Tiger's Curse

by Collen Houck

  “Kishan betrayed his brother so he could have the woman he loved. He bartered with a prodigious and evil man who captured Dhiren on his journey home. As a political prisoner, he was dragged along behind

  a camel and paraded through the enemy’s town where the people threw stones, sticks, muck, and camel dung at him. He was tortured, his eyes were plucked out of their sockets, the hair was shaved off his head, and eventually his body was torn apart into pieces and thrown into the river.”

  I gasped. “How horrible!”

  Mesmerized by the story, I was bursting with questions, but I held back and let him continue. Mr.

  Kadam focused his gaze on my face and continued gravely, “When his people learned of his death, a great sorrow spread across the land. Some say that Dhiren’s people went down to the river and pulled out the torn pieces of his body to give him a proper burial. Others say that his body was never found.

  “Hearing of their beloved son’s death, the raja and his wife, heavy with misery, lapsed into a deep despair. Soon, both of them departed from this life. Kishan ran away in shame. Yesubai took her own life. The Mujulaain Empire was thrown into dark shadows of morass and disarray. With the authoritative voice of the royal family gone, the military took over the kingdom. Eventually, the evil man who had killed

  Dhiren captured the throne, but only after fifty years of terrible war and bloodshed.”

  As he finished his story, there was a tangible silence, and both of us were quiet for a few moments.

  Ren’s tail rustled in his cage, which snapped me out of my reverie.

  “Wow,” I responded. “So…did helove her?”

  “Of whom are you speaking?”

  “Did Dhiren love Yesubai?”

  He blinked. “I…don’t…know. Many marriages were arranged in those days, and love often wasn’t a consideration then.”

  “That’s a very sad sequence of events. I feel sorry for everyone in that story…except for the bad guy. A great story, though a bit bloody…an Indian tragedy. It reminds me of Shakespeare. He would have written a great play based on that story. So, Ren is named after that Indian prince?”

  Mr. Kadam raised his eyebrow and smiled. “It would appear so.”

  I looked over at the tiger. “See, Ren, you’re a hero! You’re one of the good guys!”

  Ren pricked his ears forward and blinked his eyes, watching me.

  “Thanks for sharing that story with me. I will definitely be writing about that in my journal.” I tried to pull

  him back to my original question, “But, it still doesn’t explain why your employer is interested in tigers.”

  He cleared his throat while looking at me obliquely, stalling for a moment. For someone so eloquent, he fumbled awkwardly through his next words. He said, “He has a special…connection with this tiger. You see, he feels he is to blame for the tiger’s imprisonment. No, that is too harsh a word, for his…capture.

  My employer allowed himself to be…ensnared in a situation that led to the tiger being caged and sold.

  He has followed the tiger’s whereabouts for the last few years, and now he’s finally in a position to make

  amends.”

  “Huh. That’s very interesting. So it washis fault that Dhiren was captured in the first place? It’s very kind

  of him to continue to be concerned about an animal’s welfare like that. Please thank him for me, for what

  he’s doing for Ren.”

  He bowed his head toward me in acknowledgement, then, hesitating, fixed a somber gaze on me and said, “Miss Kelsey, I hope it’s not too forward of me to ask, but I need someone to accompany the tiger on his journey to India. I will not be able to tend to his daily needs or even travel with him for the entire journey. I have already asked Mr. Davis if he could accompany Dhiren, but he must stay here with the circus.”

  He leaned forward on the stool and gestured slightly with his hands. “I would like to offeryou that job.

  Would you be interested?”

  I stared at his hands for a moment, thinking that a man such as he should have long, tapered, manicured fingers, but his fingers were thick and calloused, like a man accustomed to hard labor.

  He said, “The tiger is already used to you, and I can pay you a good wage. Mr. Davis suggested your name as a likely candidate and mentioned that your temporary employment here is almost at an end anyway. If you choose to accept the job, I can assure you that my employer would appreciate having someone who can…care for him better that I can. The entire trip should take about a week, but I have been instructed to compensate you for your entire summer. I know that doing this for me will take you away from your home and delay your search for a new position elsewhere, so you will be duly compensated.”

  “What exactly would I have to do? Wouldn’t I need a passport and other paperwork done?” I asked.

  He inclined his head toward me. “I can, of course, arrange all the preliminaries for the trip. You would accompany Dhiren and me on a flight to Mumbai, what you might still call Bombay. Upon arrival, I must

  stay in town on business, and you would then continue to accompany Dhiren on the drive to the reserve.

  I will hire drivers and loaders to assist you on the journey. Your primary responsibility will be to care for

  Dhiren by feeding him and seeing to his comfort.”

  “I see.”

  “The journey over land is about ten to twelve hours one way. After you arrive at the reserve, you would stay there for a few days to ensure he is acclimatizing well to his new environment and comparative freedoms. I would purchase a return plane ticket from Jaipur, so that you will be able to ride the Jaipur tour bus that goes from the reserve to the airport, and then fly to Mumbai, and home from there, making your return trip a little bit shorter.”

  “So it would be about a week altogether?” I asked.

  He replied, “You can choose to either fly back home immediately or, if you like, you may stay on vacation in India for a few days and enjoy touring before you go home. Rest assured, I would provide for

  all of your travel as well as any other necessary accommodations along the way.”

  I blinked and sputtered, “That’s a very generous offer. Yes, my position here at the circus is almost at an

  end, and I would have to start looking for a new job very soon anyway.”

  I got up and started pacing, mumbling indecisively to myself as much as to him. “India’s very far away.

  I’ve never been out of the country before, so the idea of it is both exciting and scary at the same time.

  Can I think about it and let you know? When do you need for me to give you an answer?”

  “The sooner you say yes, the sooner I can make the necessary arrangements.”

  “Alright. Let me call my foster parents and talk with Mr. Davis to see what they think about all this, and then I’ll let you know for sure.”

  He nodded and mentioned that Mr. Maurizio knew how to contact him when I was ready to inform him of my decision. He also said that he would be around the circus for the rest of the afternoon finalizing paperwork.

  With jumbled thoughts, I grabbed my things, turned, and walked back to the main building. I was seriously contemplating Mr. Kadam’s offer. It was very tempting to spend a little more time with Ren, plus I’d always wanted to visit a foreign country. I could have a little vacation and get paid too. I considered Mr. Kadam. He didn’t strike me as one of those creepy kinds of men with bad intentions. In fact, he seemed trustworthy and grandfatherly to me. I decided to ask Mr. Davis’ opinion.

  I found him teaching the dogs a new trick and asked him what he thought. He confirmed that Mr.

  Kadam had offered him the same job and that he’d been tempted to do it. “I think it would be a great experience for you. You’re great with animals, especially with Dhiren. If that’s something you think you’d

  like to focus on in a future career, then you should consider it. The job would look great on a resume
.”

  Thanking him, I decided to call my foster parents. They basically said that I was now old enough to make my own decision. They suggested that, since it was my birthday, they’d like to have an impromptu birthday party for me. They figured they could celebrate with me and meet Mr. Kadam, killing two birds with one stone. They also said that if I chose to go, they would support my decision as long as I touched base with them often.

  After taking some time to think about the pros and cons, I felt my excitement for the trip melt away my nerves.I really would like to go to India and see Ren off to the tiger reserve. It would be an opportunity to do something that I’d never get the chance to do again. I walked back to the livestock building where they kept Ren and found Mr. Kadam there. He appeared to be in quiet conversation with Ren again.I guess he likes talking to tigers as much as I do.

  I paused just inside the door. “Mr. Kadam? My foster parents would like to meet you and wanted me to invite you to a birthday celebration for me tonight. They asked Mr. Maurizio if they could have it here, and he agreed, so they’re bringing some cake and ice cream after the evening performance. Can you come?”

  His face lit up with a radiant, delighted smile. “Wonderful! I would love to come to your party!”

  “Don’t get too excited. They’re likely to bring soy ice cream and gluten-free sugar-free cupcakes.” I laughed.

  After speaking to him, I called my family to finalize the plans. They came early to watch the show and were thoroughly impressed with Ren’s performance.

  My foster family loved meeting everyone. Mr. Kadam was polite and charming and told them that it would be impossible to accomplish his task without my help.

  “I assure you that we will be in constant communication and she can call you at any time,” he said.

  Mr. Davis later added his two cents. “Kelsey is more than capable of doing the job as Mr. Kadam defines it. It’s essentially the same thing she’s been doing at the circus for the past two weeks. Plus it will

  be a great experience to add to her college applications.”

  My foster family had a great time, and it was fun having the party there. They even brought normal cupcakes and ice cream. Most teenagers planned exciting things for their eighteenth birthday, but I was content to just be with my foster family, my new friends at the circus, and my half gallon of Tillamook Mudslide.

  Sarah and Mike pulled me aside and Sarah said, “Well, Kelsey, if our opinion means anything, we really

  like Mr. Kadam and think it would be a fun trip for you.”

  I hugged them excitedly and went to tell Mr. Kadam.

  He beamed a happy smile and said, “Now, Miss Kelsey, it will take me approximately one week to arrange the transportation. I will also need to arrange traveling papers for both Dhiren and yourself. My plan is to leave tomorrow morning and return as soon as I have the necessary documents.”

  Later, as he prepared to leave, he walked over to shake my hand and held it for a minute, saying,

  “Thank you for being willing to help. You have assuaged my fears and given hope to a disillusioned old man that has anticipated only calamity and disappointment.” He squeezed my hand, patted it, and stepped quickly out the door.

  Later, when the party was over and I went back to visit Ren, I said, “Here…I snuck in a cupcake.

  Probably not on your tiger diet, but you might as well celebrate too, huh?”

  He gently took the cupcake from my outstretched hand, swallowed it in one gulp, and then started licking frosting off my fingers. I giggled and went to wash my hand.

  “I wonder what Mr. Kadam was talking about? Calamity? Assuaged fears? He’s a bit dramatic, eh, Ren?” I yawned and scratched him behind the ear, grinning as he leaned his head into the scratch. “Well, Ren, I’m sleepy. I’m going to bed. We’ll have a fun trip together, won’t we?” Stifling another yawn, I said, “See you in the morning.”

  I made sure he had enough water, then turned off the lights, shut the door, and headed to bed.

  The next morning, I got up early to check on Ren. I opened the doors and headed down to his cage, but found the door was open. He wasn’t there!

  “Ren? Where are you?” I heard a noise behind me and turned around to find him lying on a pile of hay…

  outsidehis cage.

  “Ren! How on earth did you get out? Mr. Davis is going to kill me! I’m sure I locked your cage door last night!”

  The tiger got up and shook himself, getting most of the hay off his fur. He walked lazily over to me. I was

  scared out of my mind, but it was too late to walk back out of the barn. Mr. Davis taught me never to look away from big cats, so I stuck out my chin, put my hands on my hips, and sternly ordered him back to his cage. The odd thing was…he seemed to understand what I wanted him to do. He walked past me, rubbed his side against my leg, and…obeyed! He padded slowly over to the ramp, flicked his tail back and forth while watching me, and was up and through the door in two great leaps.

  I hurried over to close the door, and when it finally shut, I let out a long breath. After getting his water and food for the day, I set off in search of Mr. Davis to break the news.

  Mr. Davis took it pretty well considering that a tiger was loose. He was surprised that I was more concerned for Ren’s safety than my own. He assured me that I’d done the right thing and was even impressed by how I’d handled it calmly. I assured him that I would be more careful and make sure that the cage was always latched properly. Still, I was certain that I hadn’t inadvertently left the cage unlocked.

  The next week sped by in a blur. Mr. Kadam didn’t reappear until the evening of Dhiren’s last performance. He approached me and asked if he could meet with me after dinner. I said, “Sure, I’ll meet you at one of the tables over dessert.”

  The mood was one of celebration after the final performance. I saw Mr. Kadam enter the building, so I gathered up my paper, pencil, and two dishes of ice cream and then sat down across from him.

  He began by spreading out various forms and documents for me to sign. “We will be driving Dhiren in a

  truck from here to the Portland airport.

  We will board a cargo plane, which will fly us to New York City. From there, we will pass over the Atlantic Ocean and continue on to Mumbai. When we arrive in Mumbai, I will be leaving Dhiren in your

  capable hands for a few days while I tend to some business in the city.

  “I have arranged for a truck to meet us at the Mumbai airport. You and I will supervise the workers who will be loading Dhiren from the airplane into the truck. I’ve hired a driver to take you and Dhiren all the way to the reserve. Preparations have also been made for you to stay at the reserve for a few days.

  Then, you may return to Mumbai at your convenience in preparation for your trip home. I will provide you traveling money, more than enough for any emergency.”

  I took notes in a frenzy, trying to copy down all of his instructions.

  “Mr. Davis will help prepare Dhiren here and will also load him onto the truck tomorrow morning. I suggest that you pack a bag for yourself that includes any personal items that you might wish to bring along. You may borrow my rental car tonight to go home and gather your things, but you do need to return here by early morning. Do you have any immediate questions?”

  “Well, I have about a billion of them, but most of them can wait until tomorrow. I guess I’d better go home and get packed.”

  He smiled at me and placed his car keys in my hand. “Thank you once again, Miss Kelsey. I look forward to our journey together. I will see you in the morning.”

  I smiled at him and said good night. After taking his keys, I went back to my tent to gather my things. I visited briefly with Matt, Cathleen, Mr. Davis, and Mr. Maurizio. After wishing them luck and saying goodbye, I stopped by Dhiren’s cage to say good night. He was sleeping already, so I left him alone and walked out to the parking lot. There was only one car parked, and it was a beautiful silver convertible. I looked at
the key fob and readBentley GTC Convertible . “Holy cow! You have got to be kidding me!

  This car must be worth a fortune! He trustsme to drivethis ?”

  I approached the car timidly and clicked the unlock button on the key chain. The car’s headlights blinked at me. Until that moment, I didn’t believe that this was the car he expected me to drive.

  I opened the door, slid into the soft, buttery leather seats, and ran my hand over the elegant pronounced stitching. The dashboard looked ultramodern, with handsome instrument controls and displays in a silvery

  metallic color. The car screamed luxury.

  I started the engine and jumped as it roared to life. Even I, someone with no real knowledge of cars, could tell that this car was fast. I sighed in pleasure as I realized that it also included heated massage seats. Cars had never been a subject that held any appeal for me, but being behind the wheel ofthis charming car was changing that tune…. I arrived home in just a few short minutes and groaned in disappointment that I lived so nearby.

  Mike insisted that a “Bentley” needed to be parked in the garage. He eagerly moved his old Camry out to the street and parked it next to the garbage cans. The poor old reliable Camry was thrust out the door like an old house cat while the brand new kitten got a soft pillow on the bed. Keeping up the cat analogy, Mike ended up spending several hours in the garage that night cooing over and petting the convertible. I,

  on the other hand, spent my evening gathering all my belongings and boxing them up to store in the garage. I did my laundry, packed a large bag with the things I wanted to bring, and spent some time visiting with my foster family. The two kids, Rebecca and Sammy, wanted to hear all about my two weeks at the circus. We also talked about the exciting things I might get to see and do in India.

  They were good people, a good family, and they cared about me, so I felt emotional saying goodbye. I was transitioning. This was the end of my youth. Leaving for India somehow meant that I was now an adult. I hugged and kissed the two kids, and Mike soberly shook my hand for a long minute. Then I turned to Sarah, who pulled me into a tight hug and held me close for a moment. We were both teary eyed afterward, but she assured me that they would always be around for me whenever I needed them.