ONE EYE OPEN, ONE EYE ZOO 

By Dan Leonard

 

Spread 1

Mom says, “Today we’re going to the zoo.”

Zara puts on her hat.

She taps one eye.
Then the other.

Tap. Tap. Check.

“One eye open…
one eye closed…”

(quiet)
“Not both at once.”

 

Spread 2

Dad laughs. “You’re being silly.”

Zara shrugs.
“Maybe.”

(soft)
“I like my silly.”

 

Spread 3

At the gate, the paths twist and split.

Her open eye sees lions, penguins, monkeys.

Her closed eye hums:
Let’s make it whoa.

Zara tilts her head.

“There are always rules,” she says.

She checks her eyes again.

Tap. Tap. Check.

 

Spread 4 

At the feeding station, a zookeeper carries a bucket.

Her open eye sees
food for the animals.

Her closed eye sees—

A very serious lion
in a keeper’s hat.

“Sit!”

The keepers plop.

“Good!”

“Stay!”

They freeze.

“Roll over!”

One rolls the wrong way.

“Again!”

“Fetch!”

The lion tosses a ball—

One keeper runs—

Two—

All of them—

They come back with
too many balls.

BOUNCE.
BUMP.
BOOP.

One ball keeps bouncing.

The lion watches it…

then nods.

“That counts.”

Zara watches.

She nods too.

“That counts,” she says.

 

Spread 5 

Penguins waddle. Slide. Plop.

Her open eye sees
penguins on ice.

Her closed eye sees—

WADDLE.
WOBBLE.
WIGGLE.

One slips—

WHOOPS!

Another—

WHOOPS!

Another—

WHOOPS!

They stop.

They stand.

(very still)

Fixed.

One tiny step—

…

WHOOPS!

That one bumps another—

WHOOPS!

That one bumps another—

WHOOPS!

ALL OF THEM—

WHOOPS! WHOOPS! WHOOPS!

SLIDE.
SPIN.
STACK.

FLUMP.

A pile of penguins.

One pops up—

wobbles—

WHOOPS!

(back into the pile)

 

Spread 6

Zara snorts.
Then giggles.
Then can’t stop.

 

Spread 7 

Monkeys swing and shout,
“Tag—you’re it!”

Her open eye sees
monkey business.

Her closed eye sees—

Zara makes a face.

A monkey copies.

She makes it sillier.

It makes it sillier.

BIG.
BIGGER.
BIGGEST.

Tongues—

Two.
Three.

Zara stops.

The monkeys don’t.

“Again?”

They keep going.

WIGGLE.
SQUISH.
STRETCH.
POP!

One flips upside down.

One crosses its eyes.

One—

keeps going.

Zara tries to stop laughing.

She can’t.

One monkey pauses—

then makes it worse.

Zara bursts out laughing.

She freezes.

 

Spread 8

Zara snorts—
then clamps her mouth shut.

Uh-oh.

 

Spread 9

She opens both eyes—just a peek.

She looks left.
She looks right.

Someone might be watching her.

Zara looks at a sign.

She stands very still.

“That counts.”

She smooths her shirt.

 

Spread 10 

No one is wobbling.
No one is swinging.

Everyone just… watches animals.

Zara stands like them.

Very still.

(beat)

“Maybe I don’t count.”

 

Spread 11 

Zara blinks.

One eye open.
Then both.

Still.
Quiet.

No wobble.
No wiggle.

She presses her lips tight.

She swallows her laugh.

(beat)

“I won’t do that again.”

 

Spread 12 

By the giraffes—

something sneaks in.

Her open eye sees
a tall, quiet giraffe.

Zara keeps both eyes open.

Nothing—

then—

her closed eye…
flickers.

She didn’t do it.

It came back anyway.

Oh no.

This giraffe has tiny prickles.

Spiky.
POKY.
Prickles.

“I am a porcupine!” it declares.

“I give the BEST hugs!”

“Ready?”

 

Spread 13

The prickly giraffe leans in—

“HUG?”

OUCH!

“Sorry!”

“HUG!”

“OOPS!”

Zara presses her lips tight—

then—

she laughs anyway.

 

Spread 14

The sun dips low.

Zara waves.

One eye open.

One eye—

just a little closed.

Tap. Tap. Check.

 

Spread 15

Did that penguin just… wiggle?

 

Spread 16

Zara squints.

The animals are watching too.

One eye open—
at the people.

One eye closed—
at something else.

 

Spread 17

Inside their closed eyes—

“Sit!”

Penguins wobble in a line.

Monkeys—still going—

WIGGLE.
SQUISH.
STRETCH.

“Tag…”

“You’re it…”

The giraffe—

“HUG—OOPS!”

 

Spread 18 

Zara watches.

(beat)

“That’s still me.”

 

Spread 19 

One eye open…

one eye…

(small smile)

…whoa.

 

Final Image (no text)

Zara asleep.

One eye almost closed.

A monkey nearby—

trying not to laugh.