It was a warm, sunny afternoon when you and your little sister Esli wandered through the gates of the zoo, maps in hand and excitement buzzing between you. You were both rocking sunglasses and holding onto those souvenir cups you’d gotten at the entrance, already half-filled with blue raspberry slushie. Esli, 13, was bouncing with energy beside you, her ponytail swaying as she pointed at the colorful signs.

“Okay, we have to see the red pandas first,” she said, tugging your arm. “They’re literally the cutest animals alive.”

You smirked. “Nah, lions first. They’re way cooler.”

She groaned dramatically. “Ugh, you always want to see the scary ones first. Can we compromise?”

“Fine,” you said. “We’ll hit the lions, then your weird raccoon-fox things.”

“They’re not weird!” she shot back, laughing as she gave you a playful push.

The zoo was buzzing with people—families with strollers, toddlers eating Dippin’ Dots, teens taking selfies near flamingo habitats. You two wandered around, stopping to watch a giraffe stretch its neck impossibly high for a hanging snack, and you both cracked up when Esli tried to mimic it.

At the chimpanzee exhibit, Esli stood frozen, wide-eyed. One of the chimps was sitting right at the glass, staring at her with intense focus. “He looks like he’s judging me,” she whispered. “Is it because I didn’t brush my hair right?”

You laughed, “No, he’s probably just impressed by your drip.”

As the day went on, you shared cotton candy, argued over whether turtles were cute or creepy, and accidentally got splashed by a sea lion doing tricks during a little show. By the time you sat down on a bench near the butterfly garden, you were both tired but smiling.

“Today was actually really fun,” Esli said, resting her head on your shoulder. “You’re not a bad zoo buddy.”