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

anyone besides me is nearby. Now you've called attention to yourself again. I just hope that lady doesn't remember your name." He sighed, knowing Sammie could no more keep her talent under control all the time than a dog can keep from barking, Shufus excluded, who had been taught to bark only for a good reason. "Now stop crying and let's go home. You can see the rest of the zoo some other time. And no more talking to the animals today!"
    She wiped the tears from her face and trudged along with her father, no longer as happy as she had been, even though the other animals were interesting. Eventually she brightened up and tried to remember the fun she'd had with her father until they encountered the tiger. Besides, he said she could see the zoo again. Maybe she could talk to Growlfer some more then and maybe by then the lady veterinarian would have cured his toothache.
    ***
    The middle-aged gentleman with streaks of gray in his dark hair was also a veterinarian who had come to assist the zoo's animal doctor on a tough case, then decided to wander through the zoo and observe the other animals. His name was Dr. Robert Masters but all his clients called him Dr. Bob. As soon as Samantha and the man he presumed to be her father were out of sight he reversed course and headed back to see Dr. Summers again. Upon arriving at his office he knocked on the door and was asked to come in.
    "Back already, Bob? What's happening now?"
    "Dorothy, I was taking the long way back to my car and happened to be nearby when that young lady was speaking to you about the tiger."
    "Oh, yes." She smiled. "She's very charming but it looked as if her father didn't want to attract any attention."
    "Are you going to check her tiger for an infected tooth like you said?" Dr. Bob asked.
    "Do you think it's worth the trouble, Bob? I know I told her I would, but it was just to make her feel better. You know how much trouble it is to look at a tiger's teeth, especially way in the back of its mouth. We'd have to give him anesthesia, which also means calling in a dental specialist so that if he does have an infected tooth we could get it out right then and not have to anesthetize him twice. That would be costly and we have a real tight budget this year."
    "Did you happen to notice how your tiger paid so much attention to her?" He pulled out his notebook. "Samantha Douglas. That's what she said her name was. Right?"
    "If you say so. I had already forgotten, but yes, now that you mention it, the tiger really did appear to be listening to her."
    "Well, whatever you do is your decision, of course. I just thought I'd come back and speak to you about it. The young lady seemed quite sure of herself."
    "I'll think about it, Bob."
    "Alright. I'll leave you to your paperwork, then," he smiled and pointed to a high stack of printouts on her desk."
    They shook hands and Dr. Masters departed. Inside her office, Dr. Summers put her chin in her hands and considered the episode with the tiger and the young girl. She ignored the papers on her desk for a long while, but money to run the zoo was very short, so eventually she decided to simply watch the tiger closely for a few days and see if she could detect a problem.
    She pulled the first paper off the stack and got busy with her work.

Chapter Five
    Both Ronald and Samantha were singularly unresponsive to questions from his wife about their afternoon at the zoo, merely reporting that Samantha hadn't felt well so they had returned home. It roused her suspicions but she said nothing. She hated controversy, especially when it came to Samantha, their only child.
    Samantha, still pretending to be feeling sick so far as her mother was concerned, was sent upstairs to her room and to bed. Later on, she came downstairs for the evening meal then again went to her room. She had dozed off during the afternoon and wasn't sleepy at her regular bedtime. Instead, she very quietly eased the door to the balcony open and stepped outside. From the