There is a light that never goes out (3)

The soup kitchen was busy, as busy as the rest of London was silent and still.

The vicar knew most of the people there, they were his regulars, they had nowhere else to go, tiger or no tiger. They were the reason he’d stayed.

There were also a few strangers, people passing through on their way elsewhere, or people trapped in London by the closure of all transport routes. They were very different to his usual customers, wealthy people, suddenly reduced to queuing in soup kitchens with the homeless and destitute. As the vicar would say; “It just shows how we’re all equal in the eyes of the Lord.”

He was talking to a couple from Surrey, who had come to London for a show and found it impossible to leave afterwards, all trains and buses cancelled because of the tiger.

Suddenly there was a kerfuffle behind him, someone in the soup queue was shouting. It was Sir Maglo, one of the vicar’s regulars.

“What’s up Maglo?,” he asked, placing his hand gently but firmly on the vagrant’s shoulder.

“Whatsup whatsupwhatsupup???? Illtellyerwhatsup tellyerwhatsup, lookater serving the food thatswhatup.

The young girl looked frightened and exposed by the attention.

“Sir Maglo, this is my new assistant Sonia,” the vicar said calmly and politely, as if he were introducing people at a dinner party, “Sonia, this is Sir Maglo, he’s descended from Dutch royalty. What’s the problem with Sonia Maglo?”

“Danishdanishthefuckindutchnuffintodowivem. Fuckindutch. Whatswrongwiver? Lookater, lookater, allskinanbone, if the soupasgoodashesays whysshe allskinanbone. If she don’t eat it I’m notfuckineatinit. Where’s the fat girl? Icantrustafatgirl, fatgirlsknowtheirfood.”

The vicar was about to speak, to subtly allude to Sonia’s condition, but he didn’t have a chance.

“The soup’s good,” Sonia spoke, “look.” So saying she scooped herself a cup and started to drink, “Soup’s good, join me.”

“Donmindifido,” Sir Maglo said, and soon he and Sonia were in a world of their own, talking intently as if they’d been friends since birth.

The vicar returned to the couple he’d been with. “You really must come to Surrey when this is all over,” the woman said, “you can talk about your good work, the people you help here.”

The vicar chatted to the couple for another half hour or so when suddenly he felt the atmosphere around him change. An eerie silence had replacement the general buzz of banter. Had he trusted his nostrils the vicar would have smelt fear in the air.

The silence was broken by Sir Maglo, who suddenly broke into a run, screaming as he went “Theresafuckintiger, theresafuckintiger.”

Sure enough, there in the dark shadow of the church was a twelve foot beast of the jungle, poised as if to spring, but for now just laying, watching. Watching everyone slowly inch away, everyone bar on thin waif of a girl, who walked steadily towards it, sleeves rolled up, showing off her scars.

“I knew you would come for me,” Sonia said, “I knew God had send you for me, I confess my sins, you may punish me as you see fit.”

The vicar had prepared for the tiger as only a vicar would, he wasn’t armed with gun, or even knife, but he had kept to one side a joint of lamb and he followed behind Sonia waving the meat at the tiger. “Don’t take her,” he said, “here’s some lovely lamb for you tiger, much nicer than her.”

He tossed the meat expertly in front of the tiger’s face and the tiger caught it with its paw.

The vicar became aware that the three of them were suddenly alone, the rest of the soup eaters had shrunk away, it was just him, the girl, the tiger and silence.

Eventually the tiger spoke, its voice that of a young child. “Thank you for the lamb,” it said, “don’t worry, I won’t harm the girl, I’m not a tiger, I’m a girl too. Besides, there’s no meat on her.”

To Sonia the tiger said “God has sent me here, it’s true, but not to punish you. He’s given me a message for you; you are forgiven for your sins, but you must reward God’s love for you by loving yourself. You need to eat Sonia, eating is good for you.”

So saying the tiger proceeded to munch into the lamb, teeth gnarling expertly through to the bone. In the noise of the tiger feeding the vicar silently guided Sonia away, into the safety of the church.