It was my first night in the Panhandle of Florida, and my first long trip away from home solo. All was dark and quiet as I worked on my laptop. All of a sudden these bloodcurdling cries disturbed the silence. My heart was beating fast...was it a woman's scream? Could I do anything, like yell or go for help? It continued and I slowly pushed open the Safari door, with Baron our German Shepherd also inquisitive about the sounds. As we cautiously peered around the corner of the barely cracked door, I saw a couple of people walking along the road outside. They were nonchalent and completely unshaken. We were still puzzled. Safety in numbers emboldened me to step outside the Airstream and then the cries started up again. "What is that?" I asked. "Oh," the woman answered, "didn't you know? There's a zoo on the other side of the fence."
I never did know if it was the monkeys or the birds. But in the morning I could clearly see the giraffe's head from our campsite over the tall fence as he walked back and forth. And then the lions started up.