"That awful Meriweather woman came to our house with a policeman and she said she was going to take me away from Mom and Dad so I ran away," Samantha explained to Dr. Summers.
"How did all these people know to find you here?"
"I called Mom and I guess she thought it was time to tell them where I was. This way everyone will be able to see that I'm not in any danger."
"Hmm. I do hope they see it this way. At any rate I'm prepared to tell them you're fine so long as you're sure you can control the other two tigers."
"I can," Samantha said confidently. "And thank you, Dr. Summers. What do you think the police will do? Will they really help that woman take me away from Mom and Dad?"
"I don't know, but from the sound of things I rather doubt it. I believe you're going to make the headlines again."
Samantha sighed. She didn't mind answering questions when they were asked politely but the reporters all
shouted
. They talked past each other and interrupted, got their facts wrong and were generally a big bother. The only one she'd met that she liked was Jennie Standifer. She was nice.
Maybe she'll be with them,
she thought.
Growlfer twitched his muscles again. She broke off from talking to the veterinarian and hugged his neck. "It's okay, Growlfer. It's just a bunch of noise. Just be calm and we'll get you and Shufus and the other tigers some hamburger meat. How's that!"
Growlfer purred and licked her face, causing her to laugh and grimace at the same time as his rough tongue rasped across her cheeks.
"I think the thundering herd is arriving, Sammie. Let me go talk to them."
"Okay, but would you see if anyone brought Growlfer's hamburger meat? Mom said she'd send some."
Moments later Dr. Summers returned, followed by Elaine and Police Chief Donnart.
"Hi Mom!" Samantha said brightly. She had one arm around Growlfer's neck and her hand resting on Shufus' head. "Did you bring some hamburger?"
"Yes, I did. Sammie, this is Chief of Police Donnart. Chief, this is my daughter, Samantha."
"I'm glad to meet you," Samantha said, although truthfully, she didn't know if she was or not. So far the few police officers she'd met had been fine but she hadn't interacted with many, especially not the big boss!
The Chief eyed Samantha curiously then asked, "Is that tiger tame?"
"No ma'am, not really. I wouldn't want anyone else to come in here with him, especially since the other two tigers will be here in a minute."
"How do you know?"
"Shufus told me." she rubbed the crown of the dog's head. "Mom, is that the hamburger meat you're carrying?"
"Yes, it is. How do I get it in there?"
She pointed. "Push it through that little slot down there, please."
What a polite young lady
, Chief Donnart thought as Elaine pushed a number of packages of hamburger through the slot.
Just as Samantha gathered them up, the other two tigers came into view. She turned to them. "Hello, Shssh. Hello Shema. You two lay down there with Growlfer and I'll feed you."
Growlfer stretched out and the other two followed suit. Their noses were twitching at the smell of fresh meat.
Elaine, Summers and the Chief all held their breath as her daughter opened a package and began emptying it from its wrapper in front of the first tiger. "No!" she said sternly to the last one in line as it made motions to get up and steal some meat from the one next to it that she was getting ready to feed. She tapped its massive head and said, "You're a bad boy! Lay back down and wait your turn."
The male tiger made a noise from deep in its chest but obeyed. It even waited until she had emptied the package before it began eating."
"I'm seeing this with my own eyes and I still hardly believe it," said the chief. "Can she do this with any animal?"
"Any that she's ever met, at any rate," Elaine said.
"But how... ?"
"Don't ask. She's not really sure herself how she does it, but animals understand when she talks to them. Please don't tell anyone that, though. If you're asked, just say she has a way with animals."
"I will, since it's obviously true!" The Chief had been recording the scene with her phone.
Samantha saved the last package of meat for Shufus who had been waiting patiently. Jenny arrived just then with several other people she didn't know. "Hi Jennie!" she greeted the one reporter she liked.
She finished feeding Shufus then spoke to Dr. Summers, "Would you please let me and Shufus out now?"
"What about your striped friends there?"
"Oh. I'll send them away. Okay, tigers you can go back to bed now. Growlfer, I'll visit you again soon."
Growlfer licked her face again before departing and so did the other two. It was the first time they had shown her so much affection. She scratched behind their ears and said again, "Go on to bed now. I have to go, too."
The three tigers headed back toward their sleeping quarters and Dr. Summers raised the bar to the gate. Samantha and Shufus came out and finally she fed her dog. "You were a good boy, Shufus. Good boy." she held the meat in the package for him long enough for him to eat it all then lick the wrapper.
"Sammie, are you ready to go home now?" her mother asked.
"Is that
woman
gone?"
"Yes, she left after Steve convinced her she shouldn't be there."
"Well, I sure hope she won't be back. She's
mean
." she went to her mother and leaned into her embrace, then remained there with Elaine's arm around her.
Watching them, Chief Donnart made a decision. At first she addressed Samantha directly. "I won't send an officer to accompany Ms. Meriweather until I investigate this whole affair myself. Me and my aides, I should say. She won't be able to go into your home officially unless an officer is with her, so you're safe for now. From what I've seen here, as well as the time you helped with that runaway tiger, I don't believe she has any cause to separate you from your parents. Just make sure you don't prove me wrong, young lady." She then spoke to her parents. "That includes you and your husband, Mrs. Douglas."
"I won't," Samantha spoke up. "I love my mom and dad. They're good to me and they've never let me do anything that they thought was dangerous."
"Sammie has always been a good girl," Elaine said.
Donnart nodded, then accompanied Dr. Summers and the rest of the party to the administrative offices where an impromptu press conference was being organized. She was still musing to herself over what she had seen. It didn't seem possible, but yet the Douglas girl had not only made the tigers lie down to eat, she had actually slapped one on the head when it attempted to get out of line.
Amazing
, she thought.
Samantha hesitated at the entrance. "Do I have to talk to all those people?" she asked her mother, who had turned to speak to her.
"I think it's best that you do, Sammie. Just be polite and try to um, answer truthfully." She winked and Samantha smiled, thinking to herself how nice it was to have her mother on her side all the time now.
Despite the wink, when it came her turn to be questioned she tried to be as truthful as she could.
Having watched her with the tigers, naturally the first question asked was, "Do those tigers really understand you when you speak to them?"
"Yes, mostly," Samantha said and left it at that.
"How do you know?"
"I've always had an... an affinity with animals." She was using a new vocabulary word she had learned that day.
"Do the animals talk back to you?"
"Not really. I understand most of the noises they make, though," she said, clearly an evasion but not entirely an untruth.
"Had you ever met those tigers before?"
"I had helped treat Growlfer when he had an infected tooth. I had never been close to the other two but I had spoken to them a couple of times through the bars."
"How did you know they wouldn't hurt you?"
"I've never been hurt by an animal."
"Do you know why?"
She tried to explain as well as she could when not understanding the process completely herself. "All intelligent animals know that humans are at the top of the food chain. I guess that's why they listen to me. It could be something like the way prey and predator animals will let each other drink at a water hole when water is scarce." She had read that little tidbit while doing a research project for one of her classes. It had been about animals, of course.
The questions went on for another fifteen minutes until she finally looked toward her parents.
"I think that's enough now," Elaine said. "Sammie has other things to do and it's getting late."
Some of the reporters had already left, wanting to get their stories in before the others, or were trying to beat a deadline for their particular media. The rest reluctantly departed after Elaine called a halt to the questioning, all but Jennie Standifer.
"Jennie, I'm sorry we had to give away so much of Sammie's story tonight but it was the only way to put a damper on that Meriweather woman from CPS," Ronald said.
"Don't worry about it, Ron. I got a lot of footage, too, and I'll just add this to my other material. All I ask is that if anyone else attempts to write a biography of Sammie you tell them it's not authorized. Will you?"
"Of course. Not only that, I'll have Steve threaten to sue them if they do."
"That might work. Thanks."
"You're welcome. And now we really do have to be going."
God, I hate to think of what a madhouse it's going to be the next few weeks
, Elaine said to herself. However, Steve had promised that regardless of anything else that happened, there was no chance at all that Samantha would be taken from her and Ronald. She was satisfied with that for the time being.
She didn't know it but the fix was already in. Once the judge examined Jane's credentials and saw that they were essentially the same as those contained in an envelope given to him by Steve Orleans, he had no intention at all of acceding to Meriweather's demands. Not when that agency professed an interest in protecting the girl and stating firmly that she should remain at home with her parents. He did decide to wait until some of the excitement died down before rescinding his order, but if it continued he would have to act regardless. He just didn't want to be too blatant about it or
he
might wind up in a media story he wouldn't like.
It turned out to be worse than the first time Samantha had been in the public eye. Not only media people but total strangers turned up at their home. Some of them were just curious but others practically demanded to see Samantha, to have their picture taken with her or talk with her. A few even brought animals in cages wanting her to cure some ill or tell their owners' what their pets thought of them. And then there were the... worshipers. That was new and something completely out of her experience.
After more than two weeks of furor when Samantha dared not try to leave home by herself for fear of being accosted, it appeared as if the unwelcome commotion was dying down. On a Saturday, when not nearly as many opportunists were beating on the door or ringing the doorbell, she asked if she could walk over to see Betty.
"What's going on there, Sammie?"
"Oh, a few of the gang from school are going to listen to music and talk about boys and movies and stuff. You know."
Elaine had a worried look on her face. She had taken Samantha almost everywhere since the press conference. She knew how many crazies were about in the world but on this particular day her car was having its old tires replaced. On the other hand, she had already seen Shufus warn anyone they didn't know who came too close to her daughter. He did it by exposing his teeth and emitting a soft growl. It was intimidating if one didn't know what a gentle dog he was or how much Samantha hated to see people hurt.
Samantha was afraid if she ever gave Shufus the word to attack someone bothering her he might have to be impounded. Her parents could also be sued. She had been warned by them about both possibilities.
"Well, we haven't been bothered for a few days. Just be sure your phone is charged and Shufus is with you."
"Don't worry, Mom. I will! And I'll keep Shufus right by my side."
Still worried, Elaine let her go.
She was halfway down the street and almost to the corner before the first group spied her. She slowed down when she saw them, wondering why they were all wearing white robes. Then the first one shouted.
"Look! There she is! There's Eve!"
She looked behind her, thinking they must be talking about someone else but soon enough she knew they weren't. They began shouting at her even though they had all kneeled down, some on the sidewalk and others in the street, paying no attention to possible traffic hazards. Most of them were holding personal items in their outstretched hands: locks of hair, photos, jewelry, family bibles, crosses, crucifixes and others where she had no earthly idea of their nature, but obviously they wanted her to bless the artifacts-or possibly themselves. It was hard to tell from the shouting, pleading voices. Their voices were as garbled as the offerings but she could make them out.
"Love us as we love you!"
"Why did you come back now?"
"What will become of the unbelievers? We are ready to serve you!"
"Bless our Bible, Eve! Bless it, Please!"
"Animals are not worthy for you to look upon!"
"Help us save the world!"
"Take this offering and bless us!"
"Eve! When did you come back to Earth?"
"Is Jesus coming back, too?"
"Why did you take the name 'Samantha'?"
"When will you show us the lion and the lamb?"
"Bless us, Eve! Bless us! We believe!"
"When will you talk to the tigers again?"
Confused and scared of the white-robed group kneeling and shouting things at her that she didn't understand, Samantha turned from them and began rapidly walking the other way, intending to go back home and see if Betty's father or mother could come pick her up. The group in white robes all rose to their feet and followed, wanting to get closer to her.