Jack Wood
Mr. Sgrignoli
Block 2: English 8
January 17, 2013
The Lady, or the Tiger?: Part 2
He turned, and with a firm and rapid step he walked across the empty space. Every heart stopped beating, every breath was held, every eye was fixed immovably on that man. Without the slightest hesitation, he went to the door on the right, and opened it.
He was prepared to be mauled by a tiger. Instead, out came the most beautiful, fair young woman he had ever seen: a tall woman of about 18 years, with long, black hair, very pale skin, and beautiful, blue eyes. She was taller than the man.
Just then, wedding bells began ringing like westminster chimes. A priest came out from the door below the king and princess, with a flower girl and ring bearer following him. The man and the woman put their lips together for an instant, making a smacking sound. The smell of roses was in the air. Petals were being dropped around the arena. The rings were given to the man and woman. "I now pronounce you husband and wife," the priest announced. Everyone clapped and cheered. The wedding cake was tall, with vanilla icing that was shaped like roses. The man and the woman fed each other pieces of the wedding cake.
The princess was not happy about her lover's fate. Even though the king did not want them to be in love, she still loved them. She knew he would either marry another woman, or be killed by a tiger. She was not happy either way, but she was glad he was not killed. She was glad he was at least still alive.
The king was hoping that the defendant would be killed by the tiger. He did not want the defendant to live, because he did not want his daughter and the defendant to still be in love. In most cases, it was the lady who came out from behind the door. Very seldom did the tiger come out. The king preferred it when the defendant was killed than married.
The next day, the king himself was on trial. The princess was the only one sitting above the door where the priest came out of for weddings. The audience was stunned to see the king walking across the arena. Just then, the king opened the door on the left. Out came a tiger. It jumped on the king, both of them falling to the ground, and bit the king in his stomach and chest. His screams were heard by the audience. The smell of flesh was in the air. The audience "ooed" and "aaed" to see the king being mauled by the tiger. He was dead within 5 minutes.
The lower-class man and the lady were married for life. The princess took over the arena, in memory of her father. The princess did not only have men on trial, she also had women on trial. Instead of a lady or a tiger behind the doors, it was now a lady or a man. If the person who came out of the door was the same gender as the defendant, the defendant was found guilty and sentenced to prison. If the person who came out of the door was a different gender than the defendant, the defendant was found innocent and married.