Into the Wild
There was once a tiger called Joseph. Joseph was a large tiger with silky black-and-orange fur and razor claws.
Now, Joseph had a dream. He wanted to go to Africa where he was born. When he was a baby tiger, the zoo keepers took him away from his family and shipped him to Miami Zoo. Joseph could never forget those moments that haunted him like ghosts.
Once, when the zoo was open, a red-haired girl of about six came close to the tiger. Joseph was very happy to see that someone thought that he was beautiful, but something else caught his eye.
The brochure that the girl's mum was holding showed an enormous, white ferry with thousands of passengers on it. In big, colourful letters it said: 'Afica. A ferry with a zoo.' Joseph knew that it was his only chance.
That night, Joseph was planning the great escape. It was not hard for him to jump over the cage fence, it was not a problem, but how would he get to the ferry? He thought about it and decided to splash water in his water bowl all over himself, so sand could stick to him. That is what he did.
The next morning, he went to the harbour and saw the ferry. It was even more amazing than on the brochure. White sheep of steam and grey sheep of smoke were coming out of the bright red pipes. Elegant Chinese parasols were placed next to every seat that made them look like canapés. Children were splashing in the waterpark with swirly water-slides of all the colours of the rainbow.
Joseph decided to get onto the ship immediately. Nobody would think that he was some randome tiger on the ship because there was a zoo.
Joseph took a run-up. Three, two, one and... Joseph was too scared. He carefully stepped onto the plastic staircase and crept into the sunlounge.
'A monster! A sand-monster! A tiger!' Joseph heard someone squeal.
Two men in black uniforms, probably stewards, put a hat over Joseph's face and took him somewhere. Joseph could only feel the rough slopes of the staircases and the cold, smooth walls covered in water vapour.
In a few minutes, the two stewards pushed Joseh somewhere and Joseph recognized this place, this 'somewhere'. He began to feel fear. What if he were to never get out of this prison, this horrible jail for animals?
Then, the next day came. People came to the ship's zoo. They looked at snakes and rabbits, squirrels and birds, but never paid much attention to them. They liked Joseph and not because he was such an exotic animal. They felt sadness in his eyes.
They sailed for a week or maybe it was just a couple of days. Nevertheless, Joseph felt lonely. The other animals never talked to Joseph because they were jealous. They were just envious animals with souls as dark as Joseph's stripes.
One day, when the ferry arrived everyone was happy, but not Joseph. He knew he would be taken back to Miami and knew that he would never see his family in Africa again. He thought people who came to the zoo came to gaze at his unclever tricks, but no.
A woman with a girl came to the captain. (Joseph did not see that, of course.)
'Sir, there is a tiger in the ship zoo. Let him go to the other tigers in Africa.'
'It isn't possible...'
'It is. We will pay you.'
The magical word 'pay' made the captain go to the zoo. He opened Joseph's cage and their eyes met.
'His eyes... Yes, the tiger has to go to the jungle.'
He led the tiger to the hull. Every time someone saw Joseph applause was heard. By the time they reached the hill a crowd was formed behind them.
'So, the tiger will swim wherever he wants to go,' the captain said with tears in his eyes, 'and we will say bye.'
Joseph heard people crying and he could not bear it. He jumped into the warm waters of the ocean.
Fir two days he swam, eating only fish, when he reached the land. He saw his fellow tigers and swam quicker to the jungle.
He reached the jungle and met all the tigers and told them his story.
Now this story is written down. The true story of a tiger called Joseph.
Of course, Joseph lived happily ever after, got married and now died. This is the end of this story: Joseph's death. Peace be upon him, peace be upon the tiger with human eyes, with human feelings. |
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