Le Tiger

Let's go to the zoo, nothing can go wrong, or can it...?

*3 weeks prior*

"Let's do something today. We never do anything," said my father, closing his newspaper and standing up rather quickly.
"Okay." I said without thought. I looked up from the comics.
"How about the zoo?" He smiled briefly, though it looked more like a wince because of the side of his face that sags due to the stroke he had a few years back. He recovered mentally but never fully physically. I stood up as well.

"Why?" I asked, intrigued, because the zoo is quite random.
"It's beautiful out," a smile again, "it's Sunday." that looked like a wince. "Why not?" he concluded.
"Why not." I repeated as I grabbed my coat, put my plum purple wellies on and headed out the door, unbeknownst to me that that day would single handedly change the rest of my life.

It was a bit of a drabby morning, cool and drizzly but not quite rainy, so even though there wasn't usually much traffic on a Sunday there was that day. I was leaning my head against the window with my earphones in, so that when my father spoke I had to take one out.
"What'd you say?" I traced a water droplet down the window mindlessly.
"I said, what animal are you most looking forward to seeing?" I watched as it caught up to other water droplets and made a rivlet. I followed this too.

"The Tiger." I answered, with no thought. Earbuds back in. We arrived just a few minutes later and non-surprisingly there weren't a lot of people parked in the lot, probably because of the state of the sky, or rather what was beginning to fall from it.

After being admitted, my father insisted he was a senior and asked "what would you like to see first?" and I said the monkeys, because of mainly the fact that they are inside, and not that I don't love the rain, but I'd be uncomfortable for the rest of the time. I was just barely delaying the inevitable. The monkeys were fine. Cute as usual. Reminded me too much of us as a race and made me a little creeped out how human they are and yet we cage them. Yet there I was paying fees to see them, supporting the wrong people.

"I want to leave." I told my father.
"Sure Gloria. I understand." He said with a melancholy fire behind his eyes. He liked the zoo. It didn't bother or disturb him like it did me.
"At least, would you like to see the Tiger first?"
"Sure." I said, feeling even more sad at the prospect.

When we got there it was just before feeding time, or so a fellow onlooker told me. I watched as the Tiger paced the enclosure. Hungry. Angry. I felt connection to this feeling, this rage immediately and it wasn't even mine, connected to this big harmful sometimes harmless monster (monsters in the best, most liberating way of the word).

As I came upon the glass I noticed three teenage boys in my periphery standing to my right who looked off. Something about their presence unsettled me.

It was finally feeding time. A zookeeper threw big slabs, hunks of raw meat, probably zebra or some shit, and it pounced. Like the raw jungle beast it was, or is.

"Tear! Tear! Tear!" The boys to my right chanted together. Someone told them to be quiet. Two listened.
"Eat! Eat! Eat!" One boy remained yelling, taunting the Tiger. He started banging on the glass wall as the Tiger was trying to eat.
"Shut up" someone yelled. He ignored them.
"Devour! Devour! Devour!" He continued, even louder banging harder and harder. Finally catching the attention of the Tiger. It barely noticed at first, so engrossed in it's task of eating. But then it was like it couldn't ignore him any more. It growled.

"Tear! Tear! Tear!" The Tiger took one step towards the glass wall.
"Eat! Eat! Eat!" then another.
"Rip! Tear! Devour!" He threw a pinecone into the enclosure and that was the straw that broke the camel's back.

The Tiger bounded off the rocks at the bottom of the moat and caught onto the top of the enclosure, clawed and pulled itself up over the containment. And there it was. Right in front of the boy to my right.

It happened in a split second. One moment of time. Frozen forever. People screamed and ran but the Tiger was only focused on one person. The boy to my right.

The Tiger swatted at him once, ripped his face, and then bounded away, job done. It was utter, chaos. Pandemonium. I don't know why I didn't scream. I remained calm, heard officers being called and a few minutes later when they arrived while the Tiger guarded his prey.

Note from author

Oh no! is the boy going to live?