tiger story

It was a placid morning. The fog was thick, and all was quiet in the village. Not even the normal morning sounds of roosters and pigs filled the air. Then, it happened. There were startling sounds intermittently emerging from the village--cries here, then there. The village men were quick to respond. They gathered horses and weapons quickly and met at middle of the village. I was there with my horse as well. We knew the tiger was alarmed and fearful. It had already left the village and was lunging away through the forest. With no time to lose, we mounted and began to chase the tiger. It was in full stride, and we were too. For some reason, my horse was fast that day. Very fast. I was at the front of the pack in no time and quickly caught up to the tiger. The forest was free from underbrush, leaving trees as the only obstacles between the tiger and I as we moved in rhythmic motion together. Now I just had to wait for the perfect moment to jump from my horse, in between passing trees, to the tiger only feet away to the left of me. The moment came, and I took it, knife in hand. Barely missing a tree, like turning left on a road without waiting for an oncoming car to pass first, I landed on the tiger. Immediately, we entered a rolling tumble like a snowball. In a moment, all was still. I lay there in silence as the world returned to my senses. The pack of men encircled me. The tiger was motionless, knife still embedded in the ribs. There was simply a quiet affirmation from the men that all was accounted for. It was finished.

So, the story is not true, but there is a funny story behind it. I told Pedro stories at Bryan quite a bit. Well, there was a day, when I was eating lunch, that some of my friends wanted me to tell Pedro stories to friends of theirs that were sitting there. I wasn't up for it. So, their answer to this problem was to make up a story about me on the spot and tell it to their friends. I was sitting right there listening to this thing be concocted. Crazy...but funny, nonetheless. Now, I tell the story and find that most people really like it and are engrossed by it. It just has the essential parts of a story: setting, conflict, climax, and resolution. Those components are found everywhere in all good stories, including the Bible.