Tiger's Curse

by Collen Houck

  He continued, “It’s remarkable that he was able to maintain human form the entire time there. Perhaps it has something to do with time stopping.”

  “Do you really think time stopped in Kishkindha?”

  “Perhaps time just moves differently there, but I do know that you were gone in our time for only a short

  while.”

  I nodded, agreeing with his assessment. Feeling better after talking and also happy that I had told Mr.

  Kadam the truth, I said that I was going to read for a while and then go sleep for a long time with a soft pillow. He nodded and asked me to place all my clothing in the laundry bag provided so it could be cleaned overnight.

  Heading back to my suite, I began to gather my things. I threw in my clothes and tennis shoes too. Also, I carefully unrolled my blanket, removed the Golden Fruit, and wrapped it in a small towel. I picked up my sad-looking, filthy quilt and popped it into the laundry bag as well.

  I placed the laundry bag outside my door and hopped into bed, luxuriating in the soft, plush sheets. I sunk into the goose-down pillows and fell into a deep, relaxing sleep.

  The next morning, I smiled and stretched out all my limbs as far as they could go and still didn’t even reach the edge of the bed. I brushed out my hair again and pulled it up into a loose ponytail. Mr. Kadam was just sitting down to hash browns, toast, bacon, and Spanish omelets. I joined him, sipped my orange juice, and chatted about how exciting it was to be heading back home.

  Our laundry was brought back pressed and folded as if brand new. Taking some clothes out of the pile to wear, I transferred all the rest of the folded clothing to my other bag. When I got to my quilt, I stopped

  for a moment to smell the lemony soap they’d used and inspected it carefully for damage. Faded and old as it was, it was still holding together well. I sent a silent thanks to my grandmother, “They don’t make them anymore like you did, Gran.”

  I placed my folded quilt on the bottom of my backpack and put the gada on the side standing straight up. I’d taken the gada out to clean the night before, but I was surprised to find it shiny and spotless, as if it had never been used. Next, I set Fanindra carefully on top of my quilt and put the Golden Fruit right in the middle of her coils. Then I zipped it up, leaving just a part open so Fanindra could breathe. I didn’t know if she actually breathed, but it made me feel better anyway.

  After getting dressed, I met Mr. Kadam in the main room, and he took my large bag from me. We left the hotel room, me carrying the backpack and the staff people carrying our other bags. The valet drove the freshly washed Jeep right up to the door and held the doors open for us to climb in. They stowed our bags in the back, while I kept the backpack between my feet in the front seat.

  I felt happy, refreshed, and perfectly content the whole drive back to pick up Ren until we pulled up to the side of the road, and I saw him standing there. Not the tiger him, theman him. Mr. Kadam walked to him and hugged him. I could hear their voices, but I couldn’t make out what they were saying. I did hear Mr. Kadam laugh as he clapped Ren on the back rather loudly. He was obviously very happy about something.

  Soon after, Mr. Kadam walked back to the Jeep and opened the back door. Ren had changed back into a tiger. He curled up for a nap in the back while I pointedly ignored him and selected a book to keep myself occupied on the long drive.

  Mr. Kadam explained that we would have to stop at another hotel on the way back and that we would be driving all day. I told him that it was fine with me. I had plenty of books to read. Mr. Kadam had bought me a couple of novels at the hotel bookstore as well as a travel book of India.

  I napped on and off during the day between chapters. I finished the first novel by early afternoon and was nearing the end of the second book by the time we drove into the city. The car was unusually quiet.

  Mr. Kadam seemed in high spirits, but he wasn’t sharing, and Ren slept the day away in the back.

  After the sun went down, Mr. Kadam announced that we were nearing our destination. He indicated that he would drop me off first and then would take care of Ren. I shrugged, not caring much. I didn’t even stipulate a nice hotel again because I felt guilty about having Ren so far away. I could still lock my door if he decided to track me down, so I wasn’t worried.

  He dropped me off, got out of the vehicle, and had a long conversation with the concierge. We’d stopped at a nice hotel again. Not as nice as before, but still very upper class. He said that I should head to my room and get dressed in something nice. He wanted to have dinner in the hotel restaurant to celebrate. I nodded and followed the hotel employee to my room.

  I knew he would be gone awhile because he had to take Ren out to the jungle, so I took a long, hot shower and took the time to blow-dry my hair, scrunching it so it fell in soft waves down my back.

  When

  it was time to get dressed, I lamented over what to wear because all I had were jeans and T-shirts in my bag. I heard a knock at the door and shuffled over in my robe and slippers. A maid handed me a zipped garment bag and a box. I tried to talk to her, but she didn’t understand English. She just kept saying,

  “Kadam.”

  I took it, thanked her, and zipped open the garment bag to find a gorgeous dress inside. The bodice was fitted black velvet, and the sleeves and skirt were made of a pearlescent plum dupioni silk. Capped sleeves attached to the black velvet top and blended softly into a sweetheart neckline. The snug-fitting bodice made me look curvier than I really was. It tapered down to my hips and settled over the full plum,

  knee-length skirt. A belt, made of the same soft material as the skirt, was knotted on the side and pinned with a sparkling broach to emphasize my waist.

  The dress was silky, lined, and probably expensive. When I moved, the light hit the skirt and it shimmered, reflecting several different shades of purple. I’d never worn something so nice, except for the

  beautiful blue Indian dress I had back at the house. I opened the box and found a pair of strappy black heels with diamond buckles and a matching lily clip for my hair. A dress like this required makeup, so I headed to the bathroom and finished getting ready. I clipped the lily into my hair just over my left ear and

  finger-combed through my wavy hair. Then I slipped on my shoes and waited for Mr. Kadam.

  He soon knocked on my door and admired me with fatherly appreciation. “Miss Kelsey, you look beautiful!”

  I swirled my skirt for him. “Thedress is beautiful. If I look good, it’s all your doing. You picked out something fabulous. Thank you. You must have known that I wanted to feel like a girl for a change, instead of a camper Jane.”

  He nodded. His eyes seemed thoughtful, but he smiled at me, held out his arm, and escorted me out to the hotel elevator. We rode down the elevator and laughed about monkeys, as I told him about Ren running around with about twenty of them attached to his fur.

  We walked into a candlelit restaurant with white linen tablecloths and napkins. The hostess guided us to a section with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the lights of the city below. Only one of the tables in

  this section of the restaurant was occupied; it was a man dining alone. He was sitting with his back turned

  toward us as he looked out at the lights.

  Mr. Kadam bowed and said, “Miss Kelsey, I will leave you to your dining companion. Enjoy your dinner.” Then he walked out of the restaurant.

  “Mr. Kadam, wait. I don’t understand.”Dining companion? What is he talking about? Maybe he’s confused.

  Just then, a deep, too familiar voice behind me said, “Hello, Kells.”

  I froze, and my heart dropped into my stomach, stirring up about a billion butterflies. A few seconds passed. Or was it a few minutes? I couldn’t tell.

  I heard a sigh of frustration. “Are you still not talking to me? Turn around, please.”

  A warm hand slid under my elbow and gently turned me around. I raised my eyes and gasped softly. He wasbreathtaking ! So handsome, I wanted
to cry.

  “Ren.”

  He smiled. “Who else?”

  He was dressed in an elegant black suit and he’d had his hair cut. Glossy black hair was swept back away from his face in tousled layers that tapered to a slight curl at the nape of his neck.

  The white shirt he wore was unbuttoned at the neck. It set off his golden-bronze skin and his brilliant white smile, making him positivelylethal to any woman who might cross his path. I groaned inwardly.He’s

  like…like James Bond, Antonio Banderas, and Brad Pitt all rolled into one.

  I decided the safest thing to do would be to look at his shoes. Shoes were boring, right? Not attractive at all.Ah. Much better. His shoes were nice, of course—polished and black, just like I would expect. I smiled wryly when I realized that this was the first time I’d ever seen Ren in shoes.

  He cupped my chin and made me look at his face.The jerk . Then it was his turn to appraise me. He looked me up and down. And not a quick up and down like I would have preferred. Oh,no . He had to lookslowly . The kind of slow that made a girl’s face feel hot. I got mad at myself for blushing and glared

  at him.

  Nervous and impatient, I asked, “Are you finished?”

  “Almost.”

  He was now staring at my strappy shoes.

  “Well, hurry up!”

  His eyes drifted leisurely back up to my face.

  He smiled at me appreciatively, “Kelsey…when a man spends time with a beautiful woman, he needs to pace himself.”

  I quirked my eyebrow at him and laughed. “Yeah, I’m a regular marathon alright.”

  He kissed my fingers. “Exactly. Awise mannever sprints…in a marathon.”

  “I was being sarcastic, Ren.”

  He ignored me and tucked my hand under his arm then led me over to a beautifully lit table. He pulled the chair out for me, inviting me to sit.

  Speaking of marathons, I stood there wondering if I could sprint for the nearest exit.Stupid strappy shoes ,I’d never make it.

  He leaned in close and whispered in my ear, “I know what you’re thinking, and I’m not going to let you escape again. You can either take a seat and have dinner with me like a normaldate ,” he grinned at his word choice, “or,” he paused thoughtfully then threatened, “you can sit on my lap while I force feed you.”

  I hissed, “You wouldn’t dare. You’re too much of a gentleman to force me to do anything. It’s an empty bluff, Mr. Asks-For-Permission.”

  “Even a gentleman has his limits. One way or another, we’re going to have a civil conversation.I’m hoping I get to feed you from my lap, but it’syour choice.” He straightened up again and waited. I unceremoniously plunked down in my chair and scooted myself in noisily. He laughed softly and took the

  chair across from me. I felt guilty because of the dress and readjusted my skirt so it wouldn’t wrinkle.

  I glared at him as our waitress came over. She set my menu down quickly, and I had to watch as she took an extra long time giving him his menu. She stood near his shoulder and pointed out several choices while leaning over his arm. After she finally left, I rolled my eyes in disgust.

  Ren took his time perusing the menu and seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself. I didn’t even pick my menu up. He kept shooting me meaningful glances while I sat silently, trying to avoid making eye contact. When she came back, she spoke to him briefly and gestured to me. I smiled, and in a syrupy sweet voice, said, “I’ll have whatever will get me in and out of here the fastest. Like a salad, maybe.”

  Ren smiled benignly back at me and rattled off what sounded like a banquet of choices, which the waitress was more than happy to take her time writing down. She kept smiling and laughing with him too.

  Which I found very,very annoying.

  When she left, he leaned back in his chair and sipped his water.

  I broke the silence first and hissed at him quietly, “I don’t know what you’re playing at, but you only have about two minutes left, so I hope you ordered the steaktartare , Tiger.”

  He grinned mischievously. “We’ll see, Kells. We’ll see.”

  “Fine. No skin offmy nose. I can’t wait to see what happens when a white tiger runs through this nice establishment creating mayhem and havoc. Perhaps they will lose one of their stars because they put their

  patrons in danger. Maybe your new waitress girlfriend will run away screaming.”I smiled at the thought.

  He affected shock, “Why, Kelsey! Are youjealous ?”

  I snorted in a very unladylike way, “No!Of course not.” He grinned.

  I nervously played with my napkin. “I can’t believe you convinced Mr. Kadam to play along with you like this. It’s shocking, really.”

  He opened his napkin and winked at the waitress when she came to bring us a basket of rolls.

  When she left, I challenged, “Are you winking at her?Unbelievable! ”

  He laughed quietly and pulled out a steaming roll, buttered it, and put it on my plate.

  “Eat, Kelsey,” he commanded. Then he sat forward. “Unless you are reconsidering seeing the view from

  my lap.”

  Angrily, I tore apart my roll and swallowed a few pieces before I even noticed how delicious they were—light and flaky with little flecks of orange rind mixed into the dough. I would have eaten another one, but I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.

  The waitress returned shortly with two helpers, and they piled dish after dish on our table. Sure enough, he had ordered a smorgasbord. There was not one inch left on our table. He took my plate and piled it high with aromatic, mouth-watering selections. After placing it in front of me, he began filling his own.

  When he was finished, he set his plate down, looked at me, and raised an eyebrow.

  I leaned forward and whispered angrily, “I amnot going to sit on your lap, so don’t get your hopes up, buster.”

  He still waited until I picked up a fork and took a few bites. I speared a bite of macadamia nut crusted ruby snapper and said, “Whew. Time’s up. Isn’t it? The clock is ticking. You must be sweating it, huh? I mean, you could turnany second .”

  He just took a bite of curried lamb and then some saffron rice and sat there chewing as cool as a cucumber.

  I watched him closely for a full two minutes and then folded up my napkin. “Okay, I give. Why are you acting so smug and confident? When are you going to tell me what’s going on?”

  He wiped his mouth carefully and took a sip of water. “What’s going on,my prema , is that the curse has been lifted.”

  My mouth dropped open. “What? If it was lifted, why were you a tiger for the last two days?”

  “Well, to be clear, the curse is not completely gone. I seem to have been granted apartial removal of the curse.”

  “Partial? Partial meaning what, exactly?”

  “Partial, meaning a certain number of hours per day. Six hours to be exact.”

  I recited the prophesy in my mind and remembered that there were four sides to the monolith, and four times six was… “Twenty-four.”

  He paused, “Twenty-four what?”

  “Well, six hours makes sense because there were four tasks, four sides of the monolith. We’ve only completed one of the tasks, so you only get six hours.”

  He smiled at me. “I guess I get to keep you around then, at least until the other tasks are finished.”

  I snorted. “Don’t hold your breath, Tarzan.I …might not need to bepresent for the other tasks. Now that you’re a man part of the time, you and Kishan can resolve this problem yourselves, I’m sure.”

  He cocked his head and narrowed his eyes at me. “Don’t underestimate your level of…involvement, Kelsey. Even if you weren’t needed anymore to break the curse, do you think I’d simply let you go? Let you walk out of my life without a backward glance?”

  I nervously began toying with my food and decided to say nothing. That wasexactly what I’d been planning to do.

  Something had changed. The hurt and c
onfused Ren that made me feel guilty for rejecting him in Kishkindha was gone. He was now supremely confident, almost arrogant, and very sure of himself.

  He kept his eyes on my face while he ate. After he finished all the food on his plate, he filled it again two

  more times. He ate at least half of every dish on the table.

  I squirmed under his gaze and played with my food. He looked like the cat that got the cream or the student who had all the answers to the test before the teacher even told the class about it. He was disgustingly pleased with himself, and I sensed that there was much more to his newfound confidence than just getting time back as a man.

  He seemed toknow . Know my secret thoughts and feelings. His confidence set me on edge. I felt like I was backed into a corner, and he was holding all the cards.

  “The answer to that question is…I won’t. You belong here. Which leads me to the discussion I wanted to have with you.”

  “Where I belong is for me to decide, and though I may listen to what you have to say, that doesn’t mean I will agree with you.”

  “Fair enough.” He pushed his empty plate to the side. “We have some unfinished business to take care of.”

  “If you mean the other tasks we have to do, I’m already aware of that.”

  “I’m not talking about that. I’m talking aboutus .”

  “What aboutus ?” I put my hands under the table and wiped my clammy palms on my napkin.

  “I think there are a few things we’ve left unsaid, and I think it’s time we said them.”

  “I’m not withholding anything from you, if that’s what you mean.”

  “You are.”

  “No. I’m not.”

  “Are you refusing to acknowledge what has happened between us?”

  “I’m notrefusing anything. Don’t try to put words in my mouth.”

  “I’m not. I’m simply trying to convince a stubborn woman to admit that she has feelings for me.”

  “If Idid have feelings for you, you’d be the first one to know.”

  “Are you saying that youdon’t feel anything for me?”