Marmalade leapt out, shook himself, showering Addy, then quickly ran into the house and downstairs to the basement where Addy dried him with six thick soft towels.
That evening Daddy, Mummy and Addy pushed the cage onto the trailer, hitched it to their car and when it became dark they led Marmalade onto it. Mummy said it was getting cool and went and got sweaters for her, Daddy and Addy.
Marmalade said, “I don’t need a sweater, I’m from Siberia.”
They drove down to Toronto and finally arrived at the zoo. It was closed for the night. Daddy knocked on the door but there was no response. Finally he got back in the car and honked as hard as he could. A light came on in a little building just beyond the fence.
A security guard came out of the building, walked up to the fence and asked why they were making so much noise. Daddy explained about bringing Marmalade to meet his two cousins.
The security guard said “You’ll have to wait until morning when the staff arrives. Until then, no visitors and no deliveries, and please do not honk your horn or I will call the police.”
Then he turned and went back inside. Meanwhile, Marmalade began to roar loudly. From inside the zoo came a loud response.
“If you let me out, I think I can solve this problem,” said Marmalade. “Back up the trailer next to the gate and open up the cage.”
Daddy turned the car around and drove backward until the trailer touched the fence. Suddenly an alarm bell began to ring.
“Oh, oh, said Daddy, “I must have triggered an alarm.”
Addy got out of the back seat of the car, scrambled onto the trailer, and opened the cage door. Marmalade quickly came out of the cage and leapt onto the roof of the car.
He turned to Addy and said, “Thank your parents for putting up with me, Addy. You know where I’ll be. Come and visit sometime.”
“I will, Marmalade, but how are you going to get over that fence?” asked Addy.
“Just watch,” said Marmalade.
He tensed his large muscles and leapt high off the top of the cage and landed on the other side of the high fence. He roared once again, and his roar was answered from inside the big cat compound.
He turned to Addy, winked and said, “Told you. Bye!” And with that he bounded away into the dark toward the compound. In the distance, sirens could be heard coming toward the zoo.
“Let’s go Addy. Your friend is safe,” said Daddy.
Addy jumped into the back seat and they drove quickly all the way back home where they would celebrate Addy’s birthday.
The End
