My father's illegal poaching started it. I knew I should condemn his act of capturing exotic animals and selling them on the black market, but how? He brought me close and personal to animals most people will only read about in National Geographic. Like the atelopus frog from Ecuador. I shook as I held the glass dome that separated me from the fuchsia and black creature, aware of its danger. Its patterns looked like Polynesian tribal tattoos. I wanted to let the frog crawl across my hand, but one does not handle the poison arrow frog.
I also enjoyed rubbing my hand across the pangolin's scales, reminding me of a pinecone. Father captured it from East Asia. The pangolin resembled an anteater that wore a coat of arms. I would have liked to have kept him as a pet, knowing that whoever bought him would probably kill him to eat or use for medicinal purposes.
But the Crème Brule of all Father's captures came after a phone call that changed my whole life.
As I worked in my lab, I answered the phone to Father. "Lucious, come to the arc at once." Father called his warehouse the arc, referencing Noah, who captured every animal species on earth and rescued them from the great flood, yet Father wasn't saving his animals.
"Father, I am in the middle of my research," I said as I drew cloudy liquid from the vial into a syringe, my phone balanced between my ear and shoulder. Sweat percolated under my lab coat. I felt good about the formula and didn't want to see my experiment fail again.
"None the matter. I need you here as soon as possible. In fact, you are already ten minutes late."
Father didn't demand my time like that. What made him need me so urgently?
"I can't just walk away from what I am doing. I believe I have discovered a new hormone that is similar to oxytocin. However, this hormone hasn't been recognized because it mimics--"
"Lucious, the new hormone will be there when you get back. I need you at the arc now!"
Father hung up to prevent any arguments.
"Crusty," I mumbled.
I put the phone down and went to the cage. The Norwegian rat hissed at me, baring its yellow teeth. The scar on my hand reminded me to be more careful in handling the rats. I had found a supplier who bred his rats for maximum aggression, which I needed for my experiments. It didn't help that I detested rats, but now I had the meanest of their species.
I put the syringe through the cage bars, and the needle sunk deep into its skin as I pushed in the hormone. Long squeaks, almost like a scream, came from the vermin. I shuttered.
What would result from my new compound?
I left the rat, knowing time would show the effect, if any, of my hormone. I drove the five minutes from my lab to the arc. It had been years since I had been to Father's warehouse.
I grumbled on the way. "I am a forty-year-old man. Why am I letting Father drag me into this?"
The front of the warehouse said, "Silk Plants by Divia. Find me on Amazon." Father sold a handful of silk plants online as a cover. He kept the price so high that hardly anyone bought any. That way, his phony business didn't get in the way of his animal trafficking. Dad buzzed me into his massive warehouse.
"Father, what could be so imminent that you demand my audience at your very beckoning?"
Father met me with a quick hug. He wore an Ermenegildo Zegna suit and looked like he belonged on Wall Street, not in an illegal animal trafficking ring.
"I have to be leaving now. I have a lead on the rarest of animals and no time to wait. I will need you to watch the arc while I am gone."
"What about Brody? It's his job to tend your animals in your absence," I replied. A foul odor hit me, and I gagged. My hand covered my nose.
Brody entered the reception area. "That, Dr. Frencous, is a hoatzin."
"You have a stinkbird?" I asked.
"Yes, Doctor."
My eyes watered. "Wow, that is worse than a skunk. I hope you will be selling that one soon." I could almost taste the putrid odor.
"Never mind my ventures," Father said.
"Never mind your ventures? You called me here to mind your ventures."
I could hardly think with such a repugnant stench.
Brody slapped my back. "I have a ledger in the office categorizing the animals housed in the arc. Listed are the care instructions for each; however, I doubt you will need that. But they are there for your reference."
In my haste, I still needed to remove my lab coat. I slipped it off and put it on a chair. I asked Brody, "Why aren't you tending to the animals of the arc?"
Father replied, "Because Brody will assist me in my travels."
"Well, I didn't agree to care for your animals." My fingers found a loose string on my lapel, and I pulled at it.
"Would you prefer I go to jail?"
"Come again?"
"I can't leave my animals to die. Therefore, I must secure a keeper for them. If you don't do it, I will have to hire help. I assume anyone that takes that employment will turn me in once they see the animals I keep."
Father had a strong point. "Fine," I said. "But can you sell the stinkbird before you leave?"
Brody laughed. I didn't see what was so funny. I could help out, I guess. But I couldn't be subjected to that horrific smell every time I came over.
Brody stood next to Father. "In two days, you will meet a contact named Marcus outside of Starbucks on main. You will hand over the hoatzin. The instructions are in the office."
"Woo! No! I am not part of your trafficking ring. It's already too much asking me to care for your animals, but I will not be doing trades for you."
"Fine," father said. "The bird can stay until I return."
"And when will that be?"
"At least a month, if not more."
"A month! No, I can't babysit your animals for a month."
"Who paid for your doctorate?" Such a manipulative move on Father's part.
"Fine, whatever."
A horsey groan came from the back of the warehouse. The sound bothered me like some people are annoyed by fingernails on a chalkboard. "The call of a stinkbird, I presume."
Brody smiled.
A month of obnoxious odor and abhorrent bird calls!
"Fine, I will meet your contact for the stinkbird, but don't ever ask me to do that again."
What would happen to my career if the buyer of the stinkbird was an undercover agent?
After Father and Brody left, I decided to make the rounds.
"What exotic animals do you have?"
I slipped on blue coveralls to protect my clothing. Father had five rooms he housed his animals in from the reception area. I spent as much time at the arc as possible as a kid. But, as I grew older and more professional, I kept a distance between myself and Father's illicit ventures.
I walked into room one and saw only empty cages. Phew. The fewer animals to care for, the better.
Room two had two fennec foxes, most likely from Arabia. The little guys had a mixture of apricot and white fur. Their adorable cooing quickly took on a screeching noise as they responded to my presence.
I discovered four large aquariums in room three. Leafy Sea Dragons swam with their ornate appendages flowing in the water. The seahorse-looking creature also appeared much like a floating plant. Father had recently returned from Australia, and these were probably his latest capture.
I plugged my nose as I went into room four. I knew I would find the stinkbird in it from the smell and the constant hissing and croaking. Despite its scent, the avian looked stunning. It resembled a pheasant with a blue face and maroon eyes. It had a rufous crest on its head and a mix of crissum and chestnut coloring on its body. It grunted at me, and I struggled to breathe in its presence. I quickly closed the door.
As I moved to room five, a massive growl made me jump. My heart raced from the unexpected noise. What did Father have in there? I knew room five kept his big game. He had a holding cage made of plexiglass to give its occupants 3,000 feet of living space. What made that noise?
I opened the door and gasped. This had to be the most magnificent animal I had ever seen Father capture. Staring at me stood a polar bear. The coldness in the room made my arm hairs stand up, despite wearing the thick coveralls.
All the trepidation and anger I had at my assignment dissipated. I loved polar bears more than any other animal. I appreciated their strength and massive paws. They had a playful disposition. Perhaps I wished for the attributes that defined the noble creatures.
The enclosure had a pool and some large toys, yet it seemed a cruel habitat for the stunning mammal.
____________________________________________________________________
Majestic
by Stephanie Daich
I walked to the glass and put my hand on it. To my surprise, the polar bear reached his paw up to mine. The enormous paw dwarfed my hand. I longed to open the enclosure and pet the magnificent beast but knew that would be a death sentence.
After spending more time than I could afford, I returned to my lab.
Elations overcame me when I approached the Norwegian rat's cage. He made a soft bruxing when he looked at me. Never had any of my Norwegian rats purred. Had my derivative hormone worked? For the past five years, I had labored to isolate the hormone that I believed regulated peace and calmness. I put thick rubber gloves on and grabbed my shocking rod in case the rat tried to attack me. Slowly I opened the cage. The rat didn't bolt. It looked up at me with its whiskers fluttering. I opened my right palm with my left hand on the trigger of the shocking wand. The rat sniffed my hand and climbed onto it. It rubbed its hind end against my thumb. The rat didn't present aggressive behavior like hissing, kicking, or showing its teeth. Instead, it snuggled into my hand and peeped.
My heart raced. Was this real? Adrenalin rushed through me as I cautiously brought my left hand over and groomed the back of the rat's neck. I spent the next eight hours handling the rat. Not once did it try to fight or bite me. It reminded me of a domestic cat brushing against and nestling into me.
His behavior seemed as if the injection worked. Now, it was time for scientific evidence. I put microbes on his head and ran a series of brain scans. Indeed, I had changed the rat's aggressive nature!
Would he stay like this? After returning him to his cage, I mixed more of the hormone and injected it into five more Norwegian rats. For the next week, I balanced my time between my lab and the arc. I felt pulled between the two places. Eventually, I moved some of my lab into the arc. I hardly ate or slept. My experiment consumed me, only to be abandoned for the time I took to care for the animals at the arc. I had forgotten to meet the buyer for the stinkbird, which left me stuck with the repulsive animal. Meanwhile, I had six docile rats that acted more like domesticated felines.
I locked the rats in their cages and went to room five. "Hey, Majestic," I said to the polar bear. As much as I loved my experiment with the rats, I equally enjoyed my time with the polar bear I named Majestic.
Majestic did summersaults in his pool, then ran up to me. Water dripped from him and soaked the ground. He danced, bobbing up and down, then rolled to his pool, splashing around, and returned to me. He appeared almost as interested in me as I was with him.
I wanted to go into his cage and play with him. Why did polar bears appear so sweet but were so deadly?
In my second week at the arc, I did something that might be considered imbecilic, but curiosity necessitated it. I brought the six Norwegian rats into bed with me. They climbed on my stomach and cradled me as I lay down. We slept like that the entire night. I had no doubts my experimental hormone was a success!
When Father returned, I planned to go to my cabin in Alaska and create a journal article about the new hormone. I found solitude and a haven on my 500 acres up north. No one knew I had it, not even Father. I used my property as a place to escape my colleagues and Father.
"Hey, Majestic," I said as I entered room five. The beautiful bear came to me and pawed at the glass. I held my hand up to him. "If only you could sleep with me like the rats."
An idea filled my head like lightning hitting me from the sky.
If I could domesticate rats with my hormone, I could do the same to Majestic. I had no doubts.
I spent the next week formulating the hormone to an effective dose on a polar bear. Then, I did something I hated to do. I used the tranquilizer gun to put Majestic to sleep. I cautiously entered his enclosure and injected my hormone derivative into him. Then, I waited.
Majestic's behavior didn't change. He still showed off for me when I visited him. With the aggressive rats, I could sense a behavior modification immediately. How would I know if the injection worked?
There was only one way to find out.
I timidly stepped halfway into the enclosure.
"Hey, Majestic. Don't hurt me."
He pounced to me and swatted me down with his heavy paw. The force threw me across his pen. He swatted me again, and I skidded over the wet cement. My heart raced, and pressure grew in my ears. I had been wrong. I had made the most stupid mistake of my career. Now, Majestic would take my life.
He swatted me around, then nudged his head into me. I tried to get up, but he pushed me down. I balled myself into a fetal position. Majestic came to my side and laid into me and purred.
I stayed balled up for at least half an hour, then slowly crawled toward the exit. Majestic took his paw, pulled me into his chest, and kept me there. The teddy bear was cuddling me.
Had it worked? Had my hormone caused Majestic to exhibit calmness and peace? I stayed in his arms until they slipped off me in his sleep. As stealthy as a ninja, I got out of the enclosure.
After my nerves settled, I returned to room five. Majestic swam in his pool but quickly came out. He put his paws out, and I met them on the other side of the glass. He sat next to me and purred.
Had it worked?
Battered around in the enclosure by Majestic had been the scariest time of my life. Was I willing to go back in? Life indeed flashes before your eyes when you are going to die. I had gone through an array of emotions and fear when Majestic had dribbled me around like a ball. Fortune had brought me out alive. Or success. I still didn't know which one. But the scientist in me couldn't let it rest. Eventually, I opened the enclosure and went in.
Majestic swatted me again, then used his massive tongue and groomed me.
"I think we are friends," I said. I presented Majestic with a fish, and he gently took it out of my hand.
I soon forgot the Norwegian rats as my attention turned to Majestic, the new subject of investigation and experiments.
I had been anxious to try something, not out of experiment, but more for my pleasure. When Majestic was on all fours, I hosted myself on his back. He didn't react. He walked around the enclosure as I rode him! There is nothing more thrilling in life than riding a polar bear. My hands buried into his course guard hair. His under hair was soft, and I loved rubbing my hand in it. Most people don't know that polar bears have hair and not fur.
Another time I rode Majestic, I left the enclosure door open, and he carried me around the arc. I felt his large muscles flex and extend through his movements, bobbing up and down. -Such an incredible experience.
We played, he groomed me, and we bonded. It seemed like I had a puppy dog, a giant puppy dog.
The month's assignments had almost ended when Father called. "Lucious, please forgive me. The success of this trip is something I cannot walk away from. I don't believe I will return for at least another month." His voice sounded distant through the phone.
"That is fine," I replied, snuggling next to Majestic. I wasn't ready for Father to end my relationship with Majestic. I was 99.9% he would disapprove.
"Wow, I believed I would have to bribe you to stay longer." The phone crackled.
Majestic's tongue licked across my face, leaving it sticky and wet.
"No, I think this place is growing on me."
"Good, good. Maybe now you will join me in my business."
"Oh no, I didn't say that."
"Well, we shall see. Now listen carefully. You didn't meet the buyer for the stinkbird for some reason or other. -Water under the bridge. But the next meeting you cannot miss. Your exchange is vital."
The stinkbird's smell and noises still bothered me. I would make sure I got the drop.
"Brody will send you instructions over email. You must follow them to the letter. Can I count on you?"
"Of course, Father."
"Good. Now, the exchange for the polar bear will happen in two days." Father's words jolted me.
I bolted up. "What?"
"What do you mean, what?" Father asked.
"I thought we were talking about the stinkbird."
"No, son. The polar bear. This is a big deal, and you must follow the instructions exactly. I cannot have you messing this up."
Majestic threw his arm over my chest and snuggled me. His warmth radiated into my body.
"Father, we can't sell Majestic."
"Come again?"
"I mean, we can't sell the polar bear."
"And why can we not sell the polar bear? Is he sick? Well, even if he were, that wouldn't matter."
"No. It's just that. Well, you see." My words failed me.
"Um, I am not sure what is going on, Lucious. Nonetheless, you will sell the polar bear in two days."
Doom overtook me.
The instructions outlined in the email tightened my stomach muscles.
"After you tranquilize the polar bear, you will use the Hoyer lift to load him onto the transportation-vehicle parked at the far end of the arc. At 2300 you will meet Vladimir Drozdov at the east side of Liberty Park, under the freeway bridge."
Vladimir Drozdov! He appeared in the news from time to time. He dominated the black market in exotic animal furs and skins. Father expected me to turn Majestic over to a man who would kill and skin Majestic for his exceptional polar hair.
Majestic would die to become some wealthy lady's rug.
No!
I slammed the laptop closed. "No! No! No! You will not kill this magnificent creature just for his coat! No!"
I couldn't allow this atrocity.
"No!"
I stomped around the arc, huffing and yelling. Majestic caught my foul mood and stayed on my heels like a loyal canine companion, attentive to my behavior. I loved Majestic more than life itself. No way I would make that meet.
"It doesn't matter if you don't make the buy. Father will sell Majestic when he returns."
Even though I enjoyed seeing Father's exotic animals, I never felt good about his trade.
I must change Majestic's fate.
I had a plan.
I loaded all of Father's animals and drove them to the local zoo that night. I unloaded their cages and aquariums next to the ticket kiosk. I had to take them somewhere because I couldn't abandon the animals to die when I left the arc. I should have called the zoo and let them know the animals were there, but then they would trace the call to my phone, and I would have been arrested for Father's illegal animals. That couldn't happen.
I returned to the arc, and Majestic met me with enthusiastic excitement as he swatted and nudged me.
"Please forgive me," I said as I pulled out the tranquilizer gun.
Wait. Did I have to tranquilize him?
I bet he would willingly follow me onto the transportation-vehicle. But would the drive stress him out?
"Come on, Majestic," I said as I entered the vehicle's trailer. Like a trusting friend, he followed me on. I scratched behind his ears just how he liked. He purred and rubbed his nose against my nose, leaving behind sticky smears.
"Please forgive me." I shot a tranquilizer dart into him. I hated to do it, but I decided it was best. The long drive would cause undue stress to him.
I made sure to follow all traffic laws. I could hardly breathe as I drove into Canada. What would I tell them if they checked the trailer?
Thankfully, they didn't.
I finally relaxed as the rocks from the driveway crunched under the wheels.
We had made it to my cabin in Alaska.
"This is our new home now."
When Majestic woke up, he followed me onto my property.
"I know this isn't glaciers, but you are free to leave anytime." I didn't like the idea of Majestic leaving, but I had no right to detain him, though I worried that his domicile behavior would be dangerous for him in the wild.
Majestic explored the area. He urinated and scraped the ground to mark his territory. He rubbed against trees. New vibrant energy overtook him as he bounded from one thing to another, and then Majestic disappeared into the trees and didn't return.
My heart sank. I wanted to call Majestic back but knew I had to let him go. Sorrow overtook me. I loved Majestic. Dejected, I entered the house and didn't fully close the door.
I cried on the couch that night, something I hadn't done since a lad. When I emptied the arc of its animals, I knew I had severed my relationship with Father forever. And I couldn't be sure Father wouldn't kill me for what I had done. I didn't think he was that type of man, but did I really know Father?
I left my lab behind but had a smaller lab next to the cabin. I could do research there and still publish papers. But my heart ached for the life I left behind. I had hoped Majestic had wanted to stay, imagining us going on adventures together and him being my forever companion.
My head pounded from the crying, and I eventually fell asleep.
A deep weight settled on me, and I woke to Majestic sitting on me and licking my face.
"Majestic!"
My companion had returned! When he had gone off into the trees, I believed I wouldn't see him again.
I had never approved of Father's animal dealings on the black market. I felt freedom separating myself from Father's illegal behaviors. Yet, I must admit that his devious deeds started my closest friendship, the tie between Majestic and me.
