Free Samantha's Talent by Darrell Bain, Robyn Pass Page A

soon."
    The class moved away and Ronald led Samantha back in the direction from which they'd came. Once they were back to where the tigers were confined, she stopped and grabbed her father's hand. "Dad, I'm not really sick. I just wanted to come back here and talk to one of the tigers. It's hurting real bad and can't eat well."
    "Oh, Sammie. You know you can't talk to it here. What would your mother say?"
    "It won't take but a minute, Dad and no one else is nearby," she pleaded.
    He looked around and saw that she was right. "Go ahead, but hurry and get it over with while we're alone."
    "Oh, thanks, Dad. You're so good to me." She turned and looked across the moat at the tigers. The one who had been eating slowly was still there but the other two were farther away, sunning themselves.
    "Hello Mr. Tiger! What's your name?"
    The tiger looked up in surprise. It wasn't certain who had spoken to it in tiger language but it had to be one of the people he could see. He rumbled a reply. Growlfer is what Samantha heard.
    "Does it hurt you to eat?"
    Yes. Hurts. Tooth hurts.
    "I'll try to get someone to help you, Growlfer," Samantha told him.
    "What is going on here?" A voice from behind Samantha and her father asked.
    They both whirled around. A zoo employee with a name tag reading Dr. SUMMERS, VET. was staring at Samantha with her hands on her hips. She was young and pretty with dark hair worn in matching braids but at the moment she had a very stern look on her face. "What is going on here?" She repeated. "It isn't nice to tease our animals."
    "I wasn't teasing, ma'am," Samantha responded. "The tiger there hurts when he tries to chew his food," she said without thinking. "His tooth hurts. And his name is Growlfer."
    "Young lady, what makes you think that tiger's tooth hurts? Has he told you, by chance? And given you his name in the bargain?"
    Samantha thought quickly, attempting to stay out of trouble so her mother wouldn't hear about the episode. "I just called him Growlfer because that's what he looks like his name should be. And can't you tell by the way he's eating that it hurts him to chew?"
    "I--" The veterinarian's gaze went from Samantha to the tiger. She watched as it cautiously removed the last bit of meat from the bone. The other two tigers had finished long before.
    "You know, you could be right. He could have a sore tooth. What's your name?"
    "Samantha Douglas," she responded, then realized she shouldn't have given her name. She was afraid to look at her father, who she knew would be upset with her.
    "Well, Samantha, we'll take a look at him tonight. What was it you called him?"
    "Growlfer. That's his name."
    "Well, it suits him, anyway." She smiled for the first time, making her look even younger.
    "We need to go, Sammie," her father said.
    She knew he meant it by the tone of his voice. She could hardly bear to leave while knowing the big cat was hurting so much but her father's admonition left no leeway for argument. "Goodbye, Growlfer," she called, then followed her father's urging. She looked back from time to time until the tigers were out of sight.
    A middle-aged gentleman who had overheard the exchange between Samantha, the tiger and the zoo veterinarian noticed that all three tigers followed the young girl with their eyes until she was out of sight. He took out his phone and made a note of her name, which he had also overheard. After that he began walking in the same direction the veterinarian had gone.
    A bit later Ronald sat down on a bench and told his daughter to sit beside him.
    "Sammie, perhaps we shouldn't mention the little contretemps with the tiger to your Mother. You promised, you know."
    Tears appeared and wet her eyelashes, causing them to glint in the sunlight. "Dad, I know I promised but I just couldn't help it. Poor Growlfer was hurting really bad and no one knew it."
    "I'm sure they would have noticed eventually. Sammie, you are going to have to learn to be careful about talking to animals when