Page 14 of Tiger's Curse
I gasped. “How horrible!”
Mesmerized by the story, I was bursting with questions, but I held back, wanting him to finish. Mr. Kadam focused his gaze on my face and continued gravely, “When his people learned what had happened, a great sorrow spread across the land. Some say that Dhiren’s people went down to the river and pulled out the torn pieces of his body to give him a proper funeral. Others say that his body was never found.
“Hearing of their beloved son’s death, the king and his wife, heavy with misery, lapsed into a deep despair. Soon, both of them departed from this life. Dhiren’s brother ran away in shame. Yesubai took her own life. The Mujulaain Empire was thrown into dark shadows of morass and disarray. With the authoritative voice of the royal family gone, the military took over the kingdom. Eventually, the evil man who had killed Dhiren captured the throne but only after fifty years of terrible war and bloodshed.”
As he finished his story, there was a tangible silence. Ren’s tail rustled in his cage, which snapped me out of my reverie.
“Wow,” I responded. “So, did heloveher?”
“Of whom are you speaking?”
“Did Dhiren love Yesubai?”
He blinked. “I . . . don’t know. Many marriages were arranged in those days, and love often wasn’t a consideration then.”
“That’s a very sad sequence of events. I feel sorry for everyone, except for the bad guy, of course. A great story, though a bit bloody. An Indian tragedy. It reminds me of Shakespeare. He would have written a great play based on that tale. So, Ren is named after that Indian prince?”
Mr. Kadam raised his eyebrow and smiled. “It would appear so.”
I looked over at the tiger and grinned. “See, Ren, you’re a hero! You’re one of the good guys!” Ren pricked his ears forward and blinked his eyes, watching me. “Thanks for sharing that story with me. I will definitely be writing about that in my journal.”
I tried to pull him back to my original question, “But, it still doesn’t explain why your employer is interested in tigers.”
He cleared his throat while looking at me obliquely, stalling for a moment. For someone so eloquent, he fumbled awkwardly through his next words. He answered, “My employer has a special connection with this white tiger. You see, he feels he is to blame for the tiger’s imprisonment—no, that is too harsh a word—for his capture. My employer allowed himself to be ensnared in a situation that led to the tiger being caged and sold. He has followed the tiger’s whereabouts for the last few years, and now he’s finally in a position to make amends.”
“Huh. That’s very interesting. It washisfault that Ren was captured in the first place? It’s very kind of him to continue to be concerned about an animal’s welfare like that. Please thank him for what he’s doing for Ren.”
He bowed his head toward me in acknowledgment, then, hesitating, fixed a somber gaze on me and queried, “Miss Kelsey, I hope it’s not too forward of me to ask, but I need someone to accompany the tiger on his journey to India. I will not be able to tend to his daily needs or even travel with him for the entire journey. I have already asked Mr. Davis if he could accompany Dhiren, but he must stay here with the circus.” He leaned forward on the stool and gestured slightly with his hands. “I would like to offeryouthat job. Would you be interested?”
I stared at his hands for a moment, thinking that a man such as he should have long, tapered, manicured fingers, but his fingers were thick and calloused, like a man accustomed to hard labor.
Mr. Kadam leaned forward. “The tiger is already used to you, and I can pay a good wage. Mr. Davis suggested you as a likely candidate and he mentioned that your temporary employment here is almost at an end. If you choose to accept the job, I can assure you that my employer would appreciate having someone who can care for the tiger better that I can. The entire trip should take about a week, but I have been instructed to pay for your entire summer. I know that doing this for me will take you away from your home and delay your search for a new position elsewhere, so you will be duly compensated.”
“What exactly would I have to do? Wouldn’t I need a passport and other paperwork done?” I asked.
He inclined his head toward me. “I can, of course, arrange all the preliminaries for the trip. The three of us would fly to Mumbai, what you might still call Bombay. Upon arrival, I must stay in town on business, and you would then continue to accompany the tiger on the drive to the reserve. I will hire drivers and loaders to assist you on the journey. Your primary responsibility will be to care for Ren, feed him, and see to his comfort.”
“And then . . . ?”
“The journey over land is about ten to twelve hours one way. After you arrive at the reserve, you would stay there for a few days to ensure he is acclimating well to his new environment and comparative freedoms. I would purchase a return plane ticket from Jaipur, so that you will be able to ride the Jaipur tour bus that goes from the reserve to the airport, then fly to Mumbai and home from there, making your return trip a little bit shorter.”
“So it would be about a week altogether?” I asked.
He replied, “You can choose to either fly back home immediately or, if you like, you may stay on vacation in India for a few days and enjoy touring before you go home. Rest assured, I would provide for all of your travel as well as any other necessary accommodations along the way.”
I blinked and stammered, “That’s a very generous offer. Yes, my position here at the circus is almost at an end, and I would have to start looking for a new job very soon.”
I bit my lip and started pacing, mumbling indecisively to myself as much as to him. “India’s very far away. I’ve never been out of the country before, so the idea of it is both exciting and scary at the same time. Can I think about it and let you know? When do you need for me to give you an answer?”
“The sooner you say yes, the sooner I can make the necessary arrangements.”
“Alright. Let me call my foster parents and talk with Mr. Davis to see what they think about all this, and then I’ll let you know for sure.”
Mr. Kadam nodded and mentioned that Mr. Maurizio knew how to contact him when I was ready to inform him of my decision. He also said that he would be around the circus for the rest of the afternoon finalizing paperwork.
With jumbled thoughts, I grabbed my things and walked back to the main building.India? I’ve never been to a foreign country before. What if I can’t communicate with anyone? What if something bad happens to Ren while he’s under my care?
Despite all thewhat ifsthat were rolling around my brain, a part of me was seriously contemplating Mr. Kadam’s offer. It was very tempting to spend a little more time with Ren, plus I’d always wanted to visit a foreign country. I could have a mini summer vacation and be paid too. Plus, Mr. Kadam didn’t strike me as one of those creepy men with bad intentions. In fact, he seemed trustworthy and grandfatherly.
