Day 228: 23 June 2026

 Short story -- Debra the Zebra

Debra the zebra had always been a little different. She wasn’t sure if zebras were black with white stripes or white with black stripes… but she knew she was the opposite of whatever most zebras were.

Her mother could often be heard sighing, ‘Oh Debra.’ And she knew her father worried about her love of archeology. None the less, there weren’t two parents who loved their young one more. For Debra’s mother could also be heard saying, ‘You won’t find a zebra as clever as our little Debra.’ And her father would often proudly exclaim, ‘Debra is so adventurous. We never know what she’ll find.’

And so, our story begins on a morning like any other morning. The sun was coming up. The herd was getting organised for a long day of eating grass and running on the open plains. Meanwhile, Debra was preparing to excavate a site she thinks she might have found yesterday afternoon.

‘It’s a shame I don’t have any real tools,’ she was telling her mother. ‘But my hooves work well enough for trowels and a tuft of grass works like a broom.’

‘How clever you are,’ her mother beamed.

‘And what has made you want to dig next to the old hill?’ her father asked.

‘I saw something shiny. It reflected the sun. I am sure it was man made and will be interesting,’ Debra answered.

‘Well, just be careful,’ her mother added.

Her father nodded in agreement, saying, ‘And make sure to keep an eye on the herd.’

‘Yes, mom. Yes, dad,’ Debra said and started off.

She’d been excavating for about thirty minutes when she realised that she wasn’t alone.

A lion cub was watching her from the grass.

She saw that the herd wasn’t too far off.

‘Hello,’ she said to the cub, continuing to dig.

‘That’s it?’ the lion asked sulkily. ‘I am a vicious apex predator!’

‘Hmmm,’ said Debra non-commitaly.

‘So,’ the lion said walking closer, ‘What are you doing?’

‘I’m excavating a site,’ Debra said informatively.

‘Oooh! Like looking for buried treasure!’ the lion said grinning. ‘Have you found anything?’

‘Maybe,’ hedged Debra. ‘But I’m having a hard time getting it out,’ she ceded. ‘Hooves are very practical, but not for grabbing things.’

The lion looked at his paws. ‘Perhaps I can help?’ he said demonstrating how he could move his toes. ‘I’m Leo, by the way.’

Debra watched him move his toes. ‘Alright,’ she sighed, stepping over. ‘Come and see what you can do. But don’t damage anything! And be careful with your claws!’

Leo walked over. He looked at the ground and saw the thing — reflecting the sun — sticking up. It was mostly uncovered. He started reaching…

‘Be careful!’ Debra added. ‘It could be hot or sharp!’

‘Alright, alright.’

He reached down and gingerly picked it up.

‘What is it?’ he asked, looking at it.

‘I don’t know,’ said Debra. ‘It has some writing on it.’

And that’s the story about how a zebra and a lion became friends excavating an empty can of Coke.