Release the Tiger Read online

  "Can you spare a minute and do something against animal abuse?" she said for the millionth time. The headhunter was also anxious and pretended to be busy. No one wanted to sign. Mia understood that a piece of paper was just a piece of paper and the words written on it were meaningless. They allowed grown-ups to talk instead of doing what needs to be done. She realized all those people were afraid to set the tiger free.

  The Elephant Trainer

  When Mia showed her petition to the elephant trainer he smiled. He was a short and stocky man. He held one of his hands forward, leading the elephant on a long rope that fell to the ground. It looked as if he himself had a trunk. The giant elephant at the end of the rope was flapping his ears. Mia thought his ears looked like enormous sails that led him to the center of the stage.

  "Why are you smiling?" she asked.

  "Because I can't be bothered to laugh," he said wearily.

  "What's so funny about Leo the tiger being in distress?"

  "If the manageress catches you trying to sell your stuff here, in the circus, you'll be in serious trouble," he said.

  "I am not selling anything."

  "Yes, you are," he said. "And you're doing it on private property, without a license."

  "How about signing my petition so I can go away?" suggested Mia.

  "I work in the circus. I can't sign a petition against it," he said. "That tiger is circus property."

  Mia scratched her head in amazement. "You are telling me Leo is a piece of property?"

  "That's the way it is," said the trainer.

  "What can we do for him?" asked Mia, her eyes open wide.

  "You need to act within the limits of the law," he determined.

  "But the law protects only people. It protects the manageress. Is there a law that protects animals too?"

  "I don't think so," contemplated the trainer. "Maybe you can suggest a new law."

  "Can I?" Mia was surprised.

  "Yes. That's what people who care do," he said innocently.

  "I do care. Very much. I would like to suggest a very simple new law:

  The Circus Manageress is not allowed to cage tigers."

  "It's not that simple," the trainer puffed and huffed. "What if your law is accepted but other people would like to hunt for tigers and lock them in their houses? You can't have a law restricting only the manageress."

  "What should I do?" Mia was jumping up and down impatiently by now.

  "You have to think of something more inclusive," he frowned. "Think of a general law. Something like:

  Caging Wild Animals Is Not Allowed."

  "That's wonderful." Mia's eyes lit up with excitement.

  "I agree, but that's only the title. Now you need to add a few things. For example: the circus is bound to free the animals, and it's not free to bond them."

  "What?" Mia felt like screaming. "Why can't we just forbid them from torturing animals?"

  The elephant trainer tried to tame Mia, but she didn't even listen. She didn't like those legal words, this complicated and unclear language. She just wanted to help the tiger.

  The Tightrope Walker

  Mia had no idea how to help her tiger. She didn't want to join the circus anymore, but couldn't leave before she was sure Leo was all right.

  She sat on the tent floor and watched the tightrope walker practicing his act, high up near the tent ceiling. She could feel her neck twisting, but it was so amazing, and she was totally absorbed.

  When the tightrope walker came down from his tightrope, Mia noticed he looked like an ordinary man, only much more flexible, with longer arms and large ears and a large jaw. He looked odd.

  "Why are you sad, little girl? I am sure a little exercise will make you happy."

  "Exercise is not the answer. My heart is crying, and I don't know what to do..."

  "There's always a solution," he said. When he talked, he moved his hands as if he were signing to a deaf person.

  "What can I do?" asked Mia in despair.

  "Hmmm..." said the tightrope walker. With his long arm he reached for his forehead and scratched it a little, thinking.

  "You can prosecute the circus manageress in court."

  "Are you out of your mind?"

  "We'll find a reasonable complaint. It's not a problem."

  "And let the judge decide who's right and who's wrong?" asked Mia and in her eyes were new rays of sunshine.

  "Exactly!"

  Mia hoped that the tightrope walker was different from the other grown-ups. "What should I do?" she asked.

  "Write," exclaimed the tightrope walker.

  "Again?" She was drained. "There's no other way? Everyone says I need to write something, but it doesn't help." She felt like a balloon with no air.

  "That's what you have to do," said the tightrope walker carefully.

  "I don't like it." Mia was disappointed. She felt that all this wriggling and twisting didn't get her anywhere. She wanted a straight answer.

  Mia thought the tightrope walker was pretty but ugly, and cute but disgusting. How was it possible? She wasn't sure. It just was. Sometimes she thought he was a handsome fit man, and on other occasions he resembled a monkey.

  "Oh well. What should I write?" The words fell out of her mouth followed by so much air they sounded like a sigh.

  The tightrope walker jumped and reached his bag. He took out a binder, jumped back toward Mia, sat down, and began writing:

  * * *

  Mia the Prophet

  Vs.

  The Circus Manageress

  A Legal Demand

  1. We hereby claim that the circus manageress bit Leo the tiger.

  2. She has a habit of roaming around in public places with no leash, attacking, biting, and causing damage.

  3. Leo was not the only wild animal she has harmed. The savage manageress is a very frightening woman who traumatizes her victims.

  4. Measures should be taken to prevent her from attacking in the future.

  5. Therefore the court is asked to order the manageress to free Leo immediately.

  * * *

  The Dancer

  The dancer passed them by, riding a beautiful white horse. She stood up on the horse's back and began dancing. The dancer wore a white leotard, white tights, and white, bright satin-laced dancing shoes. She circled Mia and the tightrope walker.

  The dancer was circling them and listening. She flapped her arms like tiny wings for each clause. When she jumped, her heels clicked, one, two, three little clicks, and her legs looked like a bumblebee's tail. She said,

  "I think it's better to solve the matter internally."

  "The dancer is used to taking only small steps," smirked the tightrope walker. "She can't handle a huge step like going to court."

  "What do you suggest?" asked Mia. She hoped the dancer would have some good advice for her. But the dancer was already far away. Mia waited for her to complete another full circle. Mia's eyes held on to the dancer's figure and wouldn't let go. She was dancing like a bee. She was dancing like the bumblebees do when they tell each other where to find mead and how to make honey. Finally she rose up again and rode the horse in slow, steady circles.

  "I suggest a letter of intention," she shoved her head forward as if she wanted to sting Mia and backed away quickly. "We should make a stand."

  "Obviously," the tightrope walker sneered. "You spend your entire act standing so you would want to make a stand."

  "What do you mean by making a stand?" asked Mia. She already guessed it was one of those grown-ups' terms that won't help Leo in any way. The dancer–she knew–although she had the body of a smart bumblebee wasn't really using her brain. Her solution also turned out to be just empty words.

  The dancer completed another full circl
e and said,

  "In your letter of intention you can write everything you want to say about the way the circus treats animals. You can persuade people."

  The tightrope walker scribbled something and said, "Something like this."

  * * *

  Letter of Intention

  We protest against the taming of beasts

  We forbid all carnivorous feasts

  We don't want to kill or eat or abuse

  Animals' sorrow gives us the blues

  Stop hunting; stop shooting. Do Yoga instead

  Torturing animals is really bad!

  * * *

  "These letters are good for nothing. I have no idea why grown-ups invented them," said Mia. She decided not to listen to stupid advice anymore, but then she remembered something and said to the tightrope walker,

  "My grandmother is an author. When all this is over, I will tell her that writing is not the real thing–only love can make your heart sing."

  The Bearded Lady

  The bearded lady was fat and had thick legs. She wore a pink dress. On her eyelids she wore green makeup, and her lips were painted red. And she had a beard. Her eyebrows were connected–in fact, she had only one, long, thick, dark eyebrow. And if you looked closely, you could see a mustache.

  She wanted to know what all the fuss was about.

  She listened, rubbed her beard, and said,

  "You need a headline in the newspaper."

  "A headline?" Mia gritted her teeth.

  "Yes. Many people read the newspaper. A headline can have more of an impact than a flyer or a rumor or a new law, a petition, or even a letter of intention. It's faster than going to court. People are afraid of headlines."

  "What are you saying?" asked Mia's eyes.

  The bearded lady said, "I was thinking about something like this:

  "Bit a Tiger and Terrified It to Death"

  The Dwarf

  The dwarf was good-hearted. His lips stretched out like the beak of a bird feeding its young ones. We couldn't take our eyes off him. It's not nice to stare at people, but this dwarf liked the attention. He joined the circus because he loved performing. I arrived at the main tent at the same time as the bearded lady and the dwarf. I finally found Mia, and felt less anxious than before. I didn't want to upset her, so I didn't tell her that I lost her between the tents and cages. I pretended to enjoy my little tour of the place. I kept looking at the dwarf and at the bearded lady. I always found people more interesting than animals. I had no idea that I was about to lose Mia again, and this time for real.

  The dwarf said,

  "Life is like a movie, so I suggest subtitles."

  The tightrope walker smirked again. "The dwarf is so petite, he doesn't suggest a real title, and he wants us to make do with a subtitle."

  "What's your bottom line?" asked Mia.

  "Let's say in this movie we see Mia leading Leo, the lean, mean, hunting machine, out of the circus..." The dwarf's lips made a funny noise. "The subtitle says:

  "Mia Releases a Tiger"

  Releasing a Tiger

  Mia spent the whole day trying to persuade the circus people to help her release the tiger but to no avail.

  In the evening, when she went to visit Leo in his cage, she was already very tired.

  "Leo," she began saying, "I am trying to find a way to release you, but so far I have no plan."

  "Don't worry," said Leo, who looked very cheerful.

  Mia was surprised. Her eyebrows popped up and almost hit her forehead.

  "You can try very hard and not find an answer," said Leo. "And all of a sudden, there's this little thing that makes you hopeful again."

  "What is this little thing?" asked Mia. Her eyebrows were back in their usual place.

  "Luck," sniffed Leo.

  "Luck?" Mia pricked her ears.

  "All of a sudden my tamer felt lamer," said Leo.

  "So?" Mia's nostrils widened.

  "He dropped the key, and I hid it in my food bowl," cheered Leo.

  "And...?" Mia's eyelids flicked up and down, spreading stardust.

  "I licked the tamer and tried waking him up. Many other trainers and cleaners and animal tamers arrived too and tried to save him."

  "Did they think you wanted to eat him?" guessed Mia.

  "I couldn't read their minds. It was obvious they were scared of me. They went into my cage and pulled him out, on a stretcher. They used the spare key that the elephant trainer had, and forgot all about the key that fell into my bowl."

  The tiger picked his nose. Actually, he didn't pick his nose–he just used his nose to pick stuff from his bowl, move around the pieces of meat, and show Mia the little shiny object at the bottom of the bowl.

  "The key to freedom," hailed Mia.

  Crazy Chai

  It was the moment of truth. Leo pushed the key toward the cage bars and waited for Mia to open the cage. She wanted very much to free him, but he was a tiger, after all, a frightening beast. Mia froze. Just like the pantomime artist did. She was terrified, and her body demanded that she consult Chai, the crazy cat that looked like a tiger.

  "I want to talk to Chai first," explained Mia.

  "Who is Chai?" asked Leo.

  Mia told him,

  "Sometimes I spot Chai running quickly, with all her different-colored spots, ambushing her prey. She looks like she has a very important mission to accomplish. Her ancestors came from the jungle and gave her very sharp instincts. She is always alert. She is always scared. In the jungle, if you're not scared, somebody might eat you. She might look as if she's running, but she's actually running away. It's aimless. She stops suddenly, and I watch her and ask myself, hey, what was that about?

  "At first I didn't understand her language. She doesn’t wag her tail the way Panda does, so how am I supposed to know when she is happy? I discovered she purrs instead. Her whole body makes this purring sound and vibrates at the same time, pretty much like my father's coffee machine does when it's about to release steam.

  "Chai is always looking into my eyes and licking herself. She doesn't follow orders; she sits wherever she likes, even in my father's favorite armchair. She takes naps in high places, just like your brothers and sisters do in the jungle. She must feel safer up there. Instead of high branches, she climbs to the top of the fridge or the window ledge. Chai loves red objects. She collects them from all around the house and hides them under the sofa or under the fridge: pens and shoelaces, little balls and candies." Mia enjoyed talking about her cat. "Do you know how she cleans herself? Everyone knows cats lick themselves with their rough textured tongue. But how does she reach her head? I discovered how... she licks her paws and them uses it to clean her head."

  There was so much more she wanted to say, but she had a tiger to free. So Mia decided to cut the long story short.

  "The best thing I learned from her was how to wake up in the morning: Whenever I find it really difficult to wake up, I just meeee-ooo-www. It's a wonderful facial exercise, and it makes me smile even inside."

  Panda

  "Well?" asked Leo. "Are you going to open my cage? It's dark enough outside. I can escape."

  Panda, Mia's bearlike white dog, was sitting next to her, her head resting on her front paws, listening. Panda understands human language.

  Mia decided to consult her as well. Chai already told her not to be afraid. Leo was no more than a very large cat, but Chai was crazy, and Panda was always more responsible. Mia looked at Panda and thought that dogs also used to be wild animals. Most of them resembled wolves more than bears, but not Panda. With her beady brown eyes, her white fur and her large paws–her giant tail was the only telltale sign that she was a real dog.

  It took time for those two to like each other. Panda was there first. When Mia brought Chai ho
me–she was an 8-week-old kitten–gentle Panda wanted to take care of her. But Chai was terrified. She ran away as if a bunch of jungle creatures were after her. When finally she tried to get closer to Panda, the latter wouldn't share her food and water with her. When Panda tried to play with Chai, who was still very small and looked just like a couple of wooly pompoms, she almost crushed her. But they became friends since and kiss each other often. Chai looks up to Panda and falls asleep in just the same posture, and when they go to sleep together, they look like sisters.

  When Mia found Panda she was already 3 or 4 years old. She was abandoned next to a shopping mall and searched the bins for food.

  Mia couldn't imagine who would abandon such a lovely dog, and Panda couldn't tell her. She noticed the white dog had a bald spot on her back. It was ugly. Did someone abuse her, and she ran away? Did someone try to give her a haircut and didn't know it was bad for her breed of dogs? Mia wanted to know all about her dog, but there was no one she could ask.

  She also had to give her a new name. She tried several names. The dog was heavy and sleepy or maybe she was depressed. She looked like a bear. So she called her Panda.

  "Sometimes my dog turns into a sheep," said Mia.

  "How's that?" asked Leo.

  "It took me a long time to find out. I saw her devour leaves and plants. I knew she couldn't be a vegan, but she kept licking the plants, even the poisonous ones, and then she would become ill and vomit. It's clear: She cured her own tummy ache by increasing it."

  Mia loved Panda. She wanted to know her secret. It took time, but she learned more and more about her dog. During mealtimes, Panda always left a bit of food in her dish. Mia didn't notice at first, but then understood that Panda was being polite, like a good little girl in an English boarding school. It was her way of telling Mia she used to have a good home. Later on, when Panda learned to trust Mia, she told her the whole story. One morning they went for a walk together. From a distance they heard an ambulance siren. Panda sat down, stretched her neck up like a jackal, and howled back. Panda was crying.