"Gita, my bird, it's for their sake. What if Piscine had stuck his hand through the bars of the cage one day to touch the pretty orange fur? Better a goat than him, no?"
His voice was soft, nearly a whisper. He looked contrite. He never called her "my bird" in front of us.
We were huddled around her. He joined us. But the lesson was not over, though it was gentler after that.
Father led us to the lions and leopards.
"Once there was a madman in Australia who was a black belt in karate. He wanted to prove himself against the lions. He lost. Badly. The keepers found only half his body in the morning."
"Yes, Father."
The Himalayan bears and the sloth bears.
"One strike of the claws from these cuddly creatures and your innards will be scooped out and splattered all over the ground."
"Yes, Father."
The hippos.
"With those soft, flabby mouths of theirs they'll crush your body to a bloody pulp. On land they can outrun you."
"Yes, Father."
The hyenas.
"The strongest jaws in nature. Don't think that they're cowardly or that they only eat carrion. They're not and they don't! They'll start eating you while you're still alive."
"Yes, Father."
The orangutans.
"As strong as ten men. They'll break your bones as if they were twigs. I know some of them were once pets and you played with them when they were small. But now they're grownup and wild and unpredictable."
"Yes, Father."
The ostrich.
"Looks flustered and silly, doesn't it? Listen up: it's one of the most dangerous animals in a zoo. Just one kick and your back is broken or your torso is crushed."
"Yes, Father."
The spotted deer.
"So pretty, aren't they? If the male feels he has to, he'll charge you and those short little antlers will pierce you like daggers."
"Yes, Father."
The Arabian camel.
"One slobbering bite and you've lost a chunk of flesh."
"Yes, Father."
The black swans.
"With their beaks they'll crack your skull. With their wings they'll break your arms."
"Yes, Father."
The smaller birds.
"They'll cut through your fingers with their beaks as if they were butter."
"Yes, Father."
The elephants.
"The most dangerous animal of all. More keepers and visitors are killed by elephants than by any other animal in a zoo. A young elephant will most likely dismember you and trample your body parts flat. That's what happened to one poor lost soul in a European zoo who got into the elephant house through a window. An older, more patient animal will squeeze you against a wall or sit on you. Sounds funny—but think about it!"
"Yes, Father."
"There are animals we haven't stopped by. Don't think they're harmless. Life will defend itself no matter how small it is. Every animal is ferocious and dangerous. It may not kill
you, but it will certainly injure you. It will scratch you and bite you, and you can look forward to a swollen, pus-filled infection, a high fever and a ten-day stay in the hospital."
"Yes, Father."
We came to the guinea pigs, the only other animals besides Mahisha to have been starved at Father's orders, having been denied their previous evening's meal. Father unlocked the cage. He brought out a bag of feed from his pocket and emptied it on the floor.
"You see these guinea pigs?"
"Yes, Father."
The creatures were trembling with weakness as they frantically nibbled their kernels of corn.
"Well…" He leaned down and scooped one up. "They're not dangerous." The other guinea pigs scattered instantly.
Father laughed. He handed me the squealing guinea pig. He meant ito end on a light note.
The guinea pig rested in my arms tensely. It was a young one. I went to the cage and carefully lowered it to the floor. It rushed to its mother's side. The only reason these guinea pigs weren't dangerous—didn't draw blood with their teeth and claws—was that they were practically domesticated. Otherwise, to grab a wild guinea pig with your bare hands would be like taking hold of a knife by the blade.
The lesson was over. Ravi and I sulked and gave Father the cold shoulder for a week.
Mother ignored him too. When I went by the rhinoceros pit I fancied the rhinos' heads were hung low with sadness over the loss of one of their dear companions.
But what can you do when you love your father? Life goes on and you don't touch tigers.
Except that now, for having accused Ravi of an unspecified crime he hadn't committed, I was as good as dead. In years subsequent, when he was in the mood to terrorize me, he would whisper to me, "Just wait till we're alone. You're the next goat!"