TFRTA’s Private Floating Zoos—An Exhibit in Denial

A breathtaking spectacle, if you ignore the slow, inevitable decline.

Once a marvel of engineering and indulgence, the TFRTA’s Private Floating Zoos were built to house the rarest Poppies in the PTU—majestic, weightless, and practically immortal. That was the pitch. The reality? Helium runs out. Some of the exhibits are fine—graceful balloon elephants drift in carefully pressurized domes, still inflated, still impressive. Others? Leaking, stretching, sagging into unnatural shapes their original designers never intended. Some are just shells, floating aimlessly, still technically “present” but missing something vital. And yet, the zoo remains. The maintenance crews are gone, the ticket booths abandoned, but the Poppies still hover, waiting for an audience that isn’t coming. Nobody knows who keeps the lights on or why the doors remain unlocked. No one talks about what happens when an enclosure fails. Maybe nothing. Maybe something. Nobody sticks around to find out.

The Friendly Robot Travel Agency suggests keeping your expectations high and your exits memorized. If a creature starts looking a little too stretched, it’s time to move along.

Wishbone Cost: 

Rick’s Review:

"Watched a balloon lion floating perfectly still. Guide said it was ‘preserved for historical accuracy.’ Two minutes later, it let out the weakest, saddest wheeze I’ve ever heard and deflated mid-air. Guide didn’t even blink. Just marked it off a list and kept walking."

Rick’s Tee-Hee Rating: