PROLUGE

I guess I must have looked pretty foolish walking by myself through New York City pulling behind me a big red wagon. From the stares people gaev me you’d have thought I had three heads or something. I can still vividly remember how cold it was since all of my warmth had gone on those two wagons.

The soup kitchen/homeless shelter, a.k.a. the end of my search, seemed to be hiding from me. Everytime I tried to ask someone for directions they kept walking. I didn’t look that bad. Just like any other little sixteen year old brunette. I guess in NYC all homeless people give of(f) a special vibe that is commonly recognized.

I finally found a police man and asked for directions. He was a little suspicious at first but I told him my family had volunteered. I know lying is a terrible thing but I wasn’t about to say, “Yep. I’m a runaway.” The officer seemed to accept it and told me just to keep going straight and then hang a right on a certain street, though the name is foggy right now. When you’re excited like I was you don’t pay attention to the small details.

I turned on the street and was totally dismayed by a really steep hill. You dn’t think of NYC as hilly, and it’s not. Just this one giant obstacle. I felt like giving up right then and there but a tiny movement under the blanket gave me the strength to continue. It must have taken me a couple hours to carefully and painstakingly move those wagons (or wagon, lol) up the hill without disturbing the contents. Well, maybe not that long. And i may be exaggerating on the size of the hill a little bit. I know for sure that the sidewalks were icy and surrounded in snow. Fifteen shopping days till Christmas.

Looking up at the giant building (more exaggerating) I was intimidated. After laughing at myself for being scared of a building I made my way inside the building that would change my life even more.

CHAPTER 1 (it says 12/9 beside it, which I’m guessing is a date, making me 12)

“Hello. What can I do for you?” a lady asked as soon as I walked through the double doors.

For a moment I was tongue tied and next I said one of the hardest things in my life, “I need help.”

The lady said, like she probably had to hundreds of others, “Ofcourse. My name is Cheyenne.” I could tell she was waiting for me to talk. But before I could trip over my words the wagons (or wagon, again, lol) spoke for me. Cheyenne jumped at the sound of a baby crying. I pulled the blanket off as more cries joined the first. Picking up the first crier I looked at Cheyenne helplessly. She counted the babies with a look of total disbelief.

“Who-who’s are they?” she stammered. I could see that she knew the answer.

“Mine,” I continued to rock the one I was holding. I guess it finally clicked that I needed help. She picked up the other two criers and we stood there swaying until the noise diminished. After placing the now sleeping babies back into the next of blankets Cheyenne looked at me.

“You have got to be kidding. You’re how old?”

“Sixteen,” I answered with my head down.

“Your fault? I mean, by choise?” I shook my head and that was all she ever asked me about it. Cheyenne smiled the universal ‘cute baby’ smile and looked down on them. “What are their names?” she stroked a little head.

“That one there is Tristain. She’s Arianna. He’s Andren. Manya is that one. Those two are Dustin and Mylse in that order. And these are my two teensies Bridgette and Dancerly.”

“I still don’t know your name,” Cheyenne smiled.

Trying to keep my manners I stuck my hand out, “I’m Taelyn Brenlawski. Cheyenne shook it and then turned back to the babies.

“I guess we can figure out something. Come on and I’ll take you to the mother’s section.” I folloed along dragging the wagons (wagon) behind me.

The shelter was a lot more organized than on tv. It was kinda like a small church in a way. The first thing we passed was a tiny sanctuary. There was a huge eating room. Other than that there were just rooms. Each door was clearly marked in several different languages. Like one for men, one for women, one for fathers, one for mothers. Nobody except us were in the brght halls.

When we finally came to the room I would be staying in I was very nervous. “What would they think of me? How would they treat me?” All these questions swirled around my head. Before I knew it I was surrounded by exhausted looking woman (women) all goggling over my babies as Cheyenne explained. I couldn’t believe how warmly the ladies welcomed me. I was by far the youngest and least tired. Tristain started crying and coaxed the others to join.

There were about eightr nine other ladies and the one introduced as Holly automatically said, “Poor things must be starving.”

Another, Sandiw, added, “Taelyn must be too.” Sandi was probably late thirties, early forties and seemed to right away form a motherly bond towards me. Cheyenne led the way back out into the hall and to the kitchen. Not all the ladies came, some stayed to watch the kids, but three did. In the kitchen we scrounged around until we found some baby formula. Everyone took a baby in arm and as we fed the tiny things another volunteer walked in.

“Holy smokes! What’s going on here!” he exclaimed at the site of so many babies.

“Gabe, this is Taelyn and her babies Tristain, Arianna, Andren, Manya, Dustin, Myles, Bridgette and Dancerly,” she said with a laugh. Gabe just stood there frozen.

Turning to me he aid, “You do realize that you now have the only complete living set of octuplets ever, right?”

I shrugged my shoulders, “Never really thought of it that way.” Gabe continued to stare a minute before sitting down and picking up a hollering Dustin. “Come on little man. Don’t cry,” he cooed and began to feed him.

“So where are you from?” Holly asked.

I answered, “Originally San Antonio, Texas but I came here from Augustus, Maine.” No more was asked. THe thing that impressed me most about meeting these people was that, save Gabe’s surprise, they didn’t ask much. They just accept that I was there and that was that. With six of us the feeding went by fast. Ofcourse we did have a lovely conversation.

“How old are they?” Sandi asked. I had to count on my fingers because honestly, I hadn’t kept track.

“Born December 1st, about two weeks,” I laid Manya back in the next. Looking up I said with uncertainty, “Will you guys please not go telling everyone. I want to keep my family in my family.” I kept watching until everyone had nodded.

“You hungry teensy girl?” Sandi asked me. I giggled at the name. I guess I was kinda teensy compared to all the other grown ups. If you could call me an adult at sixteen.

Cheyenne made me a sandwich since I said I wasn’t very hungry. Truth was, me and the babies weren’t that bad off. I had just run out of my savings that day so it wasn’t like we hadn’t been eating.

Holly looked out the window, “Beautiful stars.” Gabe layed Dustin down and looked up.

“Time for me to sleep. You girls probably should too,” he stood up. After goodnights to him we decided to sleep. On the way Sandi showed me what was called the crying room. It’s where you would go when your baby started crying. Or, in my case, babies.

Although the building was nice, the beds were anything but. You could feel every spring in your back and when anybody moved the beds squeaked. I didn’t complain though because I hadn’t slept under a roof anytime recently.

Quite a few times I had to lug myself out of bed and over to the crying room to hush a baby or more. Each baby cried atleast once, if not more. And just as commonly I wask awakened by someone else’s hollering child. The next morning I realized why the moms were all so tired. During the night I had been awoken twice as many times.

“Good morning. Have a good night?” Cheyenne asked cheerfully. She had obviously slept wonderfully in her apartment across the street. I groaned and rolled my eyes.

The nest came with me to the giant eating room that was chock full of people. Sandie and Holly waved their arms on the other side of the room. I made my way past one group of very grumpy people.

“Well good morning,” Sandie smiled. Her little girl, Monika, smiled at me. Holly had two little boys and a girl; Bryn, Brian, and Brana. Brana was ten years old. Those two, Brana and five year old Monika, made a huge fuss over the babies.

“Why don’t you go get your breakfast and bottles. We’ll watch the octopus,” Holly joked. I smiled a thank you smile and made my way to the food line. Luckily I had gotten up late so by now the line was down a bit. Gabe handed me a bowl of oatmeal and a banana.

“Have a happy, nutritional breakfast,” he put on a corny smile. I laughed and rolled my eyes at him. On down the line I got a little box of orange juice.

I saw Cheyenne and before I could ask for some formula she informed me, “We’re out of formula. Here are some bottles of orange juice.” She hurried along to get bottles of oj to more mommies of hungry babies. Balancing my food on one arm and the bottles in the other was impossible. Thank goodness Brana walked up.

“Mom said to help you.”

“Thank you,” I sighed as she took the eight bottles rom me. On the way back to our table I saw a man reading the newspapaer.

“May I please have the classifieds?” I asked as sweetly as I could. He nodded his old head and shooed me along. I could see that Sandi was moitioning (motioning) for me to hurry and I could hear cries slowly rising.

I placed my stuff on the table and whooshed Andren into my arms with a bottle. Brana was dying to help so she fed Avianna. Holly and Sandi were so talented at feeding babies that they fed and ate at the same time.

“Bryn honey, help out,” Holly ordered as Myles started to wimper. With much complaining he picked Myles up and stuck a bottle in his mouth. Even though he acted like he hated the job, Bryn talked quietly to Myles the whole time.

Luckily the babies seemed to be cooperating. Many, Bridgette, and Dancerly waited until the first five were finished before they started to wail.

“What’s the newspaper for?” Sandi asked. I was a little surprised she didn’t figure it out.

“I’m going to look for a job. I’m not living my entire life here,” I explained. I knew it was going to be hard finding a job that I could take my babies along with me. Using a pen that Cheyenne lent me, I scanned through and crossed out everything that required a degree or experience. Bridgette was in my arm just because she was the last one I had fed.

“You really think you can find a job?” Holly asked, obvioulsy doubtful.

“I’m determined. You’ll soon find I am very stubborn and determined,” I crossed off another job. Not many were left.

“Well what are you going to do with your babies?” Sandi pointed out. A few more jobs made their way off the list.

“Take them with me. They’re too young to stay with volunteers.” After a few more x’s I saw it. The perfect job. “That’s it!” I exclaimed excitedly. Sandi snatched the newspaper from me and examined my selection.

“You really think you can do this? A zoo tour guide?” I nodded my head, not letting her get to me.

“It’s perfect. I can take the nest with me. The pay is enough to someday buy an apartment. And I can get tips.”

Holly considered it, “Then you should atleast try.” I stood up and pushed my chair in. I drumped my trash in the nearby trash can and tucked the blankets back around the edges of the nest.

“Well I am gone. I’ll see you tonight,” I waved goodbye. I met Cheyenne at the kitchen. “Cheyenne, I’m going to the zoo to see about a job. Can I borrow these bottles?”

“Ofcourse you can. Here, let me fill them back up. And I’ll send an extra jug. I’m very proud of you,” she told me from inside the kitchen. My cheeks got a little red. I tucked the bottles and jugs into the corner of the nest. “You can also borrow the blankets from your bed if you’re coming back tonight.”

I thanked her and made a stop by my bed to get those. Taking the handle I made my way out the door and back onto the streets. I knew where the zoo was and it didn’t lead me back down the hill.

As we walked I sang, “We’re off to see the wizard. The wonderful wizard of zoo.” After a few minutes I heard a wimper from the nest. Knowing what that would lead to I whooshed Dancerly out. Without even having to look I knew she needed a change. Pulling up to a corner I had the choice of a library or a clothing store.

“There is no way I’m taking you into a library,” I said to my squawling little girl. In the clothing store the lady only looked up at me. I guess my face must have given me permission to the restroom. Inside was a baby changing station. I strapped Dancerly down so she wouldn’t roll of(f) and pulled her diaper off.

“Eww eww eww eww eww!” I teased her and tapper her nose. After using the complimentary wipes I washed the diaper off in the sink. Gross, I know, but you shouldn’t be putting anything in those sinks anyway. I put a new cloth diaper on her baby bottom and hung the now clean duaper on the back of the nest so that it could dry.

“All better,” I said to Dancerly and placed her back in the nest. “Thank you,” I told the lady as we left and she bobbed her head in acceptance.

Outside the wind was the worst part. I knew my babies were safe under the blankets and I could deal so I didn’t worry about it. The walk was about five minutes and I only had to stop once to change Dustin’s diaper. Just as we arrived it started to rain.

“Great. It’ll be a fun walk home,” I said to the nest. I was very releaved (relieved) to see that the office part of the zoo was inclosed (enclosed.)

“Hello. What can we do for you,” the girl at the front asked me through the ticket window.

“I came about a job in the newspaper,” I said loudly, trying to be heard over the rain.

The girl nodded, “Go into the blue door over there and go straight down the hallway.”

“Thanks.” Inside the door it was very warm and looked proper. I felt completely out of place. I found myself down the hallway and to a door that said “Silver Back.” “I guess this is it. Wish me luck,” I told the nest.

“Knock knock knock,” I tapped on the door.

A lady stuck her head out, “Hello?”

“I’m here for a job in the newspaper,” I said before she even had the door completely open.

“Oh good. You’re the first person we’ve had. Come in.” She held the door open for me as I pulled the wagon in. She gave it a weird glance, then sat down behind her desk. “I’m Dr. Lyndon. If you don’t mind I’d like to ask you some questions,” she smiled kindly. I knew without a doubt she could read the nervousness off my face. I nodded and tried to smile though the outcome was scary.

“First off, why did you choose this job over others?” she asked.

“I needed a job a (that) I could do because I’m only sixteen. Also something I could take my babies with me.” I wondered if she would be put off by my age and my motherhood but she didn’t even flinch.

“Why do you want this job?” she asked while writing a few things down.

“I love animals,” I answered. “And I think it’d be neat to show people all the different ones.” She bit her tongue as she continued to write.

“Last question. Why do you need this job?” Tristain started crying so I pulled all the blankets off. Dr. Lyndon put her hand to her mouth.

“I need the money for my family,” I rocked Tristain back and forth. Dr. Lyndon came out from behind her desk and walked over to the nest.

“Oh. How cute! How old are they?” she picked Bridgette up.

“Two weeks,” I smiled at her reaction.

“They aren’t dressed very warmly,” she commented. My cheeks got a pinkish tinge.

“That’s why I need the money.” Placing Bridgette back in the nest she walked around her desk and handed me a paper and pen.

“Fill this out. When can you start?”

I smiled up at her, “Right now?” Taking the pen from her I did so. For the address I put the homeless shelter which is where I did live. After I handed her the form she read it over and thought.

“Come with me. I’m not having your cuties get sick and then you missing work,” she opened the door for me. I had no idea where we were going and just followed my new boss. The rain had stopped for now but the dark clouds overhead still held their threat to burst at any moment.

“You’ll probably do a few more things besides tours,” Dr Lyndon informed me as we walked. She led me to the gift shop and over to a rack. “We’ll bundle these babes up tight,” she pulled a leopard print baby coat off.

“What are you doing?” I asked still completely confused.

“Like I said. We aren’t gonna let your babies get sick. Just think of this as a welcome present. Now which are girls, which are boys?” she asked. I was completely shocked but didn’t complain. It was just common sense.

“These four are girls, these are boys,” I pointed. Dr. Lyndon wrapped Bridgette in the coat first. The sleeves were a little long and the hem went to her knees. But I could tell Bridgette was a lot warmer.

After Dr. Lyndon was finished selecting she said proudly, “Looks like you’re taking your own zoo home.” Each baby had a different print coat which I was happy about because it would be easier to tell them apart. Bridgette ofcourse had the leopard. Dancerly was this cute little mouse with gray fur and the hood even had little ears. Avianna had a coat with giraffe print on it which looked very stylish on her. Even darker brown fur around the face. Manya had a koala coat I guess. It was grey with white fur trimming and little fuzzy ears up top. Dustin had the cutest little tiger coat which matched his personality because he seemed to always be growling about something. Tristain was a regular brown bear but he made the average bear seem extremely cute. Andren was a wolf I think. Whatever it was, he looked precious. Myles had a little lion coat with fur around the face like a mane. All in all, they were a very cute little zoo that I was proud to be the owner of.

“Here,” Dr. Lyndon handed me a black coat with purple fur on the inside.

After a quick argument I gave in, “I guess that makes me the gorilla.” She smiled.

Leading the way out of the gift shop she turned to me, “For today I’ll show you around. You know,t ake you on the tour you’ll guide. Show you what you’ll need to say.” I nodded my head and followed behind Dr. Lyndon like a little duckling.

“The first stop you’ll make is the elephants. This platform has what you need to say but I’ll give you a packet later that has everything you’ll need to know and say.” I waved to the elephants. Childish, I know but I was in a very good mood. Just in the next little habitat was the rhino.

“This is your next stop,” Dr. Lyndon showed. “Hey Rhinestone!” Dr. Lyndon hollered to the rhino. Rhinestone lifted her head and then went back to grazing. ‘Maybe I’m not so crazy for waving to an elephant,’ I thought. We walked on. “Don’t think I’m crazy or anything Taelyn. It’s just that animals have personalities just like humans and I treat them so,” she explained. Jut to show her I didn’t I waved to the hippo in the next habitat. Tristain started to cry and from the breeze I knew why.

I picked up Tristain, “Potty stop.” Dr. Lyndon understood and pointed me to the nearest bathroom.

“Here. You take...that one and I’ll keep the rest here with me,” she sat down on the curb with the nest in front of her.

“Thanks.” I snatched a clean diaper from the nest and entered the restroom. I had to laugh at the decorations since it was decorated like a jungle.

“The things we do,” I made Tristain’s feet kick in the air. His diaper change went just as Dancerly’s had and his diaper joined hers on the back of the nest.

“That was fast,” Dr. Lyndon commented.

“After changing eight babies at the same time you get pretty fast,” I answered. We continued onto the monkey house. As soon as we entered, the shrieks of the monkeys woke Manya up and she started to cry.

“Can I please hold her?” Dr. Lyndon asked.

As I handed Manya to Dr. Lyndon I asked, “Do you not have any kids?”

She laughed, “My husband doesn’t want kids. See. That’s a chimpanzee,” she said to Manya and pointed to the habitat. I smiled and didn’t tell her that at only two weeks Manya couldn’t focus on something that far away. We strolled around the house. The nice,w arm house.

“Monkeys must be very smart. They know a warm place when they see it,” I commented. The monkey place was very nice and I got to meet Kenya the gorilla.

“She’s not really from Kenya but one of the workers thought she was and called her Kenya girl,” Dr. Lyndon explained. Outside the cold was terrible. Dr. Lyndon put Manya back in the nest and picked up Andren.

“I don’t want the others to get jealous,” she told me. Next we saw the giraffes which are one of my favorites. They just look so majestic with their long necks. I told this to Dr. Lyndon and she agreed.

“They really are royalty.”

The reptile house was nest and it too was nice and warm. In places even a little hot.

“We have to keep it hot because since reptiles are cold blooded they take the temperature around them. If we let it get cold the reptiles will freeze to death,” Dr. Lyndon explained. Nobody heard me complaining. About halfway through Bridgette started wailing. I checked her and she was wet.

Since we were right by the restroom, I said to Dr. Lyndon, “Bridgette needs to be changed. I’ll be right back.” I grabbed a clean diaper from the nest and went into the bathroom.

“Well Tristain’s bathroom was a lot more festive. But I guess that’s okay,” I said to my smallest baby. “How come,” I asked, “Dancerly is the youngest but you are the smallest?” Ofcourse Bridgette didn’t answer. Her change was a lot more pleasant since there wasn’t as much of a mess. Back outside Dr. Lyndon watched as I put Dancerly’s now dry diaper back in the nest and hung up Bridgette’s.

“Why do you hang them on the back?” she asked.

As we looked at the different lizards and snakes I answered, “I can’t afford to buy enough diapers for one baby. Much less eight. So I have about twenty cloth diapers. I wash them out and let them air dry.” I mystified her as a mom as much as she mystified me as a zoologist. We left the reptile house and walked across the street to the aquarium.

“Okay. Put Andren back. What’s this one’s name” she asked, picking up another baby.

“Myles.”

“Okay. Come on Myles. We’re going to go look at some fishies.” Out of all the people I had met, Dr. Lyndon was the most gaga over my babies.

The aquarium didn’t only have fish. There were penguins, jellyfish, otters, seals, octopus, eels, sharks. All kind of things.

Dr. Lyndon teasingly said, “Octopus would make a good baby-sitter. One arm for each baby.

I smiled, “I’ll have my people call his people.” I really liked the aquarium. It reminded me of the ocean which I really loved. We soon left he aquarium and made our way to the birdhouse. Once again Dr Lyndon switched babies.

“Dancerly just needs to be held,” was her excuse.

The birdhouse was probably one of my favorite spots. The birds themselves were gorgeous, each different from the nest. And the music was fit for a king. I was very sad when we left and could have spent my entire (life? I apparently forgot a word here, lol) in there.

The cold air sent a chill up my spine and my breath made little clouds. Avianna started crying as soon as we got to the tiger habitat.

Dr. Lyndon, who was holding her, got worried, “Did I hurt her? What’s wrong?” I checked Avianna’s diaper and it was all dry.

“She’s probably hungry,” I assured her. Pulling out a bottle of orange juice I handed her the bottle. “You do know how to bottle feed a baby, right?” I asked. Dr. Lyndon shook her head and smiled sheepishly. “Here. Prop her head up wiht your elbow. Yep. Hand goes right there. And hold the bottle at an angle,” I helped her get situated.

We kept walking as she fed Avianna. The tighers, the lions, the leopards, and the panthers were just lying around. The bobcats weren’t much more active.

“Those cats always loom around on gloomy days,” Dr. Lyndon told me.

I laughed, “You said that like you were just talking about a house cat.”

Dr. Lyndon used her coat sleeve to wipe a driblle off Avianna’s chin, “That’s right Avie. There you go.” She put the bottle back in Avianna’s mouth. “She looked just like a baby bird ready to be fed,” Dr. Lyndon bubbled. I say bubbled because Dr. Lyndon was completely googly over the babies.

The wild dogs looked like someone took about eight different species of wolves and splashed them all together. The hyenas were just plain weird.

“Why do they laugh like that?” I asked.

Dr. Lyndon shrugged, “Maybe they know something we don’t.”

The camels smelled horrible!

“They sure do. I’ll have to ask Robbeet (some form of Robert?) to come clean their habitat out,” Dr. Lyndon commented. “And the last stop you’ll make is there at the petting zoo. We won’t go in but you get the idea,” Dr. Lyndon pointed to the barn.

As we made our way back we saw a group of kids all bundled up and paying close attention to a guide.

“That’s the elementary school that comes here every year,” Dr. Lyndon explained. Avianna had finally gotten her fill. Dr. Lyndon went ahead and let me burp Avianna. “I’ve learned enough for one day,” she joked.

The End. Never finished it. Maybe I realized how stupid it was, lol.

1. I love how Taelyn just spontaneously conceived octuplets. An even number, too, because I didn’t want to show favoritism, lol.
2. I also love how every just sort of accepts that she’s popped out eight babies. And that she somehow fits all eight into a wagon. And that it takes, like, ten minutes to feed all of them. And that they’re drinking orange juice at two weeks.
3. I remember the reason I had Dr. Lyndon trading babies so much was because I wanted to get the reader familiar with all the babies, and make them realize that there were eight different babies. Pretty advanced thinking for so early on in my writing.
4. Atleast I knew a couple things. I knew babies pooped a lot, a bit about how shelters are run (some of them, anyway), that babies can’t focus far away at two weeks, etc. I wasn’t a total idiot, lol.
5. Some of the names are pretty...yeah. Like Dancerly. Comically enough, I really liked Dancerly when I was younger, so you’ll see that name pop up in several stories. The same with a couple others. Here are the full names, lol. Like I said, you’ll see many of these names pop up again (some are okay, and I still use them in recent stuff, like Tristain)
Taelyn Katja
Tristain Dager
Avianna Montana
Andren Oliver
Manya Laramie
Dustin Ryder
Myles Larson
Bridgette Burnadett
Dancerly Elaine

Back