A Tiger Tale

Long ago, deep in the jungles of India, where the greenery is wild and untamed and countless creatures prowl, there was a small blonde girl.

You may be wondering why a small blonde girl might be found in the jungles of India, but, as with so many uncommon circumstances, there is a reasonable explanation.

The young girl’s father was a professor of mathematics, who had been invited to the University of Mumbai, to present a lecture about advanced calculus. As a treat, he’d brought along his family, to enjoy and explore the wonders of India: his wife, Katherine; eldest daughter, Evelynn; and his youngest daughter, a small blonde girl named Adeline.

It all makes sense now, does it not? While small blonde girls are not usually native to India’s vibrant jungles, they do enjoy visiting from time to time.

Adeline had left her hotel with her family that morning, on the day our story begins, to enjoy a guided excursion through the nearest rainforest. She had a passion for animals, and could hardly wait to see so many in their natural habitat. She bounced excitedly in her seat for most of the long car ride, only stopping now and then to accept the snacks passed to her by her mother.

At long last, they arrived at the meeting place for the excursion. Adeline danced out of the car, and began peering into the trees, hoping to spot some exotic wildlife. Much to her disappointment, any creatures within viewing distance of the young girl were craftily hidden from her eyes. She wandered closer to the edge of the trees, hunting for signs of movement.

“Adeline, dear, please stay close to us. Don’t go wandering off!” her mother warned.

“Yes,” chimed in Evelynn, “You could get lost and be eaten by a tiger!”

Adeline gulped nervously, checking the area around her for large, girl-eating tigers. But there were none to be seen, and Adeline found that she was just the smallest bit disappointed. Not that she wanted to be eaten, of course, but to see a tiger! What an adventure that would be!

The small blonde girl did quite well, staying near her family – for most of the day, anyway. But when they paused for tea in the late afternoon, Adeline found herself growing restless. They’d seen some brilliantly colored flowers, and several impressively large bugs. They had been warned away from touching the tiny rainbow frogs that rested idly on a tree several miles back. A flock of jewel-bright birds had flown overhead as they walked, startled by the noise the explorers made as they passed.

But as exciting as all of that was, Adeline was disappointed she hadn’t spotted anything more impressive. Where were all of the truly thrilling creatures?

From the corner of her eye, Adeline saw a flash of movement. She whipped around, and spotted a small monkey, staring back at her with bright brown eyes.

At last, she thought, here’s something rather exciting! It may not be a panther or a giant snake, but it’s certainly the most interesting creature I’ve seen so far!

Quietly, not wanting to scare the monkey away, Adeline crept closer. It dashed away quite suddenly, swinging from branch to branch, deeper into the rainforest. Adeline ran after it. Pushing through vines, moving carefully past trees, winding around ferns, she followed the furry little beast. It finally paused its swinging flight, settling in the branches of a large rubber tree.

As she watched, the monkey put one small hand to its mouth. Adeline realized it had been carrying a snack on its journey through the jungle – an orange, just like the ones she’d been enjoying with her family moments ago.

“Why, you sneaky little thief!” Adeline laughed. “You could have just asked, you know. I’m sure my family would have been happy to share!”

At that thought, Adeline paused. Her family. Where were they?  She looked around, but nothing was familiar. Which way had she come from?

“Hello?” she called, yelling as loud as she could. “Papa! Mama? Evelynn! Where are you?”

She listened hard, but could hear no response.

Heart pounding, she glanced back at the monkey, hoping her furry friend might give her a clue as to where she was, and how to get back. But it only continued to munch contentedly on its stolen orange.

What should she do? Adeline remembered her parents telling her that, if she were ever lost, she should stay still and wait for help. So, she sat carefully on the damp ground, spreading her skirts around her for protection. She listened carefully, hoping to catch some sound from her family, to let her know they were coming.

After several long moments, Adeline finally heard a rustle of movement. Someone was coming! She sprang to her feet and called out, “I’m over here!” But as the movement drew closer, no reassuring voice responded. The bushes only shook harder, the sound coming nearer and nearer…

Something fairly large and furry popped out of the bushes next to Adeline, and she screamed.

Her shriek of terror died almost as quickly as it had come, however. While the beast before her certainly had a fierce face, sharp claws, and a predatory nature, she couldn’t bring herself to truly be afraid. It was just too… cute!

Standing before her, looking as though he were trying his very best to be as intimidating as possible, was a young tiger cub. He growled at her with a small but determined rumble. As she smiled and stretched out a cautious hand toward the cub, the growl turned into a surprised mewl. The tiger delicately sniffed her hand, and tentatively licked one outstretched finger with his rough tongue.

“Hello, little guy,” Adeline murmured to the young beast. “Where’s your family? Are you lost, like me?”

Having made his mind up about the unusually pale and hairless creature in front of him, the tiger cub pushed his head against Adeline’s hand, allowing her to rub his soft ears. She sat down, and he pushed closer to her, curling up against her side, a low, rumbling purr vibrating through both their bodies.

“You’re too young to be out here by yourself. Something must have happened to your mama,” Adeline mused. “But don’t worry – I’ll take care of you. You can stay with me. I think I’ll call you Fufu.”

The tiger looked momentarily offended at being given such an undignified name, but quickly resumed purring. Fufu sniffed at Adeline’s pocked in a hopeful sort of way. She realized that she had a bit of dried meat in that pocket, leftover from lunch.

“You must be hungry, you poor thing! Here you go.” She offered him the meat, and Fufu snatched it greedily from her fingers, swallowing in record time. The cub sniffed at Adeline again, hoping to discover more, but she was all out of snacks.

“I’m sorry,” she murmured, petting his furry head, “You and I are both going to have to wait until my family finds me.” She settled in, leaning back against a tree, with Fufu snuggled closely against her hip. Feeling oddly comfortable, Adeline closed her eyes, and drifted off.

A sharp hissing sound woke her several hours later. Night had fallen around her, and the jungle had come alive with the sounds of various creatures clicking, buzzing, scurrying and croaking all around her. Her limbs were stiff, and the warmth at her hip was gone. Where was Fufu?

Her eyes straining in the dark, Adeline tried to make sense of what was happening around her. She could just make out Fufu standing protectively in front of her, his fur standing nearly straight up. A threatening growl reverberated in the air.

The angry hiss sounded again, and Adeline finally spotted it – an enormous snake stood opposite Fufu, mouth open, fangs glinting menacingly in the moonlight. It swayed back and forth hypnotically, as though testing Fufu’s defenses. Then, like lightning, it struck. The snake shot forward, aiming not at Fufu – but at Adeline!

She screamed and curled tightly into a ball, instinctively trying to keep her legs out of reach of the snake’s vicious fangs. She was trapped, with nowhere to go. Any second now the snake would reach her, and there was absolutely nothing she could do to stop it.

Adeline whimpered in fear. She could hear the snake, sense the movement nearby, knew it was coming… but it didn’t. As the moments passed, Adeline remained unharmed.

She slowly uncurled, and found Fufu’s concerned eyes peering into her own. Where had the snake gone?

Looking around, Adeline saw the snake lying lifeless on the ground, mere inches away from her foot. There were claw marks across its scales, and its neck appeared broken.

Adeline looked at Fufu again, realization on her face. “You… you saved me! You killed the snake! Fufu, you saved my life!” Tears in her eyes, Adeline grabbed the tiger cub and hugged him close. He wriggled uncomfortably for a brief moment, then relaxed and gave her a resigned lick of affection. When she finally released him, Fufu immediately began grooming himself, smoothing down the areas Adeline had mussed with her tears.

In the distance, Adeline heard a deep voice shout her name. It was her Papa! Her family had found her!

She jumped to her feet and began screaming for her father. After a few moments, he burst through the bushes, followed closely by the other men who had been with them on their excursion.

Adeline found herself swept up into her papa’s arms, in a bone-crushing hug. “Adeline,” he cried, “where were you? We’ve been searching for hours! Why did you wander off?”

“I’m sorry, Papa,” she meekly replied, “I didn’t mean to. I was following a monkey.”

Her father sighed. “That sounds about right. You must be more careful, Adeline. The jungle is a dangerous place. You’re lucky you weren’t hurt.”
“I know,” she said, her eyes wandering to the snake, clearly visible in the light of the men’s lanterns. Her papa followed her gaze, and he jumped back in alarm. The men gathered around, examining the dead snake.

“Did… did you kill this snake, Adeline?” Papa asked, bewildered.

“No, Papa, it was Fufu! He’s my tiger cub. He found me here, and stayed with me all day. And he protected me from the snake. He has to come with us, Papa! I promised him I’d take care of him. I don’t know where his family is.”

One of the excursion guides cleared his throat. “There was a mother tiger who was killed by poachers several days ago. It’s likely that this cub was one of hers. Terrible business, really.”

Adeline’s eyes filled with tears, and she looked up at her father, “See, Papa? Fufu doesn’t have a family anymore. He needs me! Please, can he come home with us?”

“I don’t even see this tiger cub, Adeline. It’s possible he ran off.”

“No, he’s here somewhere, I’m sure of it!” Adeline promised. “Everyone, please just give him some space. He’s probably scared.”

The men backed up a bit, grumbling to themselves. Adeline sat down on the ground, and began softly calling for Fufu, reassuring him in a soothing tone that it was safe to come out.

A pair of bright eyes peered out from under a bush, and Fufu crept carefully over to Adeline, putting his furry head in her lap.

“Well, I’ll be!” her father murmured in surprise. “She really did befriend a tiger!” Cautiously, Papa moved closer, reaching a gentle hand out for Fufu to sniff. After a close examination of the offered hand, Fufu gave it an accepting lick and began purring.

Her father exhaled. “Well, my darling, I’m not sure how Mama or Evelynn will feel about having a tiger around the house. We may have to move somewhere with a larger backyard. But this tiger saved your life, and the least we can do is repay his kindness by giving him a safe and happy home.”

“Thank you, Papa!” Adeline pulled her father down and kissed him on the cheek, delighted. She could hardly believe it. Her very own tiger!

The jungle had turned out to be a much more dangerous and exciting place than Adeline had ever expected. But, despite everything she’d gone through, she found she had absolutely no regrets.

A rumbling purr vibrated through her leg, and she looked down to see Fufu curled up against her hip once more, sleeping peacefully as they rode in the car back to Mumbai. And Adeline knew that she had found her very best friend.

The End