Free Take It Off by J. Minter

to still be angry about the wound he had suffered. There was steam coming out of his nostrils.
    Sara-Beth had fallen just below Patch, and she was dragging herself out into the arena and holding on to her ankle like she’d sprained it.
    The crowd seemed to be in a state of suspended animation, with their breath held and their hands over their mouths. Patch looked at Mickey, who didn’t really look like he was aware of the danger. “Holy shit,” Mickey said.
    Patch turned back to the edge and leaped over it. He landed standing in the dusty arena, and pain shot up through his feet. He was okay, though, and he hurried forward to where Sara-Beth was whimpering in the dirt. He scooped her up and was relieved to discover that she was virtually weightless, like a bag of leaves. The whole stadium let out its breath.
    That was when he looked up, and saw the bull, still angry as hell, charging toward him. A whoop of encouragement went up through the crowd. He ran back to the edge and lifted Sara-Beth up toward Mickey and Greta, who grabbed her by the hands and pulled her to safety. Patch turned and saw that it was too latefor him: The bull was charging at him, and he was really, really close this time.
    Patch dodged to the left, and the bull nearly ran into the wall. Then he twisted his huge, shiny black body around and came back at Patch. The smell of sweat and blood mingling in the dust was overwhelming. Patch dodged right, and the bull missed again. But when he had turned himself around, and again faced Patch, he became confused. Patch sank down on his knees and looked calmly up into the eyes of the bull.
    The bull pawed the dirt for a moment and snorted. The crowd was completely silent, and they watched in fear as the bull faced Patch down. But then, incredibly, the bull kneeled into the dirt, too. Patch approached it and reached out to stroke its head gently, and the crowd, seeing this, broke out in a cheer.
    Patch rose and led the bull back toward the bull trainer’s area on the side of the arena. Once the bull was safely put away, the crowd rushed onto the field and lifted Patch up. They cheered for him and passed him around on their hands. Eventually, he reached the side of the stadium where he had last seen his friends. Mickey was keeping an eye out, and when he saw Patch he grabbed his hands and pulled him away from his admirers.
    Patch was instantly surrounded by Mickey, Greta,Barker, and the others. Stephanie was holding Sara-Beth in her arms. She looked miniature next to Stephanie, who wasn’t large herself.
    â€œThat’s the kind of thing I thought only
I
would ever do,” Mickey said, slapping Patch’s back. He was obviously impressed.
    â€œYou saved me!” Sara-Beth said. “Thank you so much, Jonathan! I promise my agents and managers will make it up to you.”
    â€œThat’s Patch,” everyone said.
    â€œOh,” Sara-Beth said with a giggle, “thank you, Patch.”
    â€œWell, Patch, my boy,” Barker said, “it looks like you’ve saved the day again.”
    Patch smiled shyly. He was relieved that Sara-Beth was okay, and that the bull hadn’t been killed.
    â€œThis is the best student I’ve ever had,” Barker was telling the minister of tourism. “Well, since Stephanie, at any rate.”
    â€œYou must come stay at my official residence in Madrid …,” the minister of tourism was saying
    â€œYou will judge the survival test tomorrow …”
    â€œWe will name a suite in my hotel after you …”
    â€œPerhaps you could give your own evening lecture …”
    Below them, the crowd continued celebratingwithout seeming to notice that it had lost its hero. The sun had begun to go down, and soon enough they had to return to the
Ariadne
. They slipped out of the stadium, trying to avoid notice. Barker and the minister went arm in arm, Mickey and Patch carried Sara-Beth, and Stephanie and Greta followed