Chapter 5 - That Green Rhumba

The apartment door was closed when I reached it; and whilst forming a basket for my parcel: the small tiger cub, which was, a product of a venture I had now deemed to be a result of “I rescued it” type thinking - I was certainly frantic, a bit frazzled but my arms were gently cradling their parcel.

In lieu of hands to knock with, I used what I could, kicking the bottom of the door with my right foot adorned in its respective black Ked, hoping some one would let in me and my companion.

A feverish moment ticked by and…

Suddenly the door swung open revealing Luke who, stood there unsuspectingly, and met me with his typical shallow eyes which, as he took in the immediate sight of the cub and me, moved from small - to galactic in size in the flash of an expedient second.

I plunged past him into the apartment looking for a place to unpack the cub, shouting a “sorry” like a hurried bike currier in downtown Manhattan as I leapt by him desperately needing an idea and a place to go…to hide? No. To further examine the tiger.

I'll say this: at this point of my living in the apartment complex I had come to understand the apartment's layout by heart. In my time living there -I had come to view the floor plan as a looking metaphorically as a snake’s body; rather than a labyrinth sans Minotaur. Meaning, the apartment was essentially a long corridor which lead from the front entrance (the snake’s head) to the back porch (the tail) with it's rooms adjoining the hallway on both sides like vestigial feet bones (thanks, Darwin). The lack of adequate lighting made it dim like a tunnel, and right now - a horizontal slide down which I plunged - destination: my bedroom.

My room was at the head of the snake, just to one right turn near the apartments front door.

I trucked briefly down the hallway, I second guessed where I should go? Not the kitchen - that lead to the rear balcony which was no place for a wild animal.

It was at first my intention to hide the cub from the roommates. But that seemed impossible now that Luke already had some Idea of my companion's nature. I could imagine scenarios playing-out in his mind. Phoning landlords and local patrolmen responding to a disturbance on the third floor.

I had to reach my bedroom. I could close and lock the door and there the tiger would be safe.

Likewise, this was no time to prognosticate to myself on the consequences of my actions; besides that, in my mind I was performing a service, nay a rescue mission.

Besides, I thought: the basement is no place for a wild animal. By now I was on a mission, convincing myself that it was alright to do this; but in the fumble I realized it was both a rescue operation and also a catnapping. I told myself that I had only the best intentions. But they say those paved hell.

I spun around the corner, racing down the hallway toward my room.

I flew by a poster of Abbey Road on the hallway wall which was failing at the corners.

Onward, further into safety and further and further away from the dingy basement where this all began - a basement: it's wide open doors painted peeling red primer, not once thinking of the tigers owner; whom gave its fancy collar, or more importantly - the cub’s parents.

Likewise, somehow Getting the tiger out of the dingy basement satiated my need for adventure. In the moment I felt both righteous and also greedy.

I broke through the doorway.

The room I entered was completely set up and livable. The bedroom of two typical college students.

The tiger squirmed in my sweaty arms.

As an animal, the tiger was exquisitely muscular and dense in my fumbling hands. It’s shoulders set out like speed bumps along its taught, framed back; it was invariably heavy for a small critter; but its fur was soft soft on my skin as it’s body sagged and I was almost unable to carry it any longer.

As I lumbered along, nearing the entrance to my room, the tiger nearly slipped out of my hands performing a technical maneuver, gripping my left arm with paws too big for its body and hung on tightly with a force like it was doing chin ups in phys. Ed.

Peering down for the first time since I had acquired the cat; I realized it was limber, strong, but playful. I felt no claws, as it gripped, no teeth as it’s head became nearly parallel with the mid section of my body and had I existed in the 1960’s, as it hung about - the feeling of it’s tufty ears gracing my forearm reminded me of a shag carpet interior of a fully pimped out van.

Finding it a seemingly dense for its size, it was cumbersome as a parcel to be carried two flights of stairs, three including the basement steps, but the traveling which seemed trying on the cub’s nature. It ruffled and squirmed more and more.

I entered my bedroom and approached the center, faced my bedspread and, not thinking too much woosh! I plopped the tiger cub on the snarled white down comforter which bedecked my unmade bed.

A thought of "night classes" whispered into my mind, and when It entered I was grateful that Rocket was no where to be seen.

As an individuals opinion; it is not always fair to share one’s views on what society deems “bizarre.” But better rather; to keep it under one’s hat, and dare never tell a soul.

Then this happened.

Just as this occurred: a bright green flash emanated from outside the apartment. It was a scintillating hue which washed over the top floor: a taut sea of jade-colored light. In addition to the brightness; a sound resounded: music, whispering a delightful rhumba underpinning a booming cacophony of far off drums.

The light flashed a green, bright pulse; which flooded easily through the bedrooms open windows, expanding through the space and saturating the white painted walls of bedroom in a viridescent wave; temporarily blinding me, causing me to slam-close my eyelids, as if a bright verdant train car had gone whirring - headlights ablaze, on an invisible track though the air past the top floor of the apartment complex.

I felt fear and astonishment quickly resound within me.

My eyes remained closed.

Sounding of the drums drifted off from whence they came. And after what felt like an eternal moment; eyelids opened slowly, one at a time.

I was sure that soon as the flash began, like the flash on Nemo’s camera: it had extinguished just as quickly.

I peered around. All was still. Not a thing was out of place. Except for me standing in the middle of a white-walled domicile in search for a cause of the disturbance. Otherwise, all was in its place.

The walls were white, again - sans explosion of green light. The distant sonosphere of the now expiring drums left me with a crushing feeling of plainness - a silence, a crushing feeling of ordinariness, that kind follows the end of a great novel, or an out of body experience, and left me feeling something exterior to my situation was very much - a foot.

I stared down at the tiger who looked up at me from the bed spot and reassumed it’s uncanny ability to imitate a plush one might find at a carnival.

I quickly ran to the door frame, let myself through, and closed the door behind me and ventured off to find the source of the light - forgetting I left the windows open for anyone to climb in...or climb out.