The look in the tiger's eyes was one of suspicion. Our eyes locked instantly as I approached the reinforced-glass front of his enclosure.
Then it happened. I heard his voice. Not the growling of a wild animal. It was not a sound in my ears. He was speaking to me in my head.
"You are the one."
My pounding heart felt like it would escape my chest. I couldn't look away. The yellow irises ringed in black held me powerless.
"You are of the Ancient World."
And I knew what the tiger meant. As a child, our neighbor's adopted tabby talked to me. It told me I had once lived as a cat. My parents laughed at my story and said I had a great imagination. As I got older, I avoided cats, telling everyone I had allergies.
But here at the zoo, it was happening again. The tiger's voice was insistent. Images floated into my mind. A primitive city, swelling with cats.
"Look," the tiger voice murmured, "see your great temple in Egypt? The city of Bubastis, where they came to worship you?"
"Worship me?"
"Magnificent Bastet, Cat-Goddess, you have returned. You will rule again."
Claudia Rougé has received Honorable Mentions in two short story contests, and had an essay published in an online magazine. She has been writing since she was given her first pencil and rainbow tablet at age four. Of course, she was the only one who could read it. Before that, she made up stories, plays, and adoring audiences as well. Blog address: http://www.myspace.com/claumaroo
© 2007 Claudia Rougé. Original for CCF (Rougé grants CCF first electronic rights for one month; CCF may archive the material indefinitely and include it in an eBook anthology).
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