jaw-dropping sized aviary and one of the largest aquariums in the world, The Five, as the resort was known, would premier as the best place to see wildlife in as close as a natural state as possible. 

As he walked towards the office building, he could already see shipments of live animals waiting to enter the resort; trucks filled to the brim with all manner of birds, fish and all manner of other aquatic life. 

“Mr. Ward! Good morning, Sir. Shall we proceed with the intake deliveries?” Janice was Grant’s go-to woman, his second in command effectively.

“Very well. Open the gates, Richard.”

A small stream of workers came out to unload the trucks, but not before they were counted, confirmed, and assessed by the resort veterinarians. Any diseased animal would pose a danger to the entire operation, hence the importance of the health inspections. 

By about noon, several trucks had been processed, but the long line waiting outside meant it would be late into the night before they could finish offloading and making preparations. Fish were being released into their observation-friendly glass enclosures, and birds were dropped off at special rooms which were large enough to accommodate their flying.

The main attraction in the Aquatics Zone was the stingray escalator. Guests could watch the large fish swim overhead as the escalator slowly moved them along, within a tube-like corridor. Once in a while there would be a splash as another fish was added to the exhibit. The handlers had to be careful with stingrays, as they are known to have a devastating spike in their tail. It was a stingray’s tail that fatally injured Steve Irwin, known as the Crocodile Hunter; a famous animal conservationist from Australia. 

At the end of the stingray escalator was the jellyfish exhibit, which was in the process of being stocked. White blobs of seemingly squishy material floated and drifted around the large tank, like aliens from another world. Long tentacles dangled from the body, rhythmically pulsing in all manner of directions. 

Meanwhile, in the Flight Zone, the Hyacinth Macaw from South America was being placed in its new home, complete with a bird bath, salt lick, and fruiting trees native to their habitat. Their cobalt blue colour contrasted with the green of the vegetation, making them the focal point of the whole exhibit. Cawing, perhaps in thanks for being released, they added their noise to the cacophony of bird noises in the giant dome that made up the zone. One could hear all manner of parrots, raptors, songbirds and even penguins as each tried their hardest to call out louder than the rest.

“Noisy lot, aren’t they?” asked Janice, indicating to the birds.

“That’s how it’s supposed to be. Have you ever been to the Amazon Forest and not hear a bird call?” said Grant, smiling. 

“I’m just a businesswoman, no offense intended, Sir!” Janice replied, smiling back.

“Just think, nearly a hundred species of birds and twice that of aquatic creatures, all to help inform the public about our world,” said Grant.

“Well, we can’t just think about people and the planet, the issue of profit does matter too you know,” suggested Janice, in a less assertive tone.

Grant tapped his walking stick to his head, trying to emphasize his point. “We make what we need to keep this place running, but I’d prefer to keep access affordable to the average Canadian family. I remember growing up wanting to go to the aquarium, only to be refused because it costed too much for our family. But I know it must be hard for a businesswoman such as yourself to understand, Janice,” said Grant with a smirk.

Beep! Beep! Code Grey, Zone One. I repeat Code Grey, Zone One! Beep!

“That’s the reception desk! Let’s hurry,” said Grant as he lifted his cane and tried his best to fast-walk. Janice stayed close behind, ready to steady her boss in case he lose his footing. 

“What’s going on here Officer?” asked Grant.

“Some protestors have chained themselves in front of the cargo trucks. They’ve even glued their hands onto the pavement. Police have been called and they should arrive in a few minutes.”

Grant handed Janice his cane and slowly approached the small group of youngsters blocking the road. One of the teenagers noticed him and snarled at his face. “What do you want you old Coot?” He attempted to spit at the old man, but it landed short of Grant’s shoes.

“I am the owner of this resort, and I want to ask why it is you are protesting against the opening of our facility? We take great care to ensure all our animals will be handled ethically and responsibly, you have my word that we will,” said Grant softly.

“Animals belong in the wild, not in cages or tanks for humans to look at for pleasure. As long as you are keeping animals captive, we will keep doing our best to stop you,” shouted a young woman, with tattoos and a mullet dyed purple.

“Let me give you the facts, in the wild, maybe ten or twenty percent of these birds or fish will likely be eaten, while another ten percent may starve to death. Probably sixty percent of offspring will die of starvation or predation. While on a good day, perhaps ten percent will die of infection or disease. Lastly, I hate to say this, but nearly ten percent of these animals, if in the wild will be poached or taken for the illegal pet trade. Now if you add up all those possibilities, it's clear we’re giving these animals a sporting chance. Ensuring nearly all their offspring survive and protecting them from predators. Not to mention that the more we educate the public and especially children, the more sympathy they may have in protecting the animal’s habitats in the future. And if we do exceed our carrying capacity through breeding programs, we will reintroduce animals back into the wild with our release programs.”

The group of protestors kept their heads down, knowing they were fighting a losing battle against the old man’s logic. 

“People don’t feel the need to protect something if they don’t experience or see it for themselves. But if they are introduced to the animals at our resort, they might just think that animals in the wild should be protected.”

Grant held out his hand and the young man hesitantly handed over the key to the lock being used to hold the chain in place. The old man handed it over to the officer who unlocked the chain and worked on freeing the protestors with their glued hands.

Janice looked admirably at her boss, wondering how on earth he managed to win over the trust of the protestors who five minutes ago was deadest on ruining their whole resort. 

“I may look old Ms. White, but I’ve been where these young people are, nearly forty years ago, and I understand how confused they must be. In a world of propaganda and brainwashing, I almost feel sorry for them, misguided, misrepresented, mistreated. But take it from me, the older you get, the more about life you will understand,” said Grant, taking his cane back from Janice. 

“Come on Ms. White, we’ve got work to do. The shipment of piranhas is about to be unloaded!”

After a couple hours of listening to progress reports from the managers, the pair watched as the salmon exhibit was being stocked. The large, silvery-grey fish were more than half a metre long and frolicked happily in the large pool tank. Gobbling up shrimp and other food the handlers gave them, Grant nodded his head in satisfaction.

“Ms, White, do you believe the world can be saved? I mean, with all this global warming, climate change and doom and gloom. Do you think its possible to make things better again?”

Janice pondered on the questions for a while, raking her brains for any sort of intelligent response. “Mr. White, I honestly don’t know for sure. My conscience tells me that yes we can save the earth and protect its delicate environmental systems, but on the other hand, as a businesswoman, I believe that even if man screws up the environment we are living in, humans are ingenuous and I believe we can find a solution no matter how difficult. That is why a large portion of people don’t care about environmental protection because we honestly believe we can always fix it. I’m sorry if that’s not the answer you were looking for Mr. Ward,” said Janice quickly at the end, embarrassed at having expressed her opinion.

Grant smiled at her as if she was his daughter, patting her on the shoulder. “Don’t be Ms. White. I’m actually grateful for your honestly and I see your point of view. Working together, there is probably nothing man cannot achieve, but mind you, mankind’s been here for thousands of years, and we still can’t help fight and squabble among us. It would take a united humanity to do the things you are talking about, fixing the ecosystem, restoring habitats, cleaning our air, etc. We can’t do any of that if we’re still fighting one another.”

As the sun began to set, they watched the last cargo truck leave the resort, fading into the distance far away. “Well Ms. White, I do believe we’ll have to call it a day,” said Grant chuckling to himself.

Janice looked quizzically at her boss, “What’s so funny Mr. Ward?” 

“Oh, I just feel like a kid again waiting for my birthday presents. Hee Hee! You’d best go home Janice, it’ll be a long day tomorrow with the public coming in.”

Janice picked up her purse and waved goodbye, “Good night Mr. Ward. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

After checking on the night shift’s status, Grant headed back home to his underwater apartment. The main floor had a small kitchenette, powder room, dining room and a cramped living room, but it was enough for a single person to live comfortably. Making a quick dinner of steak and eggs, and after watching his favourite show The Amazing Race, he took the elevator downstairs, donned his pajamas and crawled into bed, closing his eyes as the last rays of sunlight faded away. Though his eyes were closed, in his mind’s eye, he was envisioning the grand opening of his resort, what would be the happiest day of his life. In his bed, a smile creeped across his wrinkled face, as he imagined seeing scores of children being thrilled at seeing his animals; the goal he had been working so hard to achieve for over twenty years was finally going to bear fruit, and he was going to live to see it happen.”

The End