Tiger's Circus

Chapter 5: Tiger, Tiger

After intermission, there was an exciting trapeze show with Cathleen's other brother Jeffrey, and her sister Heather. It was excellent but I and many other members of the crowd kept our eyes peeled for the tiger. Eventually, he peaked his head out from the back of the stage. He hid before anyone else seemed to notice, but I did. 

I could still see his dark blue eyes. He was watching the act, his head nodding as Heather executed a particularly fantastic move. After she had landed, the tiger peeked out his head again. Most of the kids noticed the tiger and shouted for the trainer. Instead of hiding the tiger moved to center stage he seemed to move right toward me.

No, not toward me, he was moving to get a better look at Heather and Jeffery. They stared down at the tiger fearfully. Jeffery was still hanging on a trapeze.

Below, Lupin had finally returned to actually find the tiger. He was all cleaned up and he had his chair and whip ready. The most amazing thing was that he was quiet, really quiet. He crept behind the tiger who was looking up at Heather fixedly.

When he got close, Lupin cracked his whip. The tiger jerked his head toward the sound. Seeing Lupin, the tiger leaped back into a crouch. His teeth were bared. For the first time, the tiger looked like a wild beast. He tried to dart past the trainer but the trainer backpedaled and managed to block him.

"You're not going anywhere!" the trainer called out. "You have a lot of nerve Dhiren, forcing me to run all over which-where to find you and terrorizing the other acts..." Lupin cracked the whip again. With each crack of the whip, he was forcing the tiger back toward the crowd. Lupin used his chair as well shoving it at Dhiren. "How did you convince the clowns to play that roaring sound for you huh?" 

Crack! 

"Huh?!" 

Crack! 

I shivered. Lupin seemed to enjoy this a little too much as he swung angrily at the tiger. The trainer really seemed to be aiming at Dhiren. The tiger's quick reaction seemed to be the only thing allowing it to avoid the whip.

As the tiger backed away from the whip, he paced from side to side looking for an opening to escape. But each time, he was forced to travel less and less as Lupin cracked the whip faster and faster limiting the tiger's movement until the tiger was forced to be still. When this happened, Lupin cried out. "I finally got you. You're here. I'm here and we're gonna give a show." Lupin slammed down the chair into the dirt just behind center stage. "Sit," he shouted sharply. 

The tiger seemed reluctant so Lupin cracked the whip again and shouted, "Sit!" The tiger sat.

"Turn and face the crowd," the trainer said. Slowly the tiger turned around on the small chair.

"Good. Now you stay there and watch," Lupin said.

Then he turned away from us and the giant tiger and called out. "Morey! Roger! Horton! Alexander! Beau! Come on out here!" A beagle followed by a greyhound mix, bulldog, a Great Dane, and a little black poodle came out yipping from backstage. They all raced out in front of the tiger to face us. As Lupin turned and looked at the dogs, he smiled for the first time. It transformed his face making him look like a kind and affable sort instead of the prissy guy he had been acting like all show.

Then Lupin and his dogs started to perform. The trainer led the dogs through an impressive routine where the dogs leaped over each other. Then a clown raced out with what looked like a hollow drum. The beagle entered the drum and the greyhound mix jumped on top and then they rolled around a bit, to much applause. After that, the music changed and the dogs started a Congo line. It was all very entertaining. Everyone was having a good time.

Well, almost everyone, the tiger was only half watching the performance. He kept glancing up at the audience. I could barely concentrate on the dog show myself. The anticipation of having the tiger look into my face was far more pressing. Finally, during the Conga line, our eyes met. Those eyes. I'd never seen anything like them, deep blue and mesmerizing. 

They stared right into me...

Into my soul.

As I returned their steady gaze, I felt myself getting lost in them. The stage, the music, and the strong aroma of hot buttered popcorn and cotton candy fell away. For a moment, it was just me and the tiger, transported to a different time and place, me looking out from a palace balcony and the tiger staring up from the edge of a jungle. A soft breeze wrapped around me carrying the scent of night-blooming jasmine and sandalwood and I could hear the distant sounds of the jungle. Together we stood watching each other almost longingly. Though we said nothing. Still, I could almost hear his words pleading for something. 

I opened my mouth...

The next thing I knew, someone bumped into me and I broke eye contact. Immediately I was whipped out of my fantasy and back to the circus. I squeezed my eyes shut in pain and confusion. 

What the hell was that? 

I pushed my hands through my hair and squinted down at the stage. The conga music had stopped and all around me, people were clapping. Below the tiger was shaking his head like he too had been pulled out of a vision. But that was crazy, whatever just happened was crazy. I took a deep breath. I breathed in the circus air and tried desperately to convince myself I had been dreaming. That was the only sane explanation.

At center stage, Lupin saw the tiger shaking his head. "Didn't you like the show?" Lupin asked the tiger. The tiger stared at Lupin. The tiger's head was raised in a haughty expression and then the tiger let out a big yawn. Lupin angrily stomped his foot and the crowd laughed.

"Why you!" Lupin sputtered and then he took a deep breath and calmly said, "Let's see if you can do any better then." Lupin flicked his wrist and the dogs ran backstage. I watched them go and realized at some point Jeffery and Heather had left the stage. When did that happen? I shook my head again.

Now the tiger was standing on the chair. He looked unhappy. Lupin was cracking his whip trying to get the tiger to jump. The tiger refused even though he seemed afraid of the whip. His eyes watched it like any normal tiger would. Lupin was furious.

"Fine. Fine!" He said throwing up his hands. He marched past the tiger and whistled with his two fingers. A couple of clowns came out with a huge square cage for the tiger. The tiger sat back down on the chair and yawned again.

"If you're not going to contribute you're to get into your cage where you belong, Dhiren," Lupin said. the clowns had rolled the cage in backward though so the entrance was on the other side when they opened it. Lupin cracked his whip. "Get in the cage." 

The tiger, Dhiren, glanced up at me, and for a second, it looked like he winked. Then he turned to face the cage. The tiger crouched on that tiny chair and leaped up into the air. There were cries of wonder from the crowd as he was airborne above the cage. Time seemed to stop as the tiger soared past the cage and clowns. My mouth was a wide O and then the tiger landed. For a moment, even Lupin forgot to be angry and then the tiger scampered off. 

The audience erupted into applause. Mr. Maurizio appeared from the ether. He waved at the crowd and applauded Lupin. When the cheers calmed down, he summoned up the rest of the circus cast. They all came and bowed to the enthusiastic crowd. 

Finally. 

Mr. Maurizio called for Dhiren. The tiger ran out and circled the stage before finally getting into his cage. He posed in the cage and let out a roar of approval. The crowd went wild. I was clapping too in a daze. 

This was incredible. That was all I could call tonight.

Incredible.