The Hollow under the Tree

by Cary Fagan

  The chauffeur was standing at the front door.

  “I’m sorry to bother you with this unnecessary matter, Theo Junior.”

  “That’s all right, Grierson.”

  “Enough chitchat,” grumbled Sergeant Jaworski. “The garage is around the back.”

  He marched on and the others followed. Theo Junior turned to Sadie.

  “What are we going to do?”

  But at that moment, Fergus came up to them.

  “I hope you’re both going to like the Don Jail. I hear the gruel is delicious, and the bugs give it a nice crunch.”

  “All right, let’s get on with it,” the sergeant said. “Do you give me permission or not, boy?”

  “Hmm.” Theo Junior rubbed his chin. “That’s a good question.”

  “I think you’d better,” said Mr. Menken.

  Sadie pressed something into Theo Junior’s hand. It was the key for the lock.

  “Go ahead,” she said.

  Theo Junior stared at Sadie. He tried to hide the key in his pocket, but he dropped it instead.

  “Go on,” said Sergeant Jaworski.

  Theo Junior took off the lock. As soon as he did, the other two policemen stepped forward and grabbed the handle on the garage door. Sergeant Jaworski turned on a powerful flashlight.

  The door lifted up.

  Light filled the garage.

  Nothing.

  The garage was empty but for a rug and a pile of sand.

  Theo Junior had been holding his breath. He let out such a sigh that he practically fainted. Then he looked at Sadie.

  She shrugged.

  Sergeant Jaworski stepped into the garage. He sniffed loudly.

  “It smells in here,” he said. “It smells of animal.”

  “That’s very observant,” Theo Junior said quickly. “I used to keep a pair of guinea pigs in a cage. I named them Fred and Adele after the famous dancers. Actually, they looked more like furry slippers with eyes. Sometimes I put little hats on them, and I tried to teach them tricks like roll over and beg, but all they really wanted to do was eat and make little poops. And then Fred ate his hat and died. Or maybe it was Adele. I couldn’t tell —”

  “I’m not talking about any guinea pigs!” Sergeant Jaworski burst out, his face red. He took off his cap and ran his hand through his hair.

  “It seems we were given wrong information. Forgive us for interrupting your supper hour. Now you, Ferguson, come with me.”

  “But, Uncle, I swear it’s true!”

  Sergeant Jaworski grabbed Fergus by the collar and pulled him away.

  * * *

  Sadie, her father, Theo Junior and Miss Clemons headed back to their now-cold supper.

  Theo Junior hissed into Sadie’s ear. “You moved the … you-know-what? And you didn’t tell me?”

  “Last night, after you left, I took him back to the hollow. I decided we couldn’t leave him in the garage. I was going to tell you.”

  “I thought we were going to jail. I thought I was going to have to eat crunchy gruel.”

  “But I’m still worried. It’s not safe in the park anymore, either. I don’t know what to do.”

  Later that evening, Sadie was in her room trying to concentrate on her homework. A tap sounded on the door.

  “Can I come in?” came her father’s voice.

  “Sure.”

  He closed the door behind him.

  “I think we need to clear things up, Sadie.”

  “Clear what up?”

  “Exactly what’s going on. Theo Junior is a nice boy and I’m glad you’ve made a friend. But something smells fishy. Yesterday I woke up in the night because I heard the front door open. I heard you go into your room. And now we have the police at the door. I’m not angry but I am a little disappointed that you would keep secrets from me. Even more than that, I’m worried. And I will be angry if you lie to me. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, Dad.”

  “Are you in trouble, Sadie?”

  Sadie sat up. “No. Maybe. I’m not sure. Yes.”

  “Tell me.”

  She was silent for a long minute.

  “It’s pretty hard to explain. I think the best way is to show you. But you’ll have to come with me.”

  “Where?”

  “Into the park.”

  “Let’s go, then.”

  It was getting dark, and cool. They walked to the east gate of the park. They didn’t talk as Sadie led her father off the path and through the trees to the clearing.

  The moon was starting to wane. A soft light filled the clearing, dappled by the shadows of surrounding leaves. The tree’s tangle of roots looked like snakes. The hollow below was absolutely black.

  “Was that tree struck by lightning? I hope you weren’t out here when it happened,” her father said.

  “No, it’s not about the tree. It’s in there. That hollow.” Sadie pointed.

  Her father stepped forward and bent down to peer in. Sadie grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

  “You’d better not get too close. He doesn’t know you.”

  “He?”

  “Let me show you.” She stepped up. “Hey, there. Do you want to come out and meet my dad?”

  “Who’s in there, Sadie?”

  She put a finger to her lips.

  The two yellow eyes appeared in the hollow. Sadie called again. The eyes grew larger and the lion emerged from the dark.

  Her father reached out to grab her arm and pulled them both backwards.

  “I don’t believe it.”

  The lion yawned, showing his teeth, and then flopped down, beating his tail on the ground.

  “You really are hiding a beast. Isn’t he dangerous?”

  “Not to people who are nice to him. Theo Junior and I have been bringing him food. I hope you don’t mind. I used up a package of baloney today.”

  “Was he actually in the Kendricks’ garage?”

  “Just for a little while. So the police wouldn’t find him when they searched the park. I’m trying to keep him safe, Dad. But now I don’t know what to do.”

  “No,” said her father, stepping forward to take her hand. “I don’t suppose you do. The question is, do I?”

  13

  Research

  Sadie’s father promised not to do anything until the morning. Still, she had a restless night and was glad to get up for breakfast. In the kitchen, her father was kneading dough for the next batch of pies.

  “He’s an incredible animal,” her father said, sprinkling flour on the counter top. “I’ve never seen anything so magnificent. But someone might get hurt. It’s a wonder nobody has up to now, including you and Theo Junior.”

  “I know,” Sadie said. “I didn’t realize it at first but I do now.”

  “I’ve no choice but to tell the police. People have to come first.”

  “But why?” asked Sadie. “Why is a person more important than an animal?”

  Her father scratched his nose, dusting it with flour. “That’s a good question. I could give you several reasons but I’m not sure that you’d be convinced by them. And we still have to do something before a tragedy occurs.”

  “It’s not fair. I’m the one who told you about the lion. Why do you get to decide?”

  “Because I’m the grown-up. And please lower your voice.”

  “I never should have told you!”

  “Now, Sadie —”

  A knock sounded on the kitchen door. It swung open to reveal Miss Clemons, her reading glasses dangling on a cord around her neck.

  “I am sorry to barge in,” she said. “But I heard raised voices. I think of you as my family and I can’t stand by while there is discord in this house. Perhaps I can help.”

  “That’s very kind of you, M
iss Clemons,” said Sadie’s father. “But I don’t believe there’s anything you can do.”

  “Yes, there is,” Sadie said. “You can give us your opinion, Miss Clemons. It’s about something I found.”

  “Found?”

  “It was lost during a train accident.”

  “A train accident, you say? Far more common than people realize. I remember the two Eastern Railway freight trains that collided in Yorkshire. The Norwegian train disaster near Trondheim. And let’s not forget the Winslow Junction derailment in New Jersey …”

  “This one was a bit closer to home. And it was a few weeks ago.”

  “Did I not read a newspaper report about just such an accident? A circus train, if I recall.”

  “That’s the one,” Sadie said. “Something … fell out of the train and I found it. Dad wants to give it to, well, to the authorities. But I don’t want to.”

  “Perhaps I can help. Librarians always begin by asking questions. Do you wish to keep it?”

  Sadie thought. “I know that I can’t.”

  “Then who do you want to give it to?”

  Miss Clemons really was good at asking questions. Sadie thought again, but this time for longer. At last she said, “I want to give it back to the person it belongs to.”

  “Very well,” said Miss Clemons. “After questions comes the search for information. Information is crucial. We need to know more about this train, and that takes research. Fortunately, I believe I kept that newspaper clipping.”

  “You did?” Sadie and her father said at the same time.

  “But what subject did I file it under? Reasons Not to Travel? Mishaps in the Entertainment Field? I’m sure I can find it in two shakes of a lamb’s tail.”

  Miss Clemons went up the stairs to her room. Sadie’s father went back to rolling his dough, and Sadie began to lay out the pie plates.

  It was only a few minutes before they heard a cry of “Victory!”

  Moments later, Miss Clemons bustled into the room. She put on her reading glasses.

  “Ah, here it is. In the second paragraph. Wasserman’s circus.”

  “Now what?” asked Sadie’s father.

  “We need to know where the office of the circus is located. You see, every circus has a headquarters. The article doesn’t say where it is. However, there is a photograph of the train from before the accident. It says something on the side but I can’t make it out. Fortunately, I always keep my trusty aid nearby for just such an occasion.”

  Miss Clemons fished in the side pocket of her dress and came up with a silver-handled magnifying glass.

  “Sadie, your young eyes are no doubt the sharpest. See if you can make it out.”

  Sadie took the magnifying glass and held it up to the photograph in the clipping.

  “I think I can,” she said. “Wasserman’s Spectacular Circus and Animal Menagerie. And under that it says, Pensacola, Florida.”

  “Very good, Sadie,” said Miss Clemons. “And now what do we do?”

  “We call them on the telephone!” Sadie practically shouted. “Oh, Miss Clemons! You’re a genius!”

  “I am not a genius,” said Miss Clemons with a smile. “I am a librarian. Which, I would venture to say, is almost as good.”

  * * *

  Miss Clemons went to meet her friend Abigail Foster at the Parkview Tea Room, as she did every day. Sadie and her father went to the telephone in the hall.

  “We’ve never made a long-distance call before,” Sadie said.

  “There’s a first time for everything.” Her father picked up the earpiece and dialed zero. “Hello, Operator? I’d like to place a call to Wasserman’s Spectacular Circus and Animal Menagerie in Pensacola, Florida. No, I don’t know the number. Thank you.”

  Sadie stood watching her father as he waited. One minute went by, then another. Sadie tapped her foot nervously. What was taking so long?

  “Hello? Wasserman circus? I’d like to speak to the animal trainer. You say he’s traveling with the circus? Cincinnati, Ohio? Perhaps there’s a number where I can reach him. No? Then can you give him my number? It’s Roger 3108. Tell him we’ve got something of his. No, this isn’t a joke.”

  Her father hung up.

  “What happens now?” Sadie asked.

  “The circus manager on the train calls the office every day when they arrive in a new town. He should be calling in the next two hours. You’re already late for school so you might as well stay home. Besides, it will be nice to have your company in the kitchen. I’ve already fallen behind.”

  So Sadie and her father rolled out the pastry and pressed it into the pie plates. They added the filling. They pinched on the top crust, made crosshatches to let out the steam and slipped the pies into the oven. The Lake Simcoe ice wagon stopped at the house and her father loaded new blocks into the two ice boxes.

  It felt strange to Sadie that regular life still had to continue, that her father had to fill his orders and that people had to eat their pie.

  The telephone rang. Sadie froze.

  “Answer it, Sadie.”

  “But I’m a kid!”

  “You’re the kid who found the lion. Quick now.”

  She sprinted to the hall and picked up the earpiece. “Hello?”

  “This is Sam Hibbins calling,” came a voice that sounded as if it was from the other end of a tunnel. “I’m the assistant animal trainer of the Wasserman circus. You left a message? About finding something? I’ve got a lot of hungry animals waiting to be fed.”

  Sadie took a breath. “My name is Sadie Menken and I live in Toronto. I think you left behind a lion.”

  There was a long pause. “Our lion was killed in a train accident.”

  “The lion is living in High Park, right up from where the accident happened.”

  “Sunshine is alive? I can’t believe it! I looked for him for as long as I could but then I had to rejoin the circus. The company said he was dead. I can’t tell you how glad I am. Good old Sunny.”

  “His name is Sunny?”

  “Sunshine. That’s what I always called him, because of his sunny disposition. A real sweetie pie.”

  “He sure is.”

  “So you’ve actually seen him? He’s all right?”

  “We’ve been feeding him and trying to keep him safe, me and my friend Theo Junior. But the police have been looking for him, and I’m afraid —”

  “I can be in Toronto in two days. Can you keep him safe until then?”

  “We’ll do everything we can. But hurry.”

  “I will. And I’ll telephone again when I’m close so we can arrange to meet.”

  “Mr. Hibbins?”

  “Yes, Sadie?”

  “Did Sunshine like being in the circus? I mean, was he happy there? Will he be glad to go back?”

  “Let’s talk about that when I get to Toronto.”

  The line went dead.

  14

  Sam Hibbins

  Waiting for Sam Hibbins felt like the longest two days Sadie had ever lived.

  She and Theo Junior took the lion his evening meal, accompanied by her father.

  “I shouldn’t let you do this at all,” he said. “But I certainly can’t let you do it alone.” He added an extra serving of ground beef to make sure the lion wouldn’t be hungry, and he made them go right back home.

  The next evening the telephone rang just after dinner. Sadie and Theo Junior hurried into the hall to find her father talking to Sam Hibbins, who had stopped at a diner several miles outside of town. They arranged to meet at the east gate of the park at midnight.

  Mr. Menken insisted on sending Theo Junior home.

  “The two of you have done enough for this creature,” he said. “I’ll take care of it.”

  Sadie did not sleep for a second. For days and days she ha
d gone to sleep thinking about the lion. In the mornings he was the first thing on her mind. During school she worried, but just the thought of him lying in his hollow made her happy. And the best part of every day came after the lion had finished his meal. She remembered how he flopped down beside her. Sometimes, when he leaned against her, she could feel the slow rise and fall of his breathing.

  But that would soon be over.

  When the grandfather clock in the hall chimed to mark half past eleven, she got up and dressed. She sat on her bed and waited until she heard her father in the front hall.

  “Sadie?” he said, turning to her.

  “Dad, I just have to come.”

  “All right, then. Let’s go.”

  They went out the door and her father locked it behind them. A sudden rustling sound made them both freeze on the porch.

  Theo Junior emerged from the bushes.

  “I should have known,” her father said.

  The three of them walked to the park. They stood in the dark for just a few minutes before an old Model T truck wheezed down the road and stopped beside them. On the side were the words Wasserman’s Spectacular Circus and Animal Menagerie, the paint all chipped.

  The engine coughed, sputtered and died. Sadie could see a man in the front seat with a small dog beside him.

  “Stay in the truck, Daisy,” said the man as he got out. He was short and round and wore a battered straw hat. He walked with a limp.

  “Which one of you is Sadie Menken?”

  “I am,” said Sadie.

  “I was joking. Of course it’s you. And a girl with plenty of moxie, you are, taking care of Sunshine. Let me shake your hand, and yours, too, Mr. Menken. And while I’m at it, let me have yours, young fellow.”

  “I’m Theodore Kendrick Junior and I’m very glad to meet you. Did you get that limp in the train crash?”

  “No, that was given to me by a Bengal tiger in the ring. Tigers are very hard to work with. Give me a lion every time. Shall we go and get Sunny?”

  Sadie looked up into Sam Hibbins’ face. “I would like you to answer my question first. About whether Sunshine will be happy going back to the circus.”

  “Fair enough,” said the man. “Sunny never liked being in the circus much. The crowds made him nervous. He didn’t like all the noise and lights. He wouldn’t perform. In truth, Mr. Wasserman was getting good and sick of Sunny.”