Short Story
Dark clouds enveloped the the night sky. Foxes howled. It was the mating season. Wilds dogs squeaked, chirped, and hooted. Frogs croaked from their dark wet places under rotting logs. Leopards stalked silently seeking out their prey. Owls donned their binoculars and gazed in the distance for their next meal. Raccoons foraged the arena to grab the remnants of carcasses left by bigger animals. Wombats shoveled their way deep into the carpets to extract whatever roots, or bar, or fruit that was hidden there.
The warfare for food was a mystery to him. He peered through the creases of his one-room log cabin. A tiger brushed her whiskers against the eastern wall. The animal smelt blood and hadn't seen a wild boar, a deer, a water buffalo, nor a peafowl for three days now. The scent of its prey was not familiar, so the wild cat growled and roared, and was silent again. The 45 year-old wildlife biologist remained squatted in his hut. His 145 lb. frame would make a good meal for a hungry tiger.
The cabin rocked a bit. The striped-prey moved to the other side. Its 240-pound body jammed the cabin repeatedly. A horizontal log in the middle fell out. The scientist cringed. Two minutes later he opened his eyes. The tiger glared at him. It turned its ears backwards. Another log just below the last one fell. The animal showed all her carnassials. Tick-tock, sounded the clock.
Suddenly, a high-pitched squeal was heard in the distance. The wild cat spun around, lifted its tail and darted in that direction. In just a few minutes the wild hog became its midnight meal. The researcher rose from his cower, armed with a few tools, opened his cabin door, and repaired the fallen logs. The tiger ignored him. © Wallace Paul . March 2024.
Dark clouds enveloped the the night sky. Foxes howled. It was the mating season. Wilds dogs squeaked, chirped, and hooted. Frogs croaked from their dark wet places under rotting logs. Leopards stalked silently seeking out their prey. Owls donned their binoculars and gazed in the distance for their next meal. Raccoons foraged the arena to grab the remnants of carcasses left by bigger animals. Wombats shoveled their way deep into the carpets to extract whatever roots, or bar, or fruit that was hidden there.
The warfare for food was a mystery to him. He peered through the creases of his one-room log cabin. A tiger brushed her whiskers against the eastern wall. The animal smelt blood and hadn't seen a wild boar, a deer, a water buffalo, nor a peafowl for three days now. The scent of its prey was not familiar, so the wild cat growled and roared, and was silent again. The 45 year-old wildlife biologist remained squatted in his hut. His 145 lb. frame would make a good meal for a hungry tiger.
The cabin rocked a bit. The striped-prey moved to the other side. Its 240-pound body jammed the cabin repeatedly. A horizontal log in the middle fell out. The scientist cringed. Two minutes later he opened his eyes. The tiger glared at him. It turned its ears backwards. Another log just below the last one fell. The animal showed all her carnassials. Tick-tock, sounded the clock.
Suddenly, a high-pitched squeal was heard in the distance. The wild cat spun around, lifted its tail and darted in that direction. In just a few minutes the wild hog became its midnight meal. The researcher rose from his cower, armed with a few tools, opened his cabin door, and repaired the fallen logs. The tiger ignored him. © Wallace Paul . March 2024.