It all Kicked off at the Zoo.

This week's Prompt: Trouble at the Zoo. 

  A humorous courtroom drama unfolds in a zoo, where Sammy the Snake is accused of robbery. The trial features various animal characters, including Leo the Lion as the judge, Geoff the Giraffe as a witness, Polly the Parrot as the prosecutor, and Donny the Dingo as the defence lawyer. The proceedings are marked by humour, interruptions, and the animals' reactions.

                                                                                                                                                            The trial is punctuated by jokes and laughter from the animals, with Leo the Lion struggling to maintain order amid the chaos.

Did Oz the Ostrich really lose an egg?

Characters 

Leo the Lion - King of the Zoo / Judge.

Geoff the Giraffe- Window cleaner/witness.

Polly the Parrot – Prosecution.

Donny the Dingo- Defence Lawyer.

Wilfred the Weasel – Court Usher.

Sammy the Snake - Alleged Robber.

Oz the Ostrich. Alleged Victim.

In the Jury are:

Ally the Alligator.

Bob the Bison.

Molly the Meerkat.

Precious the Penguin.  

Larry the ring-tailed lemur.

Pete the Panda.

Kami the Kangaroo.

Thirty minutes after feeding time, all the animals were supposed to be sleeping. Leo called the court into session.

“Right,” said Leo, “Let us begin”

Off the Bat, Sammy the snake hissed out, “But it wasn't me.”  

“Hang on, we haven’t sworn in the Jury yet,” Cried Wilfred.

“Let’s just get on with it,” Leo swiped his giant paw sideways.

Geoff the Giraffe, the star witness, bent his long neck down; he had forgotten his glasses. “I saw him, it was him, honest, it was him.” He pointed down towards the snake

Sammy slithered across the floor, looked up at the Giraffe and hissed. “How did you see me? I wasn't there, I was at the…” he stopped himself from finishing, knowing if he told them where he was, he could be in more trouble.

“Look,” Leo gave out a roar, “It's not the first time you've been up in front of me, so let's not beat about the bush. Just admit what you did, so we can all get on with our business.” he pointed in the way he had slithered. “Get back in the Dock”

“Dock, you're havin a laugh, it’s a public bin with ‘dog poo’ on the side. And I'm telling you,” He pointed his tail at the Judge, “It wasn’t me.” Sammy was trying to put his case over when he was stopped by Donny the Dingo, his Defence Lawyer. 

“Let's just hang on a minute,” Donny pounded his feet on the cold, damp concrete, splashing dirty water and seagull poo all over the Jury. “My client says he wasn't there, and you have no proof he was... So,” he nodded towards the crowd, “I would like to call for a mistrial.” 

All the animals that had come to see this debacle started to cheer and stamp their feet, in agreement with the defence lawyer. One shouted, “Let Sammy go!” Then two others joined in. Within a minute, the whole Zoo was shouting, “Let Sammy go!” 

The six-foot Ostrich wanted to bury her head in the sand. She tried to dig a hole in the concrete. “Ouch,” she said. Looking forlorn, she sighed. All she wanted was for all this ordeal to be over.

Leo roared again, this time louder, “If you say it wasn't you and you can prove you were somewhere else, tell us where you were?”

Sammy looked at Donny. He shook his head to one side and hissed. Donny took it as he wanted a quiet word, “My Lord, may I have a minute with my client?”

Leo shook his mane, saying, “Very well, but keep it brief, we've not got all day.” Remembering he had just eaten his dinner, he fancied a nap.

Sammy sidled up to Donny and said, “Boss, if I reveal where I was, I'm finished. I'd rather do three years for this than admit it.”

Donny rubbed his chin. We have client privileges. You can tell me anything; it won’t go any further.”  

Sammy looked over his shoulder at Geoff, and then the Judge, Nar, sorry mate, I ain’t telling you nothing.” 

Donny addressed the court. “My Lord, I would like to ask the Lying son of a… Sorry, the witness, another question”

Laughs and cheers came from the animals watching.

Leo gestured to Geoff to come forward.

“Mr Giraffe, can you tell us once again where you were, and what you were doing at the time of the robbery?” Donny was walking from side to side; his head fixed on one of Geoff’s back legs; it looked so delicious, he thought.

“Well, My Lord, it was twenty-five seconds, past eleven thirty, on the morning of the day after Sunday.” He nodded as he was confirming it to himself. “I was cleaning the window at the Bird house, well, I think it was the Bird house, I usually do the Bird house on….”

“Geoff,” the Judge shouted. He then coughed. “Sorry…, Mr Giraffe, could you get to the point?”  

“Sorry, yes, where was I…, Oh yes, I was cleaning the windows, at the…,”

“Geoff,” the Lion roared” The King shook his head; his mane swished in the mid-day sun.

“Sorry, sorry, I heard a scream then saw something slither past,”

Oz the Ostrich gave out a whimper as she remembered the ordeal.

“You say…, you say something slithers past.” Jumped in, Donny.

“Yes, it was long and thin, just like a snake,” Geoff replied. Smiling at all the Animals gathered. Then he repeated it. “Just like a snake”

“Like a snake. Like a snake,” Donny turned to the animals watching the proceeding with interest, and said the words slowly, “Like a snake, you say. It could have been anything, a banana, perhaps, an Ice lolly stick, or maybe your Chamois leather.”

“Oh, yes, it could have been any of those things, or it could’ve been a squirrel wearing a yellow Tutu, dragging a disco ball.” The Giraffe said, nodding his head.

Roars of laughter and howls came from the animal.

“My Lord, please, the defence is badgering the witness” This was the first time that Polly, the prosecutor, had spoken since the trial began.

“Badger is the badger here, I need a word with him; he still owes me for his windows last week,” said Geoff, from the Dock.

All the other animals started to laugh again. Monkeys were doing cartwheels, and the pigs were rolling around in the muck, all laughing.

 “Order, order.” Leo roared. Banging a half-chewed Antelope leg on the side of a rain shelter, he was saving for an afternoon snack.

As the trial dragged on, Leo struggled to maintain order. “Silence in the court!” he roared, but the Meerkats were doing impressions of Sammy, and the monkeys were tossing banana peels at the penguins.

At one point, Kami the kangaroo. Who was the lead juror? Bounced up yelling, “I object to everything!” and bounced off towards some Hyenas’ playing cards.

“My Lord, this is getting us nowhere,” Polly the Prosecuting Parrot said, as she strutted in front of the Jury, flicking her tail feathers like she was walking on Copacabana Beach. “It is all immaterial, what the conniving snake says. Geoff the Giraffe is a reliable witness, and I have a hair appointment in one hour, so can we pleeeassse move on?”   

As Polly was strutting her stuff, Al, the Alpaca, crept up to Donny, “Pssst, can I have a word?”

“Not now, Al, can’t you see I’m busy.”

“But I know what happened” Al was looking as sheepishly as an Alpaca could.

“What,” he asked. “You know what happened to the Egg?”

“Yes, but that’s the thing…,”

At the other end of the courtroom, or the Petting Zoo, as it was normally used for.

“Right,” Leo was getting antsy. Well, he was sitting on a termite nest. “Donny, Polly, side bar now” Both Donny and Polly made their way to the rain shelter. The King leaned over the rail to whisper. “Look. This is getting out of hand, either YOU,” he pointed to Donny,

“Get him to own up to stealing the ostrich egg, or I will send YOU! down for contempt,” he then looked at Polly, and as for you, Miss…, when you get to the groomer,s can you ask them if they can fit me in next Wednesday, just a bit off the sides, you know how I like it, not too much.” Leo shook his head sideways, swishing his mane to emphasise where he meant.

“Yes, dear…, love you,” she blew him a kiss.

The Judge and King of the Zoo took in a deep breath. “Right, now…,”

“But, my lord, Sammy wasn’t there,” Donny shouted out, “I have new information that will exonerate my client. And I have new Information about the whereabouts of the missing Egg”

Oz collapsed.

There was a big gasp from the animals, and the entire zoo fell silent. You could have heard a pin drop, so Harry the Hippo dropped one, and yes, you heard it.

All eyes were on the Judge. He stood up on his back legs, “Bring this information to me, NOW,” he shouted.

Sammy the snake was flicking his tongue out from side to side, wondering what was going on. “What’s going on?” he hissed.

“Not now, Sammy, just sit there and be quiet for a minute. Danny walked towards the Judge.

Bob the Bison was wafting Oz, as she had fainted. Molly the Meerkat was bobbing up and down, shouting, “Medic, Medic, we need a Medic.”

A three-toned Bull Elephant called Elli shouted, “I can do CPR!” and pounded over. Bob and Molly looked at each other and shouted, “NO, NO.”

Shaking his head, looking all doleful, Leo said, “Talk to me, Donny.”

“Well, it’s like this,” Still not knowing where Sammy was, he decided to spin the truth a little, “Sammy has told me where he was, and it was not anywhere near the Bird House…,”

“What about this new information you have?”

“Yeah, come on, tell us all,” Polly said, snuggling up to Leo.

“Al the Alpaca has just come forward, with what I believe to be the truth, and will end all speculation about the Missing Egg.”

“Spit it out, Donny, the warden will be round soon, time is getting on,” Polly said, stroking Leo’s mane.

Donny coughed,  “The Egg, well, the alleged Egg, Al was…, Errm…, minding his own business, when he saw Oz cleaning out her pen, on the floor of the pen was an Egg, a large ostrich Egg, big enough to make several omelettes, thought Al. Sorry, My Lord, I’m just repeating what Al said.”

“Ok, get on with it. Donny.”

“Sorry, my Lord. Anyway, he saw. Allegedly, Oz accidentally kicked the Egg under some Nesting material that was laid out. Later, she went for her morning walk with the Zoological Women's Institute. During their walk, they passed him on his way back from…, somewhere.” Donny waved this bit off. “We don’t need to get into that at this point. However, He heard Oz tell Fanny the Flamingo that she needed to visit the Opticians since her eyesight was worsening. Yesterday, she tripped over a seat in the Petting Zoo.”

Leo stood up, “Are you telling me that the missing egg is still in the nest and that Fanny needs her eyes tested?”

Donny nodded, “Yes, My Lord”

“Order, Order,” Leo Roared. Everyone in the courtroom/petting zoo shushed and looked at the Judge. “Will Oz please come to the Dock? Is she fit enough?” he looked at Bob and Molly.

They both agreed and helped her to stand. “Oz,” Leo said, putting up his paw, “How many claws do I have showing. He extended three claws.

“Well, Errm, let me see, you have five on one hand…, so” Oz was squinting, trying to count the claws. “One, you have one claw” Oz nodded her head and looked around for confirmation from the other animals. All she could see was their heads shaking from side to side. “Oh dear,” she whispered.

The Animals were mumbling to each other, “I need someone to go and check the ostrich's nest,” Leo instructed. He sat down and turned to Polly, “I’m getting too old for this. I thought it would be an easy life here in the Zoo.”

“There, there, my dear, I’ll give you a good massage later, rub all that stress out of your shoulders,

Eventually, Pete the Panda and Larry the ring-tailed lemur came running back with the Egg, “We found it, we found it. It was found behind the vending machine, next to a half-eaten banana and a pair of sunglasses; it must have rolled out.”

Oz was crying with joy, and the Jury clapped. That was the ones that had stayed. The Hyenas put down their card and made that sound only Hyenas can do.

“My Lord,” shouted Donny, “Can I say, with this outcome, we will no longer be keeping Sammy the Snake in custody?”

“Yes, yes, let him go.” Leo waved his hand, “But I still need to know where you were and what you were doing”

Sammy hissed and slithered off under the Bin.

The next day, Oz had an appointment to get her eyes tested. Six months later, the egg hatched and now she has two chicks to look after.