"The Lady Or The Tiger?" by Frank Stockton is a very unique short story. Why do I say so? Unlike most stories, "The Lady Or The Tiger" does not have a definite ending, hence, it is up to the reader to imagine an actual ending to the story. When I first came across this story, I found it very captivating, especially the climax. You can read this story by clicking here: http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/LadyTige.shtml
My version of the ending:
As soon as the door was opened, a loud growl pierced the silence and a paw shot out from the gloom. The young man let out a cry of shock and backed away from the door like a spring. The die was cast. His fate was sealed. He had chosen the way to his impending doom. All he could do now was to hold his own against the menacing creature. He did not expect the princess, the woman he so dearly loved, to betray his trust! Why? Why must she skill him? Mixed emotions of anguish and sorrow welled up in him. He felt as if his heart was being torn apart, piece by piece. However, he had an even greater problem to deal with.
The tiger began emerging slowly from the open door, its fur bathed in the warm sunlight, its claws sharp as razors, ready to rip apart the insides of its waiting prey. The young man recoiled in fear, as this was the most savage beast he had ever seen. He broke out into a cold sweat, constantly keeping his eyes locked on the beast before him. He could choose to fight the beast, or meet his maker. He preferred to die fighting.
As the tiger prowled around him, ready to pounce on him any moment, he readied himself to a fighting stance, wondering how his bare fists could match the beast's claws. How he wished this nightmare would end!
The princess could not bear to watch. The man whom she loved most, all the sweet memories of their moments together, would be gone in a minute. Had she done the right thing? Would her sweetheart understand? She tried to reassure herself by thinking that if she can never marry her lover, no one else would. Absolutely no one.
As the audience waited in bated breath, the tiger let out a menacing roar and pounced at the man. A handful from the audience winced, half expecting to see a gruesome mess of blood and flesh. From out of the blue, the tiger seemed to pause in mid-air and drop to the ground. The audience began to murmur among themselves. The murmuring inevitably turned into shrieks. What had happened? The king and the princess were at a loss for words! Such an incident had not happened in the entire history of this kingdom. The young man was both shocked, and relieved. Had this miracle not appeared, his life would be ended painfully. Taking no chances, he walked towards the tiger with immense caution. To his immense relief, it was dead. However, the cause of its death puzzled him. An arrow had pierced its throat. Blood stained its magnificent fur coat.
Everyone in the arena shifted their gaze towards the direction that the arrow had came from. Nobody could believe what they saw. Even the wise men were stumped. A tall, muscular man stood on a tall tower, wielding a longbow in one hand. It was apparent that he was a brilliant archer. Not even the country's finest marksmen could kill a moving tiger from such a great height!
The young man was baffled. Why had this incredible marksman saved his life? Still, he had to express his gratitude to his benefactor somehow.
Meanwhile, the king was furious, steam was literally coming out of his ears. He threw his crown on the ground and stomped on it like a child throwing a tantrum. "Kill that intruder at once! Do whatever it takes..." he muttered to his soldiers, constantly glaring at the figure on the tower. This nonsense had to end. How could this unknown archer have the audacity to ruin this event! He swore that he would not hesitate to torture the intruder with whatever he could think of.
Before the king's soldiers could arrest the man and the archer, a winged beast flew from above. While everyone in the arena froze in horror, the archer jumped on it and whistled. The winged creature was enormous, resembling an eagle, its wings spanning a third of the whole arena. No one expected something like this to happen. It was as if the world had turned upside down! As the creature flew towards the young man below, the archer beckoned him to hop on. The young man did not hesitate as this was his only hope of escape. After that amazing rescue, the winged creature flew far, far away.
The king let out a cry of anguish and pounded his fists madly on the table. He had only one word in his mind. It was none other than revenge...
"Who are you? Why did you save me?" the man asked, a myriad of questions occupied his mind. The archer pondered for a moment, before turning to him and removing his mask. As the archer replaced his mask with a green hood, the truth slowly came to light. "Can you guess now?" he smiled. The young man could hardly contain his excitement! He could find no way to express his emotions. The one who robbed the rich, and gave to the poor. The one who preserved justice, and fought evil. How could he not realise it? A legend was right before him. The young man replied in admiration,"Robin Hood..."
~The End - Hope you enjoyed it!~
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