Tiger by the Tail (8 page)

There was a “BAM,” followed instantly by a “SWOOSH,” and then a “ROAR” from Buddha.

“Close the door!” Mr. McCurdy screamed. “Close the door!”

I threw myself against the door and slammed it shut. I fumbled with the bar as I grabbed it off the ground and slid it into place.

Mr. McCurdy motioned toward the captain for him to come closer. The captain, followed by a group of officers, jogged toward us.

“In a couple of minutes I’ll be going in and getting that tiger. I’ll need you to get all your men farther away. The tiger will be dopey but I still don’t want to get it all excited.”

The captain nodded his head to signal agreement and waved the officers off to follow his orders. As they left, Nick reappeared and came to our side.

“Well?” he asked.

“It worked,” Mr. McCurdy answered. He looked at his watch. “All right, we’ve waited long enough. Captain, open the door. Nick and Sarah, bring the lines and chain and wait at the entrance.”

The captain moved to the door and opened it. Mr. McCurdy handed Nick the gun and took the loop of rope from him and entered the barn. Nick tried to follow him in, but I grabbed him by the arm and held him in place. Calvin squatted on the ground beside us and we all peered into the dark barn.

At first I couldn’t see Buddha. I watched Mr. McCurdy move into the far corner and then caught sight of a tail. It was twitching, lashing back and forth. Mr. McCurdy talked quietly, but I couldn’t make out any of the words. He moved up close to the stall where Buddha was hiding and then disappeared behind some boards. As I watched, the tail disappeared from view.

“Nick, maybe we should …”

I stopped mid-sentence as Mr. McCurdy came back
into view. In his one hand was a rope, which trailed out behind him as he walked. My relief at seeing him was short-lived as I caught sight of the tiger. I had to fight the urge to run.

“Wow!” Nick exclaimed.

As they continued to move toward us I saw the hypodermic needle sticking in Buddha’s side. He moved calmly beside Mr. McCurdy. There was no strain in the rope, which hung down, almost scraping the ground. Mr. McCurdy wasn’t pulling the tiger, just walking beside it.

“Nicholas, bring me the chain.”

My brother started forward but I grabbed his arm again. He looked at me like I was crazy. “Don’t worry, sis, it’s drugged. Buddha’s as gentle as a kitten.” I released my grip and he strolled forward. I wasn’t sure if he was really brave or just too dumb to be scared. He handed Mr. McCurdy the heavy chain.

“Here, hold this,” Mr. McCurdy said, passing the rope to my brother.

Nick turned around and made a funny face. He didn’t say a word but I was sure I knew what he was thinking:
Look at me, I’m holding a tiger in one hand and a gun in the other!
I was thinking that Mom would have a heart attack if she was here to see this.

Mr. McCurdy fashioned a noose with the chain. He reached underneath Buddha’s neck and hooked it over
his head. Buddha shook and made a soft growling noise. Nick backed off and the rope became taut. Mr. McCurdy dropped the end of the chain to the ground and started fumbling in his pockets. He pulled his hands out and stood holding his car keys.

“Here, Sarah, catch,” he said as he lobbed them in my direction.

I grabbed for them but they bounced off my fingertips and dropped to the ground. I bent down and picked them up.

“Give them to one of the officers and ask him to open up my trunk.”

“Here, give them to me,” the captain said as he moved forward.

“And, Captain,” Mr. McCurdy called out. “Make sure everybody moves out of our way.”

The captain nodded in agreement and then disappeared out of the barn.

“Let’s get moving, Nicholas. Come on, Buddha,” Mr. McCurdy announced.

They started walking, the tiger in the middle, my brother holding onto the rope on one side and Mr. McCurdy holding the chain on the other. They were closing in on where Calvin and I stood.

“Should we move?” I asked nervously as I realized they had to practically walk through me to get to the door.

“You better. Sarah, come over and take a hold of the line your brother’s holding.”

“Are you sure it’s safe?” I asked.

“It’s just like walking a dog,” Nick answered. “Come on, Sarah, don’t be afraid.”

I inched forward. Buddha seemed to be looking at me as I walked, his head slowly tilting to follow me as I moved. I tried not to look at him. Instead, I locked my eyes on Nick. I put him between Buddha and me, pushing him over slightly so that I could take the still coiled end. I played out a little more rope to give myself more distance.

“Calvin, come here!” Mr. McCurdy ordered.

Calvin rose to his feet and strode over to Mr. McCurdy. As he passed by he reached out one of his arms and gave Buddha a slap on the end of his nose. Buddha jumped back a few metres, squealing, and Nick and I were almost pulled off our feet.

“CALVIN! Leave the tiger alone! Here, hold onto the chain.”

Calvin took the chain. Mr. McCurdy dropped down on his knees and threw his arms around Buddha. He put his mouth directly beside one of Buddha’s large ears. Once again he was talking. I couldn’t make out the words. I could just tell the tone was soft and soothing. He released Buddha from the “hug” and rose to his feet.

“All right, we better get moving. Nicholas, hand me
the gun. I’ll walk behind the tiger so it looks like I’m the guard.”

We started walking. Calvin held the chain on one side, Nicholas and I held the rope on the other, Buddha between us, Mr. McCurdy behind us, with the now empty gun pointed at the tiger. Buddha moved slowly and calmly across the floor of the barn. As we came to the door we were pulled to a stop. Buddha had planted his feet and the rope was now taut. He didn’t seem to want to leave the confines of the barn. I guess I really couldn’t blame him, I wasn’t so crazy about going out there either. There were police officers, lots of police officers, waiting just outside the door, armed and anxious.

“Get moving, old fella,” Mr. McCurdy instructed Buddha as he gave him a slap on the rump. Buddha turned around and snarled, but started moving.

“Everybody just keep calm. Move slowly, but keep moving. Don’t worry about a thing.”

Coming out of the barn I released one hand from the rope to shield my eyes from the sunlight. I scanned the scene and was relieved to find the nearest officer was quite a distance away. We strolled across the grass. I felt a trickle of sweat run down the side of my face and my hands felt slick and wet on the rope. Although Buddha wasn’t pulling the line, I’d tensed every muscle in my whole body, ready in case he decided to bolt. Thank
goodness for the medication. If Buddha hadn’t been drugged he could have dragged us around like rag dolls.

We rounded the house. I glanced over and saw a woman, an arm around two children, standing in the front window, watching. All three had their eyes wide open, following us as we walked across the front lawn. On both sides we were flanked by police officers. They seemed to be hidden behind every bush, tree and hedge along the route. There was even one, lying on his belly, hiding behind the laundry basket. Buddha didn’t seem to see any of them, or maybe just didn’t care. He glided along effortlessly. The only thing that was out of place was the needle, still stuck in his side, bobbing and bouncing along with each step he took.

We came up to the cluster of patrol cars, sitting empty, all of their flashing lights now turned off. We moved between the last two cars. Both had their front doors open and we had to squeeze in close to Buddha to get by.

I had to smile as I saw Mr. McCurdy’s car just up ahead. Just a few more steps and we’d be safe, or at least safer.

“Is Buddha going to sit up in the front seat?” I asked Mr. McCurdy.

“Nope.”

“In the back seat with me?” I asked anxiously.

“Nope.”

“But, what does that leave?” I asked.

“Why did you think I had them open up the trunk?”

“The trunk!” Nick and I exclaimed together.

“He’s too big for the glove compartment,” Mr. McCurdy chuckled.

“But we can’t just put him into the trunk,” I protested.

“It’s specially made, that’s where he always travels.”

“Buddha would get all hot and —”

“SMILE EVERYBODY!” yelled a man with a camera as he jumped out from behind the Lincoln. A flash exploded. My eyes went starry and out of focus and I felt myself being pulled off my feet. Instinctively I grabbed the rope tighter and felt myself being dragged backwards. I closed my eyes. My ears were filled with the sound of running feet and loud voices.

“EVERYBODY STOP!” Mr. McCurdy yelled and then everything went quiet.

I opened one eye and then the other. I looked up and saw nothing but fur. Orange and black fur. I was lying on the ground, underneath Buddha. I closed my eyes again and went completely rigid.

“It’s okay, just be calm,” Mr. McCurdy said. I wasn’t sure whether he was talking to me or to Buddha. Probably both.

“It’s okay, Sarah, let me take the rope,” Mr. McCurdy said gently.

I reached up both hands and I felt him take the rope.
“Now just get up, Sarah. Everything is fine, thanks to you.”

I squiggled to one side and then rose to my knees. Mr. McCurdy was leading the tiger away. The chain was dragging on the ground behind him. Nick was sitting on the ground by the car. Calvin was in the back seat of one of the patrol cars, only the top of his head and his eyes peeking out. The police officers were much closer now. Two of them were leading away the man who had taken our picture. I heard him yelling about the “freedom of the press.” A third officer followed behind carrying the camera. I watched as they brought the man over to a patrol car and placed him in the back seat.

I turned back to Mr. McCurdy and Buddha. Buddha followed obediently behind. They stopped at the rear bumper of the car.

“Come on, come on, boy,” Mr. McCurdy ordered.

Buddha hesitated for a second and then jumped up and into the open trunk. The car sagged and groaned under the weight. Mr. McCurdy leaned into the trunk as far as he could get without actually climbing in. Nicholas got to his feet and stood beside the trunk.

“Here, take this,” Mr. McCurdy said as he handed my brother the heavy chain. Slowly Mr. McCurdy lowered the lid and then let it click closed. The captain appeared out of nowhere and vigorously shook Mr. McCurdy’s hand. Other officers walked up and surrounded Mr.
McCurdy. He disappeared in the middle of a huddle of blue uniforms. Nicholas climbed into the front seat of the car. I felt a hand slip into one of mine and I looked up to see Calvin. He pulled on my arm and I was gently, but firmly, yanked to my feet. He held onto my hand and led me to the car.

I looked over the long trunk at the cluster of people. Mr. McCurdy finally emerged and rounded the side of the car. He climbed in and started it up. The crowd of officers parted and Mr. McCurdy slowly backed it up. Pulling free from the parked patrol cars he brought the car to a stop, changed gears and started it in motion forward. Suddenly the captain was standing on the road, right in front of us, blocking the way, waving his arms. Mr. McCurdy stopped the car and the captain strolled to the driver’s side of the vehicle.

“Where can we get a hold of you?” the captain asked.

“Why?”

“It’s good to know, just in case we have another dangerous animal situation,” he answered.

“Just ask the chief,” Mr. McCurdy answered. “We have to get the tiger into a cage before the medication wears off.”

He put the car into drive and we started to move again.

We picked up speed quickly. I looked behind and was relieved to see the officers and their cars getting smaller
and smaller. Turning forward I saw another patrol car coming toward us. In the few seconds between the time I could see the driver and the time that it passed, I recognized Officer Sinopoli. He waved hello.

“Sarah, can you pull down on that lever on the seat between you and Calvin, there,” Mr. McCurdy asked.

“What’s it for?”

“When you remove that section it lets light and fresh air into the trunk for Buddha.”

I looked over and saw the handle. I pulled it and a small section of the back of the seat popped out, leaving a black hole that led into the trunk. I couldn’t see Buddha. I couldn’t see anything. Then as I watched I caught sight of motion and a large black nose pressed itself against the opening. Without waiting for permission I climbed over the seat and plopped down between Nicholas and Mr. McCurdy. They both chuckled, but I just ignored them. I looked back. Buddha had turned his head to the side and one enormous golden eye was staring out from the blackness. Then the eye vanished and was replaced by a large brown paw. It extended out of the hole and began fishing around, seeing what it could touch. First the paw extended toward the empty seat where I had been sitting. Next it twisted and started to explore in the other direction. It inched toward where Calvin sat quietly. Suddenly Calvin reached out and gave the paw a slap. Like a rocket the paw was withdrawn back into
the trunk. I gave Calvin a thumbs-up and he returned the gesture.

“How long before the shot wears off?” Nicholas asked.

That was a very good question, I thought. One that I wanted to know the answer to myself.

“Depends, but it’s probably good for anywhere from four to six weeks,” Mr. McCurdy answered.

“He’ll be calm for six weeks!” I exclaimed.

“Longer than that. He’s always calm. Haven’t you two been listening to me? He’s trained.”

“But, how long will the shot last?” I asked again.

“I told you, from four to six weeks.”

“But a tranquilizer can’t last that long,” I objected. “You said when you accidentally shot yourself that it only lasted for a few days.”

“That’s right. That’s what happened when I shot myself with a tranquilizer. Maybe you do listen to some of what I say. The thing is, I didn’t give Buddha a tranquilizer.”

“Then what did you give him?” I asked.

“A calcium shot.”

“Calcium! Why did you give him a calcium shot?” I questioned.

“Because he needed it. You see, mainly all I can afford to feed him is chicken, so he needs a calcium supplement. About every month or so I have to give him a needle.”