Ayla collapsed on her bed, exhausted after having her physics exam. It was the final exams, of her last year of college.

“Now I’ll read as many books as I want!” she thought, smiling, when a loud thud startled her.

She sat up straight on her bed, listening attentively. Ayla could hear muffled voices but not belonging to her parents. They weren’t human voices either. Gulping, Ayla stood up and tiptoed outside her room. She heard a roar from downstairs making her jump in fright.

“Is … is that a …” she couldn’t complete her sentence when she spotted something tall and brown with dark spots here and there. She was looking straight into the eyes of a giraffe looking back at her with a bored expression, chewing on her mum’s favourite curtain.

“Woah!” Ayla exclaimed in excitement. “Mum? Dad? Is anyone there?” she called out to her parents but there came no reply.

“This is a dream come true! Parents not at home! It means I am home alone!” she jumped in joy as she realised this and came towards the staircase and looked down to witness the site of astonishment. A bunch of wild birds, bears, giraffes, turtles, hyenas and even lions were........

© Dawn Young Magazine