Samantha's Talent

by Darrell Bain

  "I'll watch her, honey. Besides, there's usually no way she could speak to the animals anyway, without shouting. Remember, they're confined."

  Something about the planned expedition raised Elaine Douglas' hackles but she said no more about it. After all, Samantha had been really good since they moved from Alaska and the German Shepherd, Shufus, was a wonderful dog, as dogs went. He was so well behaved it was almost uncanny but she didn't let herself think about why. She still didn't want her daughter to be different from other young girls, not after the trouble in Alaska. It made her cautious. She just wished there was a way to get that fixation about being able to talk to animals out of her mind. She had thought once or twice about seeking psychiatric help for her but after some consideration, decided that wasn't a good idea. If she did consult a mental health expert and it got out, Samantha would really be thought strange then. About all she could do was wait and hope her delusion would go away on its own once she reached puberty and began thinking of boys like all young girls do. It wouldn't be long now, she knew.

  Besides being allowed to participate in the class trip to the zoo, Samantha also received permission to go by Betty's house each day after school for just a few minutes to say hello to the dog she was trying to help. Each day she faithfully told her Mother about her progress in amending Tuffy's behavior. On Friday, she stayed a few minutes extra just to reinforce Tuffy's improvement until she could come and stay longer.

  Samantha was up early Saturday morning and began doing her chores; cleaning her room, bringing the laundry to the washroom, sweeping out the garage and then helping her mother in the kitchen, preparing a meal that would do for both Saturday and Sunday as was their usual practice. Elaine liked to have one day free from cooking.

  Samantha had just finished flowering the roast that would be the mainstay of the weekend dinners. She placed it in the big skillet to brown before going into the oven, then the land phone rang. Elaine picked up the kitchen extension.

  Samantha couldn't help but overhear her Mother's side of the conversation and quickly gathered that it had something to do with Betty's Dachshund, Tuffy. On no! She thought. Surely he hasn't run off again after promising not to. She practically held her breath as she heard her Mother say, "Well, Sammie has always had a way with animals. I'm glad she was able to help. Yes, certainly she can come over and stay for a while today. No, you needn't bother. Sammie told me you live on Rucker Road. She can walk and Shufus will go with her so no one will dare bother her." She was silent for a moment then said, "You're welcome," and hung up.

  "Come here, Sammie," she said.

  "Is something wrong?" Samantha asked fearfully. It hadn't sounded like it.

  "No, of course not. I just wanted to give you a hug for being so good." She held out her arms and Samantha gratefully hugged her Mother.

  "That was Mr. Orleans, as you probably guessed. He called to thank us for letting you help on their problem with Betty's dog. Obviously you did well, but the most important thing is that you didn't try to convince him you could talk to animals."

  "I told you I wouldn't say that, Mom, even if it is true. I can."

  "Sure," Elaine said, still unbelieving but also grateful that her only child was learning not to advertise her non-existent talent. What she thought was non-existent, but still... Sammie certainly had a way with animals, no doubt about that! Maybe... no, it couldn't be. No one could do that. Animals weren't even smart enough to talk! "Anyway, you can go over to Betty's house this afternoon for a couple of hours if you want to. You've helped enough for today. Girls should have time for fun, too."

  Samantha hugged her Mother again. "Thanks, Mom." She was glad her parents were so good to her, unlike some of the kids who told of mothers and fathers who were very strict with them and sometimes even beat them when they did something wrong, even just a little something.

  Soon she was on her way to visit Betty, Shufus by her side. He was always happy to go for a walk and never strayed, even when other dogs tried to entice him away.

  "Hi, Sammie. Hi Shufus. Come on in."

  "Hi Betty, hello, Tuffy. Have you been a good dog?"

  "Woof! Arf!"

  "He says he's been good," Samantha said.

  "Is that what he said in dog talk?" a deep voice said and then Mr. Orleans appeared from another room.

  "Daddy, this is Sammie. And that's her dog, Shufus."

  "We're glad to meet you, Mr. Orleans. Shufus, go shake hands with Mr. Orleans."

  Obediently Shufus ambled over and offered a front paw to the man, who took it with a bit of apprehension. Shufus was growing into a fine big German Shepherd.

  "He doesn't bite does he?" Mr. Orleans asked, looking at Shufus.

  "Oh, no! He would never do anything like that!"

  "I didn't think Tuffy would, either but he tried once or twice."

  Samantha thought a moment, then said. "Mr. Orleans, you don't have to hit a dog to make them mind you. Just speaking to them in a stern voice is enough. They'll usually get the idea, although sometimes it takes several incidents before they understand. But dogs naturally want to be good for their people. They just don't always understand how."

  "I see," Mr. Orleans said. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Anyway, Tuffy has certainly been a good dog all week."

  Tuffy wagged his tail at the mention of his name and the phrase "good dog" coming from his big person.

  Samantha grinned. "You said the right thing. Didn't he, Tuffy?"

  "Woof!" Yes!

  Mr. Orleans laughed. He reached down to tickle behind Tuffy's ears for a moment then left the girls to play.

  This problem seems to be solved, Samantha thought. I just wish they were all that easy.

  For most of the time during her visit with Betty and Tuffy she and Betty stayed in the back yard, playing fetch with Shufus and Tuffy, who learned the game quickly. Samantha loved listening to their excited barking. To anyone else it was only a bark but to her the meaning came through loud and clear. Throw again! Throw again! The dogs were pretending the squeaky toys were rabbits and their innocently vicious thoughts seemed perfectly natural to her. Dogs had a hunting ancestry in their genes and chasing thrown toys gave them a chance to express it when no real rabbits or other prey were available.

  Mr. Orleans joined them for a few minutes and Samantha held Shufus back while the man threw the squeaky toy for Tuffy. "I've never seen anyone who can teach dogs so quickly," he said. "Your mother is right. You do have a way with animals. Have you thought about becoming a veterinarian when you grow up?"

  "A vet... a veterinarian? Isn't that an animal doctor?"

  "Right. You're so good with dogs and your Mother said you have a way with animals. It would be a perfect profession for you when you're grown."

  All the way home while she walked with Shufus by her side, Samantha thought about what Mr. Orleans had said. Maybe I should, she thought. I think I'll look into it. Up until then Samantha had never thought of doctoring animals but now it seemed like a good idea. At least the animals would be able to tell her where it hurt and how they felt. She decided to ask her father about it while they were at the zoo.

  Chapter Four

  According to the on-line references Samantha read, Lufkin supported a very good zoo for a city its size. That fact alone made her doubly anxious for the next four days to pass so it would be Saturday. She was really glad her father had volunteered to help as a chaperone, too. He would never make fun of anyone who asked questions. She loved almost all animals, especially the mammals, the most intelligent of them. Samantha began talking about all the variety of creatures they would see and how the zoo tried to arrange for as near a normal habitat for them as possible and which exhibits she particularly wanted to visit until her Father finally laughed.

  "You're a real chatterbox, Sammie. I hope your friends will enjoy this as much as you think you will."

  "Oh, I know I'll have a good time, Dad. Thanks so much for volunteering, too. It's too bad Mom didn't want to come."
>
  "Saturday is her shopping day, Sammie. Remember? She works just as hard as I do during the day keeping house, or you do while at school. Besides, I think it's good for fathers and daughters to get out together once in a while even if it is with a gang of boisterous young ladies."

  Samantha laughed, knowing he was only teasing.

  The ride to the zoo took longer than she thought it would. After all, she could see part of it from their backyard, but the route couldn't go in a straight line. This was because of the woods between the zoo and their house, which was on the last block of the development situated along an elevated ridge of land. The class left in a convoy of cars driven by Ms. Smithers and the parents who had volunteered. Even though she was so anxious to get there that she was practically bouncing against the seat belt, Samantha did enjoy seeing a new part of the city. It was too bad Shufus couldn't come, she thought. He loved to ride and stand on the seat and look out the window.

  The fee was paid by the school so there was no waiting at the entrance and soon Samantha and her classmates were among the exhibits of animals.

  First came the giraffes and elephants.

  "Wow! I didn't think they were that big!" Samantha said. She, like the other students, was awed by their size. She found on the information plaque that elephants were one of the more intelligent mammals. She wished she could talk to them. They were certainly close enough but she had promised, and there were all her classmates as well as other visitors nearby.

  The monkeys were fun to watch with their swarming antics on the climbing ropes and simulated tree branches. Even better, patrons could get close to them although they were separated by a chain link fence similar to that around yards. The monkeys pushed their hands through the holes between links, begging for peanuts and other food. She wanted to feed them some of her remaining corn dog but a sign was posted in large letters at nearly every exhibit, including this one:

  PLEASE DO NOT FEED THE ANIMALS!

  It was hard for her to resist their entreaties since she could clearly understand them. They were saying Give food! Give food, please!

  "I'm sorry, we aren't allowed to feed you," Samantha said out loud.

  Immediately the monkeys within hearing stopped what they were doing and stared at her. Whoops! She thought. I forgot.

  She glanced around and saw that her father was looking at her in a reproving fashion.

  "I'm sorry, Dad. I just forgot," she whispered so no one else could hear.

  "It's okay but let's move on so they'll go back to playing for the other people.

  Several adults and a few of the students stared at her for a moment, wondering what had happened but then shrugged and went back to watching the monkeys' antics.

  "The big cats are next," the zoo attendant who was accompanying the class said. "We have some from all over the world." Samantha wanted to talk to her and ask about her profession but she decided it wouldn't be a good idea with so many others around, including her classmates.

  The first exhibit of big cats were the tigers. They had a large roaming area that was confined by a moat and a tall chain-link fence. The barriers let the visitors watch without danger to themselves.

  Samantha stood by the rail, looking down and out at the big striped cats. There were three of them. Two were walking lazily around but the third stayed by itself. Himself, she amended as she determined its gender. He didn't look very happy.

  The zoo attendant was a nice looking, matronly woman with short graying hair. "This is feeding time," she announced. "Our tigers are fed mostly on beef since they are carnivorous, which means they are meat eaters. They would probably prefer to hunt and kill their own meals, such as zebras or gazelles, but of course we don't have room or spare zebras and such so they are given pieces of beef to eat."

  As she talked big chunks of meat attached to bones began dropping among the cats. The two that had been moving around immediately grabbed big hunks of it and began gnawing ferociously. The other also found a section of beef but Samantha noticed that it appeared to be eating more delicately, nibbling rather than tearing at the meat on the bone. When the tiger began chewing he gave out a subdued coughing noise. It meant nothing to anyone else but Samantha heard it clearly as a sound of pain, as if it hurt him to eat. She wanted to ask it what was wrong, but again there were too many people around. She could understand the tiger's rumbling voice as it ate though, just as clearly as if he had been human. Hurts! Mouth hurts! She wanted desperately to tell the attendant but how could she explain without telling her she could talk to animals?

  "It's time to move on now," Ms. Smithers told the class and their chaperones.

  As the group walked away they lost sight of the tigers. Samantha was barely paying attention to where they were going because she was thinking about the tiger that had been hurting. It looked so sad, even while eating. Suddenly she had an idea.

  "Dad, I think I'm going to be sick. Maybe we should go back home." She looked up at her father and tried to look as if she felt unwell. She actually did feel a little sick at the thought of the pain the tiger had expressed while eating.

  "What's wrong, Sammie?"

  "I'm... I feel sick to my stomach."

  "Come on, let's talk to your teacher." They hurried along until Samantha's father could speak to Ms. Smithers. "Samantha says she's feeling sick. Maybe it was the corn dog, but I should probably take her home."

  "Oh, I'm so sorry. We're not even half finished but if she's sick, by all means take her home, or to the doctor."

  "Thank you. I'll do that."

  "Goodbye, Ms. Smithers. Thank you for bringing us to the zoo," Samantha said.

  "You're welcome Samantha. Now go on home and I hope you get to feeling better real soon."

  The class moved away and Ronald led Samantha back in the direction from which they'd came. Once they were back to where the tigers were confined, she stopped and grabbed her father's hand. "Dad, I'm not really sick. I just wanted to come back here and talk to one of the tigers. It's hurting real bad and can't eat well."

  "Oh, Sammie. You know you can't talk to it here. What would your mother say?"

  "It won't take but a minute, Dad and no one else is nearby," she pleaded.

  He looked around and saw that she was right. "Go ahead, but hurry and get it over with while we're alone."

  "Oh, thanks, Dad. You're so good to me." She turned and looked across the moat at the tigers. The one who had been eating slowly was still there but the other two were farther away, sunning themselves.

  "Hello Mr. Tiger! What's your name?"

  The tiger looked up in surprise. It wasn't certain who had spoken to it in tiger language but it had to be one of the people he could see. He rumbled a reply. Growlfer is what Samantha heard.

  "Does it hurt you to eat?"

  Yes. Hurts. Tooth hurts.

  "I'll try to get someone to help you, Growlfer," Samantha told him.

  "What is going on here?" A voice from behind Samantha and her father asked.

  They both whirled around. A zoo employee with a name tag reading Dr. SUMMERS, VET. was staring at Samantha with her hands on her hips. She was young and pretty with dark hair worn in matching braids but at the moment she had a very stern look on her face. "What is going on here?" She repeated. "It isn't nice to tease our animals."

  "I wasn't teasing, ma'am," Samantha responded. "The tiger there hurts when he tries to chew his food," she said without thinking. "His tooth hurts. And his name is Growlfer."

  "Young lady, what makes you think that tiger's tooth hurts? Has he told you, by chance? And given you his name in the bargain?"

  Samantha thought quickly, attempting to stay out of trouble so her mother wouldn't hear about the episode. "I just called him Growlfer because that's what he looks like his name should be. And can't you tell by the way he's eating that it hurts him to chew?"

  "I--" The veterinarian's gaze went from Samantha to the tiger. She watched as it cautiously removed the last bit of meat from the bone. The ot
her two tigers had finished long before.

  "You know, you could be right. He could have a sore tooth. What's your name?"

  "Samantha Douglas," she responded, then realized she shouldn't have given her name. She was afraid to look at her father, who she knew would be upset with her.

  "Well, Samantha, we'll take a look at him tonight. What was it you called him?"

  "Growlfer. That's his name."

  "Well, it suits him, anyway." She smiled for the first time, making her look even younger.

  "We need to go, Sammie," her father said.

  She knew he meant it by the tone of his voice. She could hardly bear to leave while knowing the big cat was hurting so much but her father's admonition left no leeway for argument. "Goodbye, Growlfer," she called, then followed her father's urging. She looked back from time to time until the tigers were out of sight.

  A middle-aged gentleman who had overheard the exchange between Samantha, the tiger and the zoo veterinarian noticed that all three tigers followed the young girl with their eyes until she was out of sight. He took out his phone and made a note of her name, which he had also overheard. After that he began walking in the same direction the veterinarian had gone.

  A bit later Ronald sat down on a bench and told his daughter to sit beside him.

  "Sammie, perhaps we shouldn't mention the little contretemps with the tiger to your Mother. You promised, you know."

  Tears appeared and wet her eyelashes, causing them to glint in the sunlight. "Dad, I know I promised but I just couldn't help it. Poor Growlfer was hurting really bad and no one knew it."

  "I'm sure they would have noticed eventually. Sammie, you are going to have to learn to be careful about talking to animals when 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!"