The Vampire's Apprentice

One mile passed. Then another. Then another.

Finally, Norville sat up and rubbed his face one last time. "I'll be okay," he mumbled. "Thanks for listening. It's good to... to have someone here. And not be stuck just thinking. Moving is good."
 
Kitty nodded. "Of course.... And... speaking of... if I remember correctly, there should be something interesting in a few miles if you feel like stopping for lunch."
 
He nodded slowly. "Yeah... that sounds... yeah. Let's do it. What's a road trip without random stops? Besides, Sam will probably want out and fed and watered." He smiled at her. He could really use the distraction.
 
"Yeah, exactly." Kitty approved. "Would you mind taking the map and telling me where it is? The map should be in the glove compartment this time."
 
"This time?" he asked, puzzled, but obediently took the map. "Um... yeah.... we're... here." He looked for a sign, spotted one, and found the vague area on the map. "Right, here, yep! Okay, so... keep going. We have a little ways before we have to turn anywhere."
 
Kitty waved it off. It wasn't important to explain. What was important was finding a place to stop. So, that's what she did, trusting that Norville would not get them lost.
 
Norville almost got them lost, but he realized his error at the last second and was able to rectify it by getting them back on track. From there it was pretty smooth. Other than Norville second guessing himself every few seconds. Still, they arrived in one piece and in perfect time.
 
Kitty was glad for the chance to stretch her legs, and she assumed Sam and Norville were as well. Or, at least, the thought of lunch was enough to put her in a better mood.
 
Norville got out and looked around. He didn't close the door in time, and Sam made it all the way from the far back out the front passenger door. Norville caught his breath to yell, but Sam just needed to take care of some doggy business before trotting over to stand near Kitty. Norville shrugged and went back to looking around.

Large billboard-style signs with slightly peeling paint promised a family-friendly petting zoo. There was a small food truck off on one end of the parking lot, and straight ahead was a small building that seemed to be the entrance. The fee was listed at five dollars a person or an even twenty for any family over four members. Rickety wooden fencing kept out the casual peepers, meaning you had to go through the building if you actually wanted to see any animals. Everything looked worn and old, and yet strangely stable, as if it had weathered many storms and would weather many more.

"Maybe we should leash Sam?" Norville suggested to Kitty.
 
"Yeah, definitely," Kitty agreed, finding the leash in the back seat. She clipped it on Sam and rubbed his doggy head. "Can't have you chasing things around, now, can we? You better be good or you can wait in the car. 'Kay?"
 
"Gruff!" Sam answered excitedly. There was so much to see here! More importantly, so much to smell! He led the way, sniffing energetically at everything his leash would allow him to reach without pulling. So much to sniff!

Norville opened the door for Kitty and Sam and let them go in first before stepping into the wooden building. After the brightness of the sun outside, the inside of the wooden building - barely more than a glorified hut, really - seemed pitch black. He stood blinking a minute until his eyes adjusted to the dim interior. There were a few round racks of shirts and hoodies, the souvenir type with the logo of the place on the back, front, or pocket of the articles of clothing as well as a few backpacks and waist packs. Try as he might, though he studied the logo, he could not figure out the name of the place. Sometimes an exciting font was just a little too exciting.

On the wall to the right were a couple of full-length mirrors, obviously for people to look at themselves with the shirts, and above the mirrors was a line of hats. On the left wall were various chachskis like snowglobes and a few plush toys in the shape of animals he presumed were in the petting zoo. Well, except for the lion and the elephant. He hoped there weren't any of those.

Straight ahead was another door leading out to the back, and a bored-looking young woman with flaming red hair reading a magazine at a low counter with an old-fashioned cash register. Only a couple of other tourists were inside browsing the selections.
 
One could almost see the sparkling of her eyes, having stepped through the doorway not knowing what to expect. It must have somehow been more than she'd hoped for, despite it not being all that much.
 
"Um, you have the money, right, Kitty?" Norville whispered to Kitty as they made their way back to the counter.

The red-head didn't even look up until they were standing right in front of her. "How many for the petting zoo?" she asked her open magazine.
 
"Yes, silly," she told him. "Don't worry about it."
Kitty turned her focus to the woman behind the counter. "Two, unless a dog happens to count as three."
 
She looked over the counter at the dog. "Huh. Cute. I like me a good junkyard mutt." She sat back again and rang them up. "Ten even, here's your tickets, and we have cameras so if your dog attacks any of the animals, we'll have it on tape." She still sounded bored. Until she added, "Unless it's one of those stupid purse dogs. Then I'll accidentally lose the tape."
"Thanks?" Norville said uncertainly, waiting for Kitty to pay before taking the tickets. Why they got tickets was a mystery. Maybe it was like a receipt to show they'd paid.
Sam was watching the glass door curiously.
 
In response, she shoved the card machine toward them and turned back to her magazine, letting them figure it out for themselves. Clearly, this place prided itself on five star customer service.
 
Norville took the other and opened the door, to Sam's hyper excitement.

Outside the door, a wooden walkway made a winding path down between several corrals and fenced off areas. Many of the fences at the front near the walkway were low enough for most people to reach over and pet the animals inside, but the pens went back far enough so the animals could find relief if they didn't feel like being social today. First were the mini goats on the right, and the sheep and what looked like a ram on the left, a fair amount of animals on both sides. Straight ahead were two big black birds that looked like really tall feather dusters. Emus? They were too darkly colored to be ostriches.

Norville stopped by a bank of little coin-operated treat dispensers and dug in every pocket until he produced two quarters. Every animal within hearing perked up at the sound of the cranks being turned.
 
She was grinning. The sunshine felt wonderful, and there were so many animals here! What were those dark feathered things, though? Kitty stepped over to see if they were friendly, keeping equal eye on Sam. She'd never seen an emu or an ostrich, as neither they nor their images came up in literature often enough for her to recognize them.
 
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