Institute History
Description
This is a story of Lana.
Her memories started 20 years ago, when her father abandoned her in the zoo. For 20 years, she grew up at the zoo, raised by a giraffe trainer, who lived there, too.
The giraffe trainer feeds her and cares for her. Over lunch, he tells her the stories of the animals, from their birth to their death. When there is a spare moment, the giraffe trainer takes Lana for a walk around the zoo, enjoying . . .
The sound of the hippo’s steps.
The flapping of the elephant's ears.
The strange, flute-like sound of the giraffe.
Lana grows up full of joy and love. Over time, Lana forgets her father.
One day, a cowboy comes to the zoo. He is a street magician with secret charms, and very enchanting. Lana falls in love. She leaves the giraffe trainer and the entire zoo.
Together, Lana and the cowboy 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 television show. One day, cowboy has an accident. A fire show swallows him. The television entertainer who picked them from the street keeps Lana for his morning quiz shows. Lana no longer knows happiness. She has only the feeling of longing, longing for her friends at the zoo.
The television program fails. The entertainer sells Lana to his friend, who owns the Planet Spa. Lana now works as a masseuse, offering massages "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.
Albi, the bodyguard at Planet Spa, falls in love with Lana. He burns down the spa to save her. He, along with many of the spa's occupants, burns to death. Lana returns to the zoo. But she finds no one there. Again, she is left alone in the zoo.
Alone, but with the strange, flute-like sound of the giraffe.
Postcards from the Zoo is awash in feeling; the feeling of longing, and of being alone with memories, in between reality and dreams. It takes solace in the idea that even after a long and strange journey, there's always home to come back to.