When lunch was over, Marjorie and Nick cleared the picnic table and put everything on the big tray. The starling stacked the dirty paper cups one inside the other.

“What are you going to do this afternoon?” the starling asked.

“I’m tired of climbing up and down that beech tree,” Marjorie said. “Maybe we’ll go to the zoo after all.”

“Well, have fun!” The bird fluttered up into the magnolia tree. “Thanks for the lunch.” It stretched its wings and then flew up over the rooftops and out of sight.

Nick’s shirt and sneakers were dry now. He put them on. “That bird turned out to be pretty nice once you got to know it.”

“Maybe all along it was just hungry.” Marjorie handed him the folded tablecloth. “This goes in the dining room drawer.” She carried the tray into the house.

“I’ll get the key.” Marjorie ran upstairs and felt in the little glass tray. As soon as her fingers touched the key, she could see it. Marjorie hung it around her neck and went downstairs.

The clock in the front hall struck two. “We’d better hurry,” Marjorie said. “The zoo closes at four.”

Nick was sitting on the bottom landing of the stairs. He jumped to his feet. “Don’t sneak up on me like that! Where are you anyway?”

“Right here.” Marjorie touched his elbow. “Come on.” She opened the door.

They headed back to the park. The zoo was all the way over on the other side by Flatbush Avenue.

The hot sun beat down on their heads.

“Why do you want to go to the zoo all of a sudden, Marge?” Nick asked.

“You’ll find out when we get there,” Marjorie told him.

They walked along the stone wall at the edge of the lake. Two boys were fishing. Nick saw a pail beside them on the wall. He went over to it. “Wow! Look at the big sunfish in here, Marge.”

“I didn’t know there were any that big in the lake,” Marjorie said.

The nearest boy stared at Nick. “Are you talking to yourself, kid?”

Nick didn’t know what to say. He walked away from the boys. Marjorie ran after him.

The two children went under the old iron bridge that arched over the lake. They crossed the Long Meadow. Then they followed a little stream until they came to the rear gate of the zoo.

Marjorie always liked to look at the statue of a lioness with cubs. But Nick was walking too fast. He marched over to a big round cage.

“They’ve got a dog kennel here with raccoons in it,” Nick said. “I thought there were birds in this cage.”

A zoo keeper was walking by. “There used to be, son. Now the birds are over there.” He pointed to a brick building with a row of cages along the outside.

Perched on bare branches in the cages were birds with feathers of every color Nick could imagine.

Marjorie whispered in his ear. “Now you know why we came to the zoo.”