Violette Miyaki Makes Her Entrance

The leader of the pack shook the bag, and a short woman dressed in a safari outfit tumbled to the ground. Her pith helmet roled into the bushes, releasing long, flowing jet-black hair. She wriggled on the ground, but her arms and legs were tied and there was a small melon of some sort stuffed into her mouth.

“The infamous Violette Miyaki,” announced the second of the Fro-Zen Cho- Zen with a touch of malice, “I never thought we’d see you back in these parts.”

Mangoe stared down at the struggling woman. Her skin was ivory-pale, and two thin legs poked like toothpicks out of her khaki shorts. Mangoe fingered the collar around her neck as she asked, “Who is she?”

The leader of the tigers, who was now hoisting Violette into the air by her ankles, answered, “The most notorious illicit animal dealer on the face of the planet, that’s who.” The second tiger sneered, “She kidnapped our sister years ago and took her away to some horrible zoo,” while the third Fro-Zen Cho-Zen added, “And she stole the delicious herd of antelopes that used to roam the island.”

“What a terrible person,” opined Mangoe. “I can understand why you’d be angry with her.”

“Indeed,” said the leader, as he unlaced Violette’s boots and removed them, “and now we will feast on her, as is only right.”

With those words, the adventuress began squealing and squirming. The second tiger, who had been scrambling through the forest, disappointingly reported that the larder was empty of all the ingredients needed to cook a healthy one-hundred pound woman. “We’re going to have to do some foraging, unless we want to eat her raw,” he said.

“No, I want to enjoy this,” the leader answered. “Let’s gather the ingredients before night falls.” After pulling off Violette’s socks, the tiger tied a rope around the barefoot explorer’s ankles, tossed a coil over a high tree branch, and hoisted the woman into the air, where she dangled upside-down. “Mangoe, keep a watch over her – she’s a wily one,” the leader commanded as he and the other two tigers headed into the woods.

With the tigers gone, Violette began squealing again. Mangoe walked over to her and removed the melon from her mouth, to give her a chance to talk.

Violette shouted, “Cut me down this instant, you filthy underling! How dare you associate with those miserable beasts!”

Mangoe stepped back, and then decided to ...

1. ... slap Violette in the face as hard as she could.
2. ... release the animal collector.
3. ... stick the melon back in Violette's mouth and await the return of the tigers.

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