The Peacock

The Peacock

The sun was extremely hot. All the animals in the zoo looked lazy and dull. The excessive heat seemed to have drained all the sap of life from their flesh and bones. Lions, tigers and monkies looked out from their cages with poker faces and seemed as though they were under the effect of some terrible hang-over. Birds were all silent; they stood inside their cages with drooping heads and refused to show any kind of interest when you waved your hand at them or throw them a piece of bread.

''So, this is your idea of a good afternoon stroll,'' said George to Peter as they walked through zoo looking at the ghostly animals.

''It is not all bad,'' said Peter.

''Damn sure it is,'' said George and pulled out a white handkerchief from his trousers' pocket and started to wipe off the sweat from his forehead and neck.

''We can always go back, honey, if you don't find this much of an entertainment,'' Marianna, his fianc, said to him.

''Look at them,'' George said, pointing at a bunch of wild bores, 'If it wasn't for their lousy snoring, I'd swear they were all dead.''

''Indeed, I myself do find this more like a museum for stuffed animals than a zoo,'' Marianna said.

''Perfect,'' George complimented her for the remark. ''Did you hear what your sister just said, Peter. A museum for stuffed animals!'' he added and laughed.

Peter was silent.

''Take a look at this,'' said Marianna suddenly as the company of three came to the section of the zoo where peacocks were kept.

''Absolutely gorgeous,'' said Peter at the sight of the fancy birds.

On the opposite side of the fence inside which the peacocks were held, there stood a large crocodile pond encircled by a high fence of long iron bars with sharp spikes on top. There was only one crocodile inside. It was a monstrously huge one and was fast sleeping on the sands on the far opposite edge of the pond.

''Look! Look!'' Said Marianna as the three leaned over the fence to watch the exotic birds. 'Over there!'' she pointed with her finger at a peacock that was trying to seduce a female.

''By heavens, that is really wonderful,'' said Peter.

The seducer had spread his magnificent blue tail in a large semi-circle on his back and performed for the female. He strutted back and forth in extremely measured steps while he swayed and shook his tail seductively. At times, so as to heighten the striking effects of his performance, he would suddenly run fast for a short distance and halt and run backwards again to where he took off and then repeat the action. The dance was very exquisite and the peacock was at last rewarded for his exuberant show by the female.

''Now, that was one hell of a spectacular performance,'' Peter said.

''Quite, quite wonderful,'' said Marianna.

''Surely, the peacock knows how to show love quite spectacularly,'' Peter said again.

''Splendid performance,'' Marianna said.

''Nothing impressive,'' commented George, as if offended by the compliments paid to the bird.

''Nothing impressive! What do you mean?'' asked Peter.

George did not answer.

''Well, you sure have the right to think of it as you wish. On my part, however, I do find the peacock quite spectacular.''

''Spectacular! Pff,'' scoffed George.

''Magnificently spectacular.''

''A few foolish struts and stretching and shaking of a tail by a vain and mindless peacock are simply too ordinary to deserve the word ''S-P-E-C-T-A-C-U-L-A-R.'' ''

''The peacock maybe vain and mindless, but it certainly knows how to show love spectacularly.''

George was starting to lose his temper. For one reason or another, he strongly suspected that the compliments showered on the peacock touched negatively on his love for Marianna. He felt he had to defend himself and preserve the superiority of his love against the bird somehow. He immediately turned towards Marianna and said: ''Sweetheart, could you please lend me that ring on your finger.''

Marianna was confused.

''There is nothing to worry about, sweetheart. Just give me the ring.''

''But, why? What do you need it for?'' 

''Just hand me the ring, honey.''

''No. Not until you first tell me what you are going to do with it.''

George felt that words were doing very little to help him. He jumped on Marianna and held her tight in his big arms. He took her hand and carefully slid the ring off her finger.

''I'm terribly sorry, my love. I've got to have the ring.''

''Now, see this ring,'' George said, ''this is our engagement ring and what I'm going to do with it will yet prove that no vain peacock can ever compete with the grandeur of a man in love.'' And then with one mighty sweep of his hand, he cast off the ring into the crocodile pond. It landed with a small splash on the green waters and disappeared into the bottom.

Peter and Marianna were shocked.

''What on earth was that for?'' asked Marianna in a fury.

''You are not planning, I hope, to go in there and get it back?'' Peter asked.

''My friend, I will now show you what a real spectacular manifestation of love is.''

''That is just silly,'' said Peter.

''Are you out of your mind,'' said Marianna.

''Now, you just watch and learn,'' said George.

''Are you trying to get yourself killed,'' asked Peter.

''Crocodiles, my good friend, have never been a match to man's intelligence, nor will they ever be,'' replied George.

''Certainly, but not when man goes to face them without arms,'' said Peter.

''Enough. Now, you just watch.''

''Seriously, what if that monster stretched over there decides to break his sleep and come for you? Have you thought about that?'' asked Marianna.

''Then, I have this baby to help me'' said George as he pulled out a small folding knife from his pocket and showed it to Marianna.

''You intend to fight a crocodile with that!'' Exclaimed Marianna.

''You are crazy. No doubt it,'' said Peter.

George was starting to mount up the fence to cross into the crocodile pond when Marianna grabbed him by the arm: ''don't go there, honey. Please, don't go. I know how great your love is for me, I really do. You don't need to perform any kind of stunt to prove it. Please, get down and let us go home,'' she begged him.

George turned around and took a long look into her deeply troubled face. He took this small round face in his hands and kissed her passionately on the right cheek and then mounted up the fence. He successfully managed to avoid the sharp spikes on top and jumped into the other side and started to move towards the pond.

When he was knee deep in the green waters, he cried out to Peter and Marianna, who kept watching him closely through the bars of the fence: ''tell me, can a peacock do this? Can it? Does a peacock have the courage enough to even think about anything like this to express a truly genuine love.''

''That is just madness. That is not a thing any man in his right mind would do,'' said Peter to Marianna.

''Honey, I'm all satisfied now. That is really spectacular. It really is. Could you please get out of there,'' she cried out to George.

George didn't respond. ''Peter, say something, please. He must get out there,'' Marianna urged her brother.

''Alright, George. You win. Could you please get the hell of there now.''

At the spot where the ring was seen to have landed, George stopped and bent and submerged both his hands into the water and started groping for the ring. After a while, he suddenly stopped and cursed loudly: ''Damnt! Goddamnt!'' he quickly pulled out his hands off the water. A tiny stream of blood was trickling down from the little finger on his left hand.

''Some damn sharp thing has cut my finger,'' he cried out aloud to Peter and Marianna.

''O! Honey, you must get out of there immediately and let us take care of the wound,'' Marianna cried out to him.

''She's right, you know. You must get out of there immediately and let us take a look at your finger. You might as well get some horrible infection from that wound if you don't treat it soon enough, '' Peter joined in.

George was indifferent to their suggestions. Instead, he pulled out the white handkerchief from his trousers pocket, tore it up into shreds, and used one piece of it to bandage the wound and then resumed his quest for the ring.

''The man must be completely out of his senses,'' commented Peter to Marianna.

''Eureka. Eureka. I found it. I found it,'' George screamed suddenly. He drew his hands out of the green waters and held the ring high up for them to see. The ring sparkled and glittered between his fingers in the sun.

He waded out the pond, put on his boots back, rolled his jeans down, and marched towards the brother and sister with a broad smile of triumph on his face. He extended his hands through the iron bars of the fence, took his fianc's hand and slid the ring back into her finger. ''Now, sweetheart, how about that as something really spectacular,'' he boasted. ''Incredibly daring and wonderful,'' replied Marianna. He took her hand and kissed it. 'Let your peacock eat his heart out when he learns how truly SPECTACULAR deeds of love are performed,'' George turned towards Peter. ''Yes, let him eat his heart out,'' Marianna said in great happiness and laughed.

A large group of little kids, all dressed in blue t-shirts, led by two men in green uniforms and blue hats, were coming down the path where Peter and Marianna stood. They stopped for some time to look at the peacocks on the opposite side and then were led away again by the two men in uniforms. They probably belonged to a summer camp. They were very noisy and poked fun at each other and laughed loudly, or rather roared.

''Honey, look back!'' Marianna said suddenly in a great shock.

The big crocodile had left the sands and was sliding into the pond. The lousy kids had probably interrupted his slumber.

''Quick, quick, get out of there,'' Marianna and Peter urged him simultaneously.

George looked back and saw that the crocodile was marching towards him in hurried steps. He proceeded to mount up the fence hastily. As he tried to cross to the other side when he reached the top, he staggered and lost equilibrium. He fell and landed on the sharp spikes which lodged into his stomach. He lay suspended from the fence with his head and arms hung to one side and his legs and feet to the other. He never made it out.