Mrs.Odboddy: And Then There was a Tiger by Elaine Faber
While the ‘tiger of war’ rages
across the Pacific during WWII, eccentric, elderly Agnes Odboddy, ‘fights the
war from the home front’. Then she finds a rat-filled shoebox on her porch, her
house is trashed and she is implicated in the Wilkey’s Market burglary! In her
own bumbling, hysterical manner, Agnes is determined to get to the bottom of
things.
Then a traveling carnival with a
live tiger joins the parishioners’ Harvest Fair at The First Church of the
Evening Star and Everlasting Light. Agnes bears some of the responsibility when
counterfeit bills are discovered at the carnival, and the war bond money goes
missing. She’s in trouble again. Her attempts to locate the war bond money lead
her into harm’s way. A friend’s betrayal results in a harrowing experience as
Agnes learns more about carnival life than she bargained for.
(Excerpt from Mrs. Odboddy – And Then There Was a Tiger)
For the next ten minutes, the trainer put the tiger through
his paces. Probably declawed, and totally dependent on a human to provide his
meat on the end of a stick, the tiger was as tame as a housecat. “Does anyone
want to pet Shere Khan? He’s very friendly,” the trainer said.
Agnes touched Maddie’s cheek. “What do you think?”
“I…I…think so. Yes!” Maddie stepped closer. She ran one
finger over Shere Khan’s head. “He’s so soft.” She stroked the tiger’s neck and
scratched behind his ear.
Shere Khan turned into the caress, opened his mouth and
yawned, showing long sharp teeth. His eyes sought Maddie’s face and their eyes
locked in a gaze that seemed to connect their soul. At last, Shere Khan stood
and ambled back toward the door of his caravan,
“Well, guess the show is over, folks. Our star has had
enough public adulation.” The trainer chuckled and turned away.
Agnes reached for Maddie’s hand and gave it a shake. “Are
you ready to go back now?”
Not responding, Maddie stared at the caravan door.
“Maddie? It’s time to go back.”
Maddie had not moved. She rubbed her fingers together,
seeming unable to relinquish the sensation of the tiger’s ear, reluctant to
forget the rumble in his throat as she stroked his face.
“Maddie?” Agnes searched Maddie’s face. The child seemed
lost in the memory of a special shared moment, reluctant to return to her
everyday life. “Shall we go, sweetheart?”
The child blinked. “I remember when we played together with
baby lambs and goats in a meadow in Heaven…before I was born. Do you think he
remembered, too?”
“What strange ideas you have, child. Where do you come up
with such things?” Agnes grasped Maddie’s hand and hurried her away.
Played
together in Heaven? What could have put such a thought into her head? Agnes
glanced at Maddie’s face. Her eyes were aglow, her smile as innocent as an
angel. Her face looked as though she truly remembered a day in Heaven when she
played in a meadow with lambs and a tiger.
Goosebumps crept up Agnes’s arms. Hadn’t Pastor Lickleiter
just preached on this text last Sunday? The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the
leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the
calf and the young lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child
shall lead them. (Isaiah 11:6 KJV)
“Wolves? Leopards?
Lambs and lions? Who’s to say there wasn’t a tiger among them?”
Elaine’s Bio:
Elaine Faber lives in Northern
California with her husband and four feline companions. She is a member of
Sisters in Crime, California Cat Writers, and Northern California Publishers
and Authors. She volunteers at the American Cancer Society Discovery Shop. She
enjoys speaking on author panels, sharing highlights of her seven published novels.
Her short stories have appeared in national magazines and multiple anthologies.
All novels are available at Amazon for $3.99 in e-book. Mrs. Odboddy – And Then There was a Tiger
Giveaway: Elaine is generously offering a $10 Amazon gift card to a random person who reads and comments on this post. Don't forget to leave your email address!
