CAMEL HUMPS

Visions on a zoo trip bring new understanding to preteens about the nature of life.

CAMEL HUMPS

Spring was in full bloom.  The fragrance from cultivated gardens piggybacked with the odors of the zoo -animal dung, popped corn, cotton candy, and wet ground from yesterday’s rain.  To my right, I saw one brilliant strutting peacock, tail fanned. The brilliant blue, green and gold eyes hidden in the feathers glared at me. My brother, Daniel, and I loved the zoo. All morning we raced from one exhibit to another, exploring animal habits and habitat, eating peanuts and popcorn..  

Around noon, we found ourselves in front of the camels. A herd of eight, both Bactrian and Dromedary, stood, kneeled and ambled the grounds behind the cement barrier. One large Bactrian was chewing its cud while a smaller one used its tail to flap flies sending them into flight. The ground was littered with rocks and sand. The camels were the only lawn mowers the habitat needed.

My Polaroid Instamatic Camera hung heavy around my neck, fingers eager to snap a shot of anything interesting. That’s when Daniel shouted, “Look at those camels hump!”  The crowd at the cement barrier giggled and pointed at the truth only a twelve year old would blurt.

Did I hear him correctly? I  listened to ethnic voices around me, laughing and muttering incomprehensible words. The cries of red winged black birds pierced the sky. A safari cart whined as it carried zookeepers down the road. The water fountain behind us bubbled loudly. The bubbling seemed louder in the immediate seconds after Daniel’s announcement. Curious people gathered to observe a pair of Dromedary camels. One camel heaved onto the back of the other, rhythmically pulsing. A whistle alerted the approach of the zoo train behind the exhibit.

I momentarily covered my eyes with my hands, embarrassed to discover the spring ritual happening in plain sight with everyone watching.  Daniel looked at me and giggled as my cheeks flamed. I reached for my camera and held it up to my eyes.  I licked my salty lips willing my concentration off the ritual of spring. I focused on the most inclusive angle and pushed the button. The instamatic camera came alive and spit out a photo. We watched and waited for the film to grey and blue and green into a clear picture showing three kinds of camel humps.

The developed photo captured our sightings in that habitat. The Dromedary camels in the picture had caramel brown fur and round bulging black almond shaped eyes  and a hump shaped like a big D. The Bactrian have two humps shaped like a big B. Their humps were full sized telling everyone they were well watered. I traced a huge heart shape around two of the eight camels in the photo, one heaved on top of the other.  Now everyone will believe what we saw. Clearly, camels have three kinds of humps.

Author's Note

What genre is this? Memoir? Seeking honest criticism to improve craft.

Reviews

[DaughterNature]

Wonderful! I worked at a zoo where the male Bactrian camel tried very hard, but always from the front (which is obviously wrong)! I smiled while I read this, thinking of him. I think the genre for this depends on how you polish it: if you give it a very reminiscent air (by changing some of the tone and description), it would definitely be a miny memoir. However, I personally feel that this has a lot more potential being expanded into a humorous (and also perhaps meaningful) short story. Bravo!

[PJ]

I really enjoyed this as well. I could see a memoir in this. It came across as fun and honest. Fun!