The Hollow under the Tree

by Cary Fagan

  “Maybe,” Theo Junior said, looking behind her. “Maybe he’ll find us.”

  Sadie turned around. And there was the lion, his head tilted to one side as if he was wondering what they were doing.

  Theo Junior took a step backwards, but Sadie just wagged her finger. “No more games, now. Lie down. That’s it. Lie down.”

  The lion shook his mane and sank to his knees.

  “Did he just do what you asked?” Theo Junior said in wonder.

  “Well, he is a circus lion.” She took off her knapsack and pulled out a leather belt and a rope. “I borrowed this from my father.”

  “Sadie, you’re not going to —”

  But she did. She stepped up to the lion, draped the belt over his wide neck and buckled it under his chin.

  “There,” she said. “A nice collar. Not too tight. And this skipping rope will do for a leash.”

  “Really? A collar and leash?”

  “How else will we get him out of here? You know we’re your friends, don’t you, lion? Let’s go for a little walk.”

  Sadie moved away, the rope growing taut behind her. It was about eight feet long and stretched out until she was tugging on the collar.

  The lion just looked at her.

  “Come on,” Sadie said. “Walk!”

  And the lion did. Theo hurried to catch up.

  “By the way, where are we going?”

  “To your house.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Where do you think we should go, the Broadview Hotel? You have a garage in back. I’ve seen it.”

  “Yes, but the car usually goes in there.”

  “I guess you’d better make sure it doesn’t. Now let’s get a move on.”

  It was very late. Shops and restaurants were closed. Houses were dark. When a lone milk wagon passed, they hid behind a fence. Sadie and Theo Junior crossed the street, the lion padding behind them.

  At the house, they saw the limousine parked out front.

  “That’s a stroke of luck,” Theo Junior said. “Good old Grierson must have washed it. The garage will be empty.”

  “Here, hold this,” Sadie said, and before he could protest, she handed him the end of the rope. Then she walked past the house and through the gate to the alley and hauled up the garage door.

  It was large and clean inside. There were a couple of windows on the side, but they were too high up for anyone to look in. An old rug was rolled up at the back. Sadie laid it out.

  “That ought to make a nice bed,” she said. “And we can fill this bucket with water. But he needs a litter box. You don’t have any sand, do you?”

  “I think there are some bags up on the shelf. The chauffeur puts it on the drive in the winter.”

  “Good. We can dump some in the corner.”

  “What if he doesn’t want to go in?”

  “I thought of that.” Sadie unslung her knapsack and took out a package of hotdogs. She opened the package and put them on the floor. The lion walked in and ate them in two bites.

  “I guess he doesn’t take mustard,” Theo Junior said.

  Sadie took off the collar.

  “I know it will be boring in here. No dogs to chase, no peacocks to eat. But it’s the best we can do for now. Goodnight, lion.”

  The animal stood watching as they stepped out and hauled down the door. They could hear him pacing a moment before lying down.

  “Maybe the garage reminds him of his old circus cage,” Theo Junior said.

  “Then he hasn’t had much of a life.” Sadie took one more thing out of her knapsack — a lock. She put it through the iron loops on the door and the doorframe and locked it. Then she put the key on the string around her neck that held her house key.

  “I’ll tell Grierson that I’m doing a science project for school and that he should keep the car out of the garage because it might blow up,” Theo Junior said.

  “Sounds good. Now I’d better get home before my dad wakes up.”

  And with that she ran down the drive and disappeared into the dark.

  10

  The Search

  Beast Hunt a Bust

  Yesterday afternoon two vanloads of uniformed constables disembarked on the north side of High Park and lined up at attention. Each held a heavy wooden club. Nearby gathered a less orderly crowd of fifty or so men who had volunteered for the search. They carried hockey sticks, brooms and shovels.

  Sergeant Jaworski, mounted on a noble steed, trotted back and forth shouting directions through a megaphone. He then blew a whistle, and the search for the monster in the park commenced.

  For three hours they combed the woods and meadows.

  The following interesting items were found: three pocket watches, a ukulele, one pair of long johns, and a very old bottle of Lyman’s liver medicine with the cork still in it.

  One group of volunteers encountered a displeased skunk, with unfortunate results. Also, a policeman temporarily detained Mrs. Emily Porterhouse, a local poet who was hanging pages of her verse in the trees.

  Monsters, however, proved scarce.

  A highly annoyed Sergeant Jaworski was seen pulling burrs off his trousers before galloping away. The crowd of volunteers dispersed.

  Toronto, it seems, must remain just an ordinary city, without the fame of being home to a monster. At least for now.

  11

  Big Fists

  The next day, Sadie visited the lion on her way to school.

  Standing on a couple of wobbly milk crates, she could just see through the window at the back of the Kendricks’ garage. The lion looked up when she told him she would be back later for a proper visit. Then she stayed in the alley while the chauffeur came out of the house to drive Theo Junior to school. Theo Junior attended the High Park Preparatory School for Boys, where he did not have a single friend.

  The two of them met later, after Sadie had delivered her pies. Theo Junior brought the parcel of meat, and Sadie unlocked the garage door so they could slip inside.

  By now the two felt no fear of the lion. At least, Sadie felt no fear, and Theo Junior was only slightly nervous. As for the lion, he was so impatient for supper that he nosed Sadie out of the way even as she was undoing the parcel.

  As the lion ate, Theo Junior put fresh water from a hose into the bucket. Sadie went about the less pleasant task of cleaning the kitty litter.

  “A big animal makes a big poop,” she said, wrinkling her nose.

  Then they kept the lion company for a while, talking quietly as he lay down and groomed himself. Sadie was happy just looking at him — at his deep eyes and beautiful face, the twitching whiskers and the lighter fur on his chin. He flicked his tail back and forth, the tuft at the end patting the ground.

  But on the second day, the lion got up and walked around them in a circle, pacing along the walls.

  “He’s restless,” she said. “I think he needs some exercise.”

  “Maybe we could get him to jump through a hoop,” Theo Junior said. “That’s what they do in the circus.”

  Sadie mulled over the idea, but she didn’t like it. There was something, well, undignified about the idea of getting the lion to perform. Besides, he probably needed some fresh air, too.

  “I’m going to come back tonight after dark,” she said to Theo Junior. “Say, eleven o’clock. You can join me. Or not.”

  Of course, she knew that he would.

  * * *

  That night, Sadie put the collar and leash on the lion. Then she pulled up the garage door.

  “Come on, lion,” she said. “Walkies!”

  The lion trotted behind as they went down the alley and turned onto another. A house cat stared at them from the top of a fence, as if unable to believe what it saw.

  “You know, it’s rather pleasant taking a walk with a lion a
t night,” said Theo Junior. “I’m surprised more people don’t do it.”

  They walked for almost an hour, always keeping behind the houses.

  They were on their way back when Sadie said, “I went to the school library yesterday and read about lions. They live in Africa, usually in a group called a pride.”

  “Neat. Maybe the three of us could be a pride. We could even have our own chant, like a football team. Who’s got the best roar in town? We do! Who’s got —”

  “I’m being serious, Theo Junior. Remember the first day you met him? You called him my lion. Sadie’s lion — that’s what you said. But I don’t think a lion can belong to anybody. I think he should be in Africa.”

  They reached the alley behind Theo Junior’s house. The lion walked into the garage without being asked and went to the bucket. He lapped up the water. Sadie took off the collar.

  “Hey, you’re splashing me! Okay, cutie, see you tomorrow.”

  They went out of the garage and Theo pulled down the door.

  “How could we get him there?” he asked. “To Africa, I mean. It’s thousands of miles away. Even if we had the money, we couldn’t just buy him a ticket on a ship.”

  “So it isn’t easy. But doesn’t he deserve to go home?”

  “I’ll show you what you deserve,” came a voice.

  They turned. In the alley stood three dark figures. One was big and bulky, wearing a low cap. The other two were skinny.

  The Parkside Gang.

  “If it isn’t the weirdest girl in the neighborhood,” said Fergus Gumpy. “Who knew you had a rich friend?”

  “Yeah, who knew?” said Dylan Tarpinsky.

  “That’s what I was going to say,” said Wylie.

  “My name is Theodore Kendrick Junior,” said Theo. “And I’m pleased to make your acquaintance.”

  He put out his hand. Fergus smiled, took a step towards Theo Junior and punched him in the nose.

  “Ahhg!” Theo Junior cried, his hands flying to his face. “You hit me!”

  “Ain’t you observant.”

  “Why don’t you pick on someone your own size?” Sadie seethed.

  “Do I have a nosebleed?”

  “No, you’re okay,” she said, taking a look.

  “I didn’t even hit you hard, crybaby. You know what I deserve? I deserve to know what goodies you’ve got in that garage.”

  Sadie realized that she hadn’t had a chance to lock it. “Oh, just a bunch of old furniture.”

  “We like smashing up junk,” said Dylan.

  “It’s our hobby,” said Wylie.

  “We don’t need to smash up junk when we can smash up these two,” Fergus said. “Go on, boys. Hold their arms.”

  Before they knew what was happening, Sadie and Theo Junior each had their arms pinned behind them. Fergus spat in each hand and rubbed his palms together. Then he made two big fists.

  “Hold ’em still.”

  “She’s awfully squirmy,” grunted Dylan.

  “I better do her first, then.”

  Sadie wouldn’t let herself turn away. She glared at Fergus. He cocked back his fist.

  “Wait,” Theo Junior blurted out. “There is something valuable in the garage.”

  Fergus held his fist in the air. “Like what?”

  “Like … a fur coat.”

  “Theo, don’t!” Sadie hissed.

  “Is it in good condition?”

  “Excellent condition. In fact, it still looks practically alive.”

  Fergus lowered his arm.

  “All right, let’s take a look. Maybe we can sell it to the pawnshop. Open the door and make it snappy.”

  “You can’t, Theo!” Sadie said. She struggled but couldn’t get out of Dylan’s grip.

  “Sorry, but I can’t let them beat you up.” Theo Junior bent down to grasp the handle of the garage door. With a groan he hauled it up.

  Fergus Gumpy and the Tarpinsky twins heard a terrible sound. They saw a huge shape emerge from the blackness of the garage. A monster with shining eyes and enormous teeth.

  Dylan Tarpinsky screamed. His brother Wylie screamed even louder. The two took off down the alley as fast as their skinny legs could carry them.

  At first, Fergus just stared, his eyes wide and his mouth open. Then he, too, tried to run, only as he turned he tripped over his dangling shoelaces and landed flat on his face. The lion loomed over him and grabbed Fergus’s jacket with his teeth.

  He picked the boy up. It looked to Sadie and Theo Junior as if Fergus was swimming in the air, his arms and legs moving.

  A low guttural sound came from the lion. He shook Fergus back and forth like he was a bag of laundry.

  “Ah … ah … ah!”

  The lion shook Fergus one last time and then tossed him into a group of garbage cans like a bowling ball hitting pins. The cans crashed over noisily as Fergus landed in a heap.

  He didn’t move.

  Sadie and Theo Junior looked at one another.

  Theo Junior whispered, “Is he…?”

  A moan came from Fergus. They rushed over to help him up.

  “Are you okay?” Sadie asked.

  “You,” he managed to say. “You … have … the monster!”

  “No, you have it all wrong,” Theo Junior said.

  “I’m going … I’m going to tell …”

  The lion roared.

  It was a tremendous roar. Loud and terrible and also beautiful. It was a roar that seemed to make the air quiver. Fergus pushed Sadie and Theo Junior away even as he turned. He stumbled a few steps. Then he started to run as fast as he could down the alley.

  Sadie and Fergus turned to the lion. He was looking at them and almost smiling, as if hoping for a hotdog.

  “Thanks for saving us, lion,” Sadie said. “But you shouldn’t have done that.”

  The lion licked his whiskers. Then he turned and went back into the garage.

  12

  The Truth

  It was after one o’clock in the morning by the time Sadie snuck back into the house and crept upstairs.

  She got into her nightgown and crawled into bed. But she couldn’t sleep.

  Fergus Gumpy had seen the lion. In the dark he might not have been able to recognize what it was, but he sure knew that it was something. And Fergus was not the sort of person to keep that kind of news to himself.

  Then there was the matter of what the lion did. He picked Fergus up. He shook him. He threw him. Yes, he was defending Sadie and Theo Junior. Maybe he did see them as his pride. But he hurt Fergus. He could have killed him.

  Sadie didn’t have any liking for Fergus Gumpy, but that didn’t mean she wanted him dead. The lion wasn’t just some enormous house cat. He was tremendously strong. He had teeth and claws. He was a natural predator. In his heart, he was wild. She couldn’t just keep him like he was a pet. Maybe, deep down, that’s what she had been trying to do.

  But she couldn’t keep him. Of course she couldn’t.

  * * *

  The following evening Sadie was just sitting down at the supper table when the doorbell rang. It made her jump in her seat.

  “Now who would come to the door at this hour?” asked Miss Clemons. “It’s simply uncouth. My own mother never tolerated it. She would throw a pan of dishwater out the window.”

  “Good idea,” Sadie said, trying to sound calm. “I’ll get the pan.”

  Theo Junior looked across the table at her. “Maybe you should get the door,” he whispered.

  “Oh, right.” Sadie rose quickly from her chair.

  “I’ll go, too,” Theo Junior said.

  “It’s probably for me,” said Sadie’s father, pushing back from the table.

  “I’m certainly not going to be left behind,” chirped Miss Clemons.

 
And so the four of them trooped to the front vestibule. When Mr. Menken opened the door, Sadie could see three policemen standing on the porch. And behind them was a grinning Fergus Gumpy. A small bandage was stuck to his forehead.

  “Good evening, officers,” her father said. “What brings you out? I hope we haven’t broken any pie-baking laws, ha ha.”

  The officer in front made a harrumphing sound. “My name is Jaworski. Sergeant Jaworski. And there has been an accusation, sir. A very serious accusation. Harboring a dangerous animal.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “This young man, Mr. Ferguson Gumpy, who happens to be my nephew, has informed us that a vicious beast is being kept in the garage of a house nearby. The Kendricks’ house. I don’t like to disturb people of such quality but felt I had no choice, given the strange goings-on in this city. However, the owners of the house are out of town and the chauffeur would not let us look in the garage unless we had permission from the young master. And he told us where to find him.”

  Theo Junior began to tiptoe back inside. Sadie’s father turned to him.

  “Theodore Junior?”

  “Yes?”

  “Where are you going?”

  “I didn’t finish my spinach.”

  “Well, the spinach can wait. The sergeant here needs your assistance.”

  “That’s right,” said the officer. “If we could just walk back to the house and have a look in that garage.”

  “Of course we need to cooperate with the police,” Miss Clemons said. “I have a file of clippings about people who did not cooperate. For example, there was the man in Newcastle who —”

  “Very interesting, I’m sure,” interrupted Sergeant Jaworski. “But I insist we stick to the purpose of this visit.”

  And so they went. Even Miss Clemons. They looked up at the impressive stone building behind the iron gate and the limousine parked on the drive.

  “That’s a big house,” said Sadie’s father. “Do you have a lot of brothers and sisters, Theo Junior?”

  “Nope, there’s just me. And of course the cook and the maid and good old Grierson.”