Marjorie and Nick went over to the red brick building. A downy-headed bird with long tail feathers was walking across the floor of one cage.

“There are five different colors on just that one bird,” Nick said. “And all we need are seven feathers!”

“I wonder what kind of bird it is,” Marjorie said. “There aren’t any signs on the cages.”

The zoo man was standing by the door of the building. He couldn’t see Marjorie, so he thought it was Nick who had spoken. “That’s a golden pheasant, son. It comes from China.” The man opened the door and went inside the building.

Nick was looking at the cages. “There’s no way to get into them.”

“The keepers have to go in somehow,” Marjorie said. “The gates must be inside the zoo house.”

“The birds keep flying in and out,” Nick said.

Marjorie laughed. “I guess these outdoor cages are just like porches for the ones inside.”

A lady standing nearby looked hard at Nick. Then she picked up her little boy and hurried away.

“I’m sorry I spoke so loud,” Marjorie whispered. “I keep forgetting people can’t see me.”

“Let me have the key for a while,” Nick whispered back. “I’m sick of everybody thinking I’m crazy.”

Marjorie hung the key around Nick’s neck. Now he was invisible. He grabbed her hand and pulled her over to the door of the red brick building. Marjorie opened it and went inside.

Nick kept hold of her hand until the door closed behind them.

The air here was hot and damp. No other visitors were in the building.

There was a row of bird cages on one side and a row of monkey cages on the other. The monkeys were all in their outdoor cages today, but some of the birds were indoors.

Marjorie went to look at them. She leaned on a railing to watch three little green parrots and a red-headed macaw. There was a trench between the railing and the cages.

The zoo man was standing in the trench, using a pulley to open a low door in one of the cages. He had to step up from the trench to go through the door. Then he closed the door behind him and went to give the birds fresh water.

Marjorie turned to look at the other cages. They all had doors like this one.

The third cage had a big red parrot with a blue tail in it. The bird was perched on a dead branch. Marjorie remembered the soft green leaves on the trees outdoors. It must be awful to be shut in a cage, she thought.

The parrot flew down to the floor and started to peck at a pan of sunflower seeds. Then, all of a sudden, Marjorie saw the door of the parrot’s cage sliding open, as if by itself.

Nick was sneaking into the cage!