Already here

The barren expanse under the scorching sun stretched as far as I could see. I trudged on the scarred ground sniffing the air for the scent of prey and straining my eyes for patches of water. My tongue, stiff and wilted, hung out from my mouth from days of not tasting water. My four limbs had shriveled to the bone and my ribs protruded through my withering coat. My tail dragged against the heat of the earth as I bordered on collapse.

In the haze of the heat, I saw the distorted image of the bare branches of a dying tree. The branches morphed into antlers and I witnessed a terrifyingly beautiful scene – a deer quenching its thirst from a narrow crack in the land. My tail hovered over the ground for moment before I crouched down and began inching towards it. For an eternity, I creeped up on it battling urge to charge. I just needed a few more of those eternal moments when my sagging underbelly struck something sharp and I squealed in pain. When the deer’s head turned towards me, I felt fear.

Ignoring the pain, I lunged forward with the last remains of my strength into a sprint. The deer grew farther before it grew nearer, then farther again. I felt my lungs about to explode and my limbs ready to break, but with one last breath, I pushed against the ground and the deer was near, within my jaw’s reach. There was a sound and I fell, tumbling over. A sharp pain spread through my body from my bleeding abdomen.

I saw the deer’s distorted silhouette on its side slowly walking towards me. When it came close, it was a man with a teethed-smile and a gun. He raised his hand and pulled the trigger, and all went black.

The morning rays of sun hitting my face through the window woke me up. I smiled at the tiger head hung on the opposite wall. When I stepped out of bed, my soles hit the rug of tiger skin on which I rubbed my feet, a morning ritual that energized me for the day. A reminder that my hunt brought me name and fame, money and women.

That day, I turned thirty – the party of my life. I initiated with a grand speech showcasing my collection of lifelike trophies and then we drank. I beat the men at every party game and danced with every woman on the floor. I ate everything exotic - from my local hunts to rarities smuggled through the black market. I snorted and drank some more. When everyone was worn out, I went to bed with two beautiful women. At the end of the long night, I was happily spent. I was living the dream. The tiger’s head faded out as my heavy eyelids sank, and the serene darkness took over.

I stirred awake to the cool evening breeze in the golden light of the setting sun. With a loud yawn, I realized I was thirsty. I got up on my strong muscular limbs and sauntered through the lush shrubbery and fragrant woods to the flowing river. I bent down and lapped the water with my tongue until I drank my fill. With a clear throat, I roared, echoing my presence across my home. I was ready to hunt.

I traversed the edge of the stream in glorious steps, smelling the air for the scent of prey. When I came across a family of hogs, I allowed them to skedaddle as they did not feel appetizing. I walked calmly in the mood for something big and strong like the deer quenching its thirst at a distance. I crouched and stealthily bore down on it as the remaining of the sun descended beneath the horizon. The moonless sky plunged everything in darkness.  

I woke up from a sudden shot of pain in my back. I had passed out from running away from the apes that had dug into my rear. I ripped my mucky shirt and wrapped it around my hip. When I tightened it, my hollow stomach growled. I tried to get up and a cry escaped my parched lips. I mustered up the strength and broke a low-hanging branch to support myself up. Three-legged, I stumbled aimlessly through the earth and leaves in the fading light.

Every sound startled me as I imagined hidden eyes following me. Unreachable fruit hung all around me taunting me each time a gush of wind swept them – they never fell. When I was about to collapse, I heard running water. I immediately moved in its direction, slipped and tumbled down to the bank. When I got up, I saw it. The deer drinking water from the stream.

I fell silent forgetting to quench my thirst. Using the running water as cover, I crept up behind the large animal, ready to stick it with the sharp end of the branch. When I finally was at arm’s length, I raised the stick to strike. Before I could bring it down. I was struck away by a powerful paw in the chest, shattering my ribs. Immobilized by the unbearable pain, I lay on my back coughing blood, trying not to choke on it. As I counted my last moments, I wondered if I was going to hell or heaven. The inverted head of the deer emerged in a pitch-black shadow above me. It lowered its snout down to mine and opened its mouth. “You are already here”, it said.

The opening of the mouth continued to widen and the jaw of the tiger clamped down on me. All was black.