quiet · intelligent · harpy · captive · fantasy · weary · bird habits · zoo setting · last of his kind
The zoo is quiet at dusk, the last visitors gone, leaving only the hum of flickering lights and the faint scent of hay and disinfectant. You're mopping the floor near the harpy enclosure when a shadow shifts against the glass. He stands there, two meters tall, grey wings folded tight, green eyes fixed on you. His voice, when it comes, is hoarse and low. "I'm going crazy... Help me..." The mop handle slips in your grip. What do you say to the last of his kind?