Like A Tiger...

1978

(Hello, everyone. I apologise for the long wait, only I've been very busy and it's exam season as you know. I hope this chapter makes up for it. Thanks! Xx)

May

"La laaa, lalalalaa laaaa la la laa la..."

Freddie was humming the same little bouncy, enigmatic jingle all morning as he ran around the flat, gathering up travel essentials like his aviators and his wallet. Tomorrow he was leaving for the south of France, where Queen had booked a studio to work on their next album. He would've liked to have worked in England again, only there were issues with taxation, so the four of them decided it made more sense to record away from home.

"Shooting star... sky..." he murmured in time with the new tune he made up as he washed his cup. Those were the only potential lyrics he had thought up so far.

Something caught his eye outside. He lifted his head and looked out the window. It was Tiger playing with a little cabbage butterfly in the sunshine. She crept up on it as it fluttered around the cherry blossom and when she was close enough to catch it she leapt off the wall and landed on her feet. Unfortunately she was unsuccessful.

He giggled, "oh Tiger...", and resumed with his search.

Life since Jerry disappeared (well, died) was a bit more free, even if Tiger did miss him a little; she wailed sadly for him to return the first week after he died but eventually stopped. He didn't appear around the corner of a doorway anymore, nor could she hear the padding of his paws on the floor in another room. But there was still enough company from the humans, namely Freddie, since David wasn't living here anymore either. A new human that Freddie called Liza, even though his real name was Joe, had moved in, and slept in David's side of the bed and was much more quieter than David was. It confused Tiger a little but the two got on well very quickly. Liza was there to give her pettings and food a lot more than David bothered to provide.

"Shooting star...sky...tiger... like a Tiger...." Freddie continued to muse as he made his way around the kitchen.

And then he had a eureka moment, and grabbed a piece of paper off the coffee table to scribble those words down.

He watched Tiger some more and giggled as she continued chasing the little butterfly. He was trying find the right word to describe her movement...

"Leaping!" He said before jotting it down.

He rushed to his piano and took a moment to scribble the key chords of the imaginary jingle down. Then, with his lyrics and tune, he played a verse.

"I'm a shooting star leaping through the sky like a tiger..."

At that moment Freddie felt like he had something. Not only was it unlike anything he'd ever written before or heard, but suddenly he could hear the jingle rapidly develop into a song. He shot off his piano stool and ran out to the back garden.

"Oh Tiger you are simply wonderful!" He ran across the grass and out to her. "You just helped me write a lyric!

"Who is that I hear... oh! It's him!" She purred as she turned around as Freddie made his way towards her, and she crawled over and instinctively rubbed her head against his leg.

He giggled and bent down to scratch her under the ears the way she liked it.

"Babe?" Joe, standing at the door in his dressing gown called. "You want tea?"

"Oh please darling that would be marvellous..." Freddie stood back up, Tiger scurrying ahead of him and into the house.

She could hear the whistle of a kettle inside, and that meant tea, and tea meant milk. Little did she know that she wasn't going to see her favourite human for the next few months, starting tomorrow.