“I hear ya,” she says, and I can tell from the weary sound of her voice that she’s had this conversation before. “But the best thing for Ivan right now is to let the humans do their thing.”

I think about it. Figure she’s right. I give his fingers one last lick. They don’t move.

Nothing. Nada.

We pick our way to the bottom of the debris pile. “Hang in there, Ivan!” I call. “We love ya, buddy!”

I know it’s crazy, but I listen anyways, hoping for a sign, any sign, that he’s still with us.

hugging

I run to Kinyani. “Don’t worry,” I tell her. “He’s gonna make it.”

I can tell she doesn’t believe me.

From there, I head over to Maya and Sara and Ruby. Maya has a radio handset in one hand and, for some reason, a young, squirmy meerkat in the other.

Sara kneels down and hugs me tighter than any sweater she’s ever knit. “Bob,” she cries, “what happened to your nose? And look at your paw!”

Some dogs don’t like to be hugged that way.

I’m one of them.

But Sara needs to do it. I can tell somehow. So I let her.

Isn’t so bad, really.

loose

A new police officer joins us. “Officer Williams.” She nods at Maya. “You’re with the park, right?”

“Yes. I’m Maya.”

“This . . .” Officer Williams pauses. “We need to get this under control ASAP. Winds are gonna pick up, and we haven’t even hit the eye. Storm surge could be an issue. This one’s moving slow.”

“We’ve got a skeleton staff here,” says Maya as the meerkat attempts to eat her earring. “Early reports say maybe a third of the habitats are damaged or destroyed.” She shakes her head. “We’ve got some injuries, some possible fatalities, too.”

“Human?”

“Don’t think so.”

“Anything loose that could be a . . . you know, problem?”

Maya presses her lips together. “Yep.”

“Such as?”

“A couple Florida panthers. Gray wolves. Python, maybe. Possibly an alligator or two. American alligators, not Chinese.”

“I don’t care if they’re from Canada. If they eat people, we’re in trouble.”

“They don’t. Typically.”

“Typically,” Officer Williams repeats. “Well, that’s reassuring.”

Sara loosens her grip on me ever so slightly. “Maya,” she asks, voice trembling, “have you heard anything on the radio from George and Julia? I keep calling, but the cell towers are down.”

“Nothing yet,” Maya says. “But I’m sure they’re fine.”

“Nearest shelter’s over at Lincoln Elementary,” says Officer Williams. “You could check there.”

Sara frowns. “They were probably here right before the tornado hit.”

“We’re searching the park, ma’am,” says the officer. “We’ll find them if they’re here.”