"Hmm," the giraffe hums gently, her voice a melodious whisper. "Got your attention, did I?"
You stare in barely comprehending horror and try to come up with a good reason why you're hallucinating. You have no other choice but to conclude this animal is speaking to you.
"Y-You can talk?" You blurt, almost gasping.
"Shhh!" The giraffe admonishes, quickly glancing from side to side with a startled expression. "Keep your voice down, I'm not supposed to do this."
You stare in speechless shock and she exhales sharply. The warmth of her breath hits your face.
"Yes, I can talk. There's other animals in this zoo who are intelligent like me. I just saw you were watching me. Like you knew something was different. Not many people notice."
"H-How are you..." You are puzzled, recalling that giraffes don't even have vocal cords. "I didn't think giraffes could... well, that you couldn't make noises."
"Normally, we can't." She responds quickly, backing away as another group of people approaches the fence. "I'm no ordinary giraffe," she whispers through clenched teeth, lips curling, before she raises to her full height and resumes her facade of being a dumb animal for the guests.
You watch her in utter astonishment as she paces the yard and catch her eye more than once as she glances at you as she passes by. You have to know more! You wait patiently until the crowd dies down again and the giraffe approaches you slowly. This time, there's little time before another group begins to approach. She giggles at your dumbfounded expression.
"Come back and see me later when it's not so busy." She backs away from the fence and begins her graceful walk of the yard again. She even glances to the side and winks at you.
You decide to take the hint and back away from the fence, catching the giraffe's gaze one more time as she gives you a quick conspiratorial acknowledgement.
You fade back into the ground and have to sit down on a bench for a moment to process what just happened.