Samantha's Talent

by Darrell Bain

  She wiped the tears from her face and trudged along with her father, no longer as happy as she had been, even though the other animals were interesting. Eventually she brightened up and tried to remember the fun she'd had with her father until they encountered the tiger. Besides, he said she could see the zoo again. Maybe she could talk to Growlfer some more then and maybe by then the lady veterinarian would have cured his toothache.

  ***

  The middle-aged gentleman with streaks of gray in his dark hair was also a veterinarian who had come to assist the zoo's animal doctor on a tough case, then decided to wander through the zoo and observe the other animals. His name was Dr. Robert Masters but all his clients called him Dr. Bob. As soon as Samantha and the man he presumed to be her father were out of sight he reversed course and headed back to see Dr. Summers again. Upon arriving at his office he knocked on the door and was asked to come in.

  "Back already, Bob? What's happening now?"

  "Dorothy, I was taking the long way back to my car and happened to be nearby when that young lady was speaking to you about the tiger."

  "Oh, yes." She smiled. "She's very charming but it looked as if her father didn't want to attract any attention."

  "Are you going to check her tiger for an infected tooth like you said?" Dr. Bob asked.

  "Do you think it's worth the trouble, Bob? I know I told her I would, but it was just to make her feel better. You know how much trouble it is to look at a tiger's teeth, especially way in the back of its mouth. We'd have to give him anesthesia, which also means calling in a dental specialist so that if he does have an infected tooth we could get it out right then and not have to anesthetize him twice. That would be costly and we have a real tight budget this year."

  "Did you happen to notice how your tiger paid so much attention to her?" He pulled out his notebook. "Samantha Douglas. That's what she said her name was. Right?"

  "If you say so. I had already forgotten, but yes, now that you mention it, the tiger really did appear to be listening to her."

  "Well, whatever you do is your decision, of course. I just thought I'd come back and speak to you about it. The young lady seemed quite sure of herself."

  "I'll think about it, Bob."

  "Alright. I'll leave you to your paperwork, then," he smiled and pointed to a high stack of printouts on her desk."

  They shook hands and Dr. Masters departed. Inside her office, Dr. Summers put her chin in her hands and considered the episode with the tiger and the young girl. She ignored the papers on her desk for a long while, but money to run the zoo was very short, so eventually she decided to simply watch the tiger closely for a few days and see if she could detect a problem.

  She pulled the first paper off the stack and got busy with her work.

  Chapter Five

  Both Ronald and Samantha were singularly unresponsive to questions from his wife about their afternoon at the zoo, merely reporting that Samantha hadn't felt well so they had returned home. It roused her suspicions but she said nothing. She hated controversy, especially when it came to Samantha, their only child.

  Samantha, still pretending to be feeling sick so far as her mother was concerned, was sent upstairs to her room and to bed. Later on, she came downstairs for the evening meal then again went to her room. She had dozed off during the afternoon and wasn't sleepy at her regular bedtime. Instead, she very quietly eased the door to the balcony open and stepped outside. From the second story she could easily see the night lights of the zoo. She stood by the railing for a long time while a stiff evening breeze played with her hair. She wondered how Growlfer was feeling and whether the zoo veterinarian would really check to see if he had a sore tooth. She hoped so. Growlfer had been hurting a lot but apparently none of the keepers had noticed it yet. She went back inside and climbed into bed with a book. Eventually she fell asleep.

  ***

  Tigers have a poor sense of smell compared to many animals but the breeze that tangled Samantha's hair on the balcony was blowing directly toward the zoo. Growlfer was still outside because the weather had turned so nice. He was lying stretched out with his head on his paws. He moved it often, trying to find a position where his jaw didn't hurt but it was impossible. His tooth was infected and the pain was making him miserable. Suddenly a waft of air brought a familiar scent to him, that of the human cub who had talked to him. He remembered that she said she would try to find someone to help, but nothing had been done to ease his pain. He got up and stared into the distance. He could see some trees and underbrush. Above and beyond them stood a row of big pointed structures. It was the roofs of the row of houses on Samantha's block it was seeing. The lower portions were hidden by the intervening woods, but the tops were visible in the moonlight. It was where he thought the girl's scent had come from.

  Growlfer had never wanted to escape from the zoo before. It had been his home since he was a cub. He was well-treated and well-fed so there was no need to roam in search of food. Now though, he felt a desire to see the girl and ask her to help make the pain in his jaw go away. He prowled the area where he was confined, searching for a way out. He eyed the moat and the high fence beyond and wondered if it was possible to go that way. He paced back and forth along the side of the confined area that faced the woods. It was seven o'clock in the morning before he finally decided to make a try. He backed away until the cage area was directly behind him. He crouched, then began to run in great bounding leaps. When he came to the edge of the moat he sprang into space with all his strength. His front paws caught the far edge of the moat where the fence was only a few inches away. He reached with one front leg and found the webbing of the chain link fence with his claws. He got his other front leg up and onto the fence and began pulling his body up until his hind legs found the wire mesh. He clawed his way up and up until he came to the top. The edges of the wire there were sharp but he didn't care. The scratches he got from them didn't hurt nearly as much as his tooth did. A moment later he let his body go and fell toward the ground on the other side of the fence. He landed on his feet and was out! Now to find the human cub who could talk to him so that he could understand. Maybe she would help him. His big sleek body, almost eleven feet long if his tail was included, was a magnificent specimen of his species. He ran into the woods quickly and began slinking through them, making sure to stay out of sight. No one had seen him leave and he wasn't missed until more than two hours later.

  ***

  Samantha was up early Sunday morning because she had slept so much. After breakfast she helped her mother with household chores until almost nine o'clock. "That's the last of the clothes, Mom. May I go over to Betty's house for a little while?"

  She considered for a moment then nodded. "Yes, you can go but better call first and be sure they aren't in church. If they aren't and her mother doesn't mind you can stay for lunch, but you be sure and ask. Call me if you're going to stay later."

  "Yes, ma'am. I will."

  Samantha called Shufus who came running. He loved to go for walks with her, but they were hardly out of the house this time when he began whimpering. Puzzled, she asked, "What's the matter, Shufus? What's wrong?"

  The big German Shepherd was more than half grown but he was already big and promised to grow a lot more. He was a fine looking dog with his shiny pelt that she brushed each day. Normally there wasn't much he was scared of but he began shivering. He turned his head and then his whole body toward the woods behind their home. He made a growling sound that she hadn't heard before. Cat. Big Cat there was what Samantha heard him say. She looked off into the woods, too.

  "Let's go see, Shufus," she said. She had never found an animal she was scared of because she could always talk to them. The animals loved to hear a human talking so that they could understand, even if she was still a human cub in their eyes. They were always fascinated and never aggressive toward her.

  Shufus came with her as she cut back through the alley on the other side of their garage and headed toward the woods. There
she began walking slowly down a trail that she knew of. She went there sometimes when her mother wasn't aware of it and talked to the few small animals, the raccoons and armadillos, opossums and rabbits that inhabited the stretch of wild growth. Once she had talked to a bobcat that came to the woods for a few days in search of rabbits but it left after it had eaten most of them. She wondered how big the cat Shufus told her about might be, and wondered if the bobcat had returned. It was the only big cat she could think of that might be in the woods.

  Shufus stopped suddenly. A deep growl of warning issued from the back of his throat. Samantha put her hand on his back and felt the ruffed-up fur there, indicating a possible enemy.

  "Is that the cat, Shufus? Do you smell him?"

  Yes. Cat comes.

  The brush a few yards ahead of them rustled and a large striped head pushed into sight, then stopped.

  A tiger, she thought. What's a tiger doing here?

  The big cat came further out of the brush. It was quivering and its tail swished back and forth. It acted as if it wanted to attack. It was then that Samantha recognized him.

  "Growlfer! What are you doing out of the zoo?" she asked and without being fearful at all she took a few steps toward him. Shufus stayed by her side, growling low warning sounds so she stopped.

  "It's alright, Shufus. Growlfer! This is my dog, so don't you hurt him! His name is Shufus. He won't hurt you, so you be good. You too, Shufus."

  Shufus quit his growling and whined, wanting more instruction.

  "Shufus and Growlfer, I want you two to make friends with each other. Go on, Shufus. Growlfer won't hurt you, will you Growlfer?"

  No.

  "He says he won't hurt you, Shufus. Come on. Let's make friends."

  Shufus was willing and Growlfer sat back on his haunches as Samantha and her dog approached.

  Cautiously, Shufus raised his head and sniffed noses with the big cat that outweighed him by a huge margin. Samantha put her hand out and petted the top of Growlfer's head and scratched behind his ears.

  "Does your mouth still hurt, Growlfer? Open up and let me see."

  Obediently, he opened his mouth, displaying his sharp teeth and fangs. Samantha put her face right next to huge tiger's opened jaws and peered inside. Sure enough, at the very back she could see that one tooth was only a blackened stump surrounded by swollen gums.

  "That's fine, Growlfer. You can close your mouth now. You have a really bad tooth. Let me call my dad and get him to pick us up and we'll go get you some help."

  ***

  At the same time Samantha and Shufus were with Growlfer, Elaine had the television on while she was doing some repair work on one of her blouses. She was listening and sewing during the commercials. A flashing icon appeared at the bottom of the picture announcing "Breaking news". She dropped the sewing into her lap and waited. Shortly an announcer appeared. She looked very distraught as she began speaking.

  "The Ellen Trout Zoo has just announced that one of its male tigers has escaped from the zoo and may be very dangerous. Residents near the zoo are urged to stay inside and make certain their children are accounted for until the tiger is recaptured. The police have been alerted and they have orders to 'Shoot to kill' if or when the tiger threatens anyone. Pets should also be locked inside homes while the hunt for the tiger continues. The Lufkin Police Department and the County Sheriff have both announced that tracking dogs are being assembled and should shortly be ready to try to find the trail of the tiger. Stay tuned for further announcements of this very dangerous situation."

  "Oh my god!" Elaine exclaimed out loud. She immediately took out her phone and called Betty Orleans' number to warn Samantha to stay put until she could come get her.

  Mrs. Orleans answered the phone.

  "Hello, this is Elaine Douglas, Samantha's mother," she said. "Have you heard about the escaped tiger?"

  "Oh, yes. Isn't that why Samantha hasn't arrived yet? I figured you were keeping her home."

  "You mean she isn't there?"

  "Oh, no! She must be somewhere else."

  "Alright, then. Thank you." With shaking hands Elaine called Samantha's phone. There was no answer. Shaking even more, she dialed her husband's office and found that he had gone, leaving a message that he needed to go pick up his daughter.

  "Did he say where she was?"

  "No, ma'am. He just said his daughter had called and needed him to come pick her up."

  "Oh, good. That makes me feel easier. Thank you." She put away her phone but she still wondered where Samantha had got off to. She took her phone back out and started to dial her husband but then put it back. He was probably driving and she didn't want to distract him while he was on the way to get their Samantha.

  Fifteen minutes before that, Samantha had indeed called her father.

  "Sammie, you know you shouldn't call me at the office unless it's an emergency. But so long as I have you on the phone, I want to warn you not to go outside. There's a tiger on the loose that escaped from the zoo. You stay right where you are. Understand?"

  "Yes, sir, but Dad, I'm not inside."

  "Well where are you, then?" He was becoming agitated, fearing for his daughter's safety.

  "Dad, you know that patch of woods behind out house?"

  A sense of foreboding came over him. "Yes, of course I know. Don't tell me--"

  "Dad, I'm in the woods with Growlfer. Would you come get us and take Growlfer back to the zoo so he can get his tooth treated? He's in terrible pain."

  "Oh, Lord. Sammie, please tell me you're not with that tiger."

  "I'm sorry, Dad, but he came looking for me when I was on the way to Betty's house. Will you come get us, please? I'm afraid someone with a gun will shoot him if they see him with me."

  "What part of the woods are you in?"

  "The stretch right near the house. Just drive into the alley and honk the horn when you arrive and we'll come out. I'm pretty sure he can fit in the back of our van with me and Shufus."

  He started to remonstrate with his daughter but on second thought he decided the best thing he could do was rush to get her before she got hurt. The police and Sheriff's deputies were indeed armed and looking for the tiger. He drove fast as he could but was careful not to exceed the speed limit. He certainly didn't want to get pulled over by a patrol car and delayed! A few minutes later he pulled into the alley running behind the garage. It was used by the city trash pickups. He stopped the van when he was as close to the woods bordering the back of their house as the vehicle could go. He didn't even have to honk the horn. As soon as he stopped Samantha came into view, leading the tiger by simply placing her hand on its neck and using gentle pressure to show it the way to go.

  Ronald popped the lock on the side door then reached back and pushed it open. He was scared, both for Samantha and for himself. He was almost certain the tiger had never ridden in a vehicle and hoped desperately that it wouldn't frighten it into a savage response.

  "Get inside there, Growlfer, and lay down. Shufus and I will be right behind you." She pointed to the open door of the van and the huge tiger obediently climbed inside. He gave Ronald only a glance then lay down, just as Samantha asked him to. She and Shufus got inside right behind him, with her sitting on one of the seats beside him and Shufus on his other side. The tiger was so big she could pet him without reaching. Shufus, sitting on the other seat leaned his head down and gave Growlfer a friendly lick. "Okay, Dad. We can go now, but start out slow."

  The tiger started in surprise as the van began to move but Samantha's presence soothed him and he soon became used to it. In the meantime, Ronald's mind was busy. Presently he took out his phone and handed it to back to her.

  "Sammie, the number of the zoo is in my contacts, the last one, I think. Please call and get the veterinarian on the line for me. Tell whoever answers that it's about the tiger. Tell them to hurry."

  She did so. It took a few moments of argument because the person on the line thought it was a youngster probably playing
a prank. Finally, she handed the phone to her father. "It's Dr. Summers, Dad."

  "Look, this is an emergency," Ronald said without any preliminaries. "We have the escaped tiger in my van and I want someone to meet us at the zoo entrance parking lot. Be in a car that can guide us to your clinic and please, make sure you're waiting on us there. And for God's sake, keep the police and reporters away from us! A crowd might scare the tiger and besides, we don't want any publicity. Got it? "

  Samantha tapped him on the shoulder.

  "Hold on a moment."

  "Dad, please tell Dr. Summers to have some pain medicine waiting for Growlfer. He's hurting really bad."

  "Okay. Hello? Yes. My daughter said you need to have some pain medicine ready to give to Growl--to the tiger as soon as we arrive. She says she's seen his bad tooth and it looks awful. The tiger is quiet now but please have the medicine ready. Okay, fine. Thank you. We'll be there in another five or ten minutes. Remember, no publicity!"

  As they drove, Samantha crooned to Growlfer, assuring him that soon his pain would be gone or at least lessened to where it would be bearable until he could have the tooth either treated or removed.

  As he had requested, a car was waiting. They followed it through a gate that had been opened, then on to a part of the zoo not accessible to visitors. Ronald stopped his van when the other car stopped. He and Samantha both were very glad to see Dr. Summers waiting for them in front of the clinic, along with one of her assistants, a young man with shaggy hair in his twenties. Samantha got out first.

  "Hello. Remember me?"

  "Yes, I do. Can you control that beast until we get him inside and can shoot him with a dart?"

  "No, no! You're supposed to have some pain medicine waiting. Don't you have it?"

  "Yes, but... "

  "Well, just tell us where to go and I'll lead Growlfer there and hold him while you give him his medicine. Let's hurry, please. I promised him he would stop hurting once you treated him."

  "That doesn't sound like a good idea," the vet's assistant said. He eyed Samantha warily, as if she were about to take his job away.