The story so far: It’s Christmas Eve, and Rafiki the gorilla and Bomani the meerkat have been turned into humans for the day. They have befriended a young boy, Micah, but his aunt has sent them away.

Tossed out of the house, Rafiki and Bomani stood out on the sidewalk, wondering what to do next.

“Where to?” Rafiki asked.

“I feel bad about Micah, about getting him in trouble,” Bomani said. “I think we should go to a store, get him a Christmas present. We’ve still got money.”

“OK,” Rafiki said as they began walking toward the bus station. “What should we get him?”

“You’re asking me?”

•••

The toy store was bedlam.

Long lines of impatient customers spiraled out from the checkout lanes. Two people seemed to be arguing over the last toy on a shelf. A little girl was screaming, her mother hunched over her. One woman, chatting on her cell phone, slammed her shopping cart into Rafiki and glared at him as if it were his fault.

“Micah made it sound like Christmas was supposed to be a happy time,” Rafiki said.

“Maybe not,” Bomani said.

They ventured over to an aisle with toy animals. Bomani was particularly impressed with an animatronic leopard, with blinking eyes, an animated mouth and the ability to snore when entering “sleep mode.”

“For a little predator, he’s pretty cute,” Bomani observed.

“I suppose,” Rafiki said. “But Micah told us what he wants for Christmas. He wants his parents home.”

“True. Got a way for that to happen, big guy?”

Rafiki shrugged. “No. But I do have an idea.”

•••

In his room, Micah fumed.

The most amazing thing ever, and his aunt didn’t believe him. And why should she? The whole thing was ridiculous. He paced. Christmas Eve, his parents gone, his aunt mad at him, an encounter that couldn’t be but was. Feelings welled up in him that he could barely understand, a bewildering mix of anguish and anger.

He grabbed his coat, a hat, gloves, then slid down the hallway to the kitchen. He stuffed a box of animal crackers into one pocket of his coat, an apple in the other.

He’d find those two, Rafiki and Bomani. He’d prove it, somehow.

His aunt was back downstairs, finishing up some work on the computer. He quietly opened the front door.

And was gone.

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