Postcards from the Zoo

Little Lana was 3 years old when she was abandoned, alone in the Zoo. Raised by a giraffe trainer, the Zoo is the only world she knows. Until one day, a charming magician arrives and Lana finds her love, for she is ready to leave. Together, they wander around the streets of Jakarta. She becomes his assistant in selling medicine and performing magic. The town loves them. Soon, they host their own TV show. One day, the magician disappears. Lana works as a masseuse, ‘with benefits’, her customers love her. She tells them stories. Stories of the sound of the Hippo’s steps, the flapping of the Elephant’s ears, the strange, flute-like sound of the Giraffe. Lana no longer knows happiness. She has only the feeling of longing. Lana returns to the Zoo, seeking out the giraffe trainer, who is already gone. Again, Lana is left alone. This time accompanied only by the feeling of longing. A longing feeling, that has haunted her all of her life. A longing feeling, which surely haunted her father, who dared to leave Lana, his daughter, in the Zoo. Alone. —Torinolab