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experienced a strange sense of confusion. The room spun as if I’d gotten up too quickly as reality clashed with dream and the lines surrounding both, blurred. The whole zoo adventure had seemed so real.
    I had to be at work in less than an hour. Time to get my ass in gear. As I stood to head for the shower an awful odor hit me. What in the hell could be making that stench? Oh, it was horrible. When I turned the aroma of ammonia hit me hardest. I lifted my gown to my nose and boom—there it was. Smelled like someone had dumped ammonia on me during the night.
    What the hell?
    It actually smelled like cat spray. How could that even be possible? Another whiff proved however illogical the gown smelling like something which happened in a dream may be, didn’t change the outcome. There was a damn smell.
    Maybe a stray cat got it? Yeah, and opened your drawer and pissed on one thing. Not likely. Another glance at the time proved I didn’t have time to solve the stinky mystery now.
    I slipped the gown over my head, trying to keep the smell from touching my body any more than the fabric already had, but there was no avoiding my nipples.
    In my cold-ass bedroom with barely there heat, my nipples were rock hard and pebbled to painful tips, no doubt trying to keep the blood close to home.
    Yeah, the girls weren’t happy about the cold room and neither was I. I’d had little choice. Rent was fair and work within walking distance.
    I showered, dressed, and walked to Polly’s. The strangest sensation of apprehension slithered through me. Like I’d forgotten something or someone. Hard as I tried to think of what, I couldn’t finger who or what.
    “Order up,” Tim bellowed from the large copper coffee machine.
    “Welcome to Polly’s,” Polly announced to the couple coming in behind her. Polly was in full holiday garb. As-is, with her rosy cheeks and white hair, Polly always has a Mrs. Claus persona going on. With the outfit? Kids eyeballed her especially hard and always went on best behavior when catching sight of her. Like they thought she’d rat them out to the big fat man himself.
    The week had been busier than usual, and today already gave the appearance of being crazier than yesterday. The holidays and sidewalk shopping always brought out the urge for a nice éclair and coffee. Something sugary for energy and something warm to take the bite off old man winter.
    Polly had the place decorated to the nines. Wreaths hung on every door, including the bathrooms, bubble lights ran the entire length of the tray ceiling and mini trees stood in every corner. Hell, Polly even had a tree, sprayed with pine scent, in the bathroom. Her wicked sense of humor lay within that tree. The thing was called a Singing Frasier Fir.
    Yes, the darn thing actually sang. About the time someone would drop the drawers, it began belting out a carol wishing everyone a Merry Christmas. I still wasn’t ruling out one of our elderly patrons having an accident from the shock of the thing.
    I finished the day uneventfully and was just leaving the place, when the same nagging feeling from that morning returned. Damn it. No matter how hard I tried to recall anything I might have overlooked, not a damn thing came to mind except the odd notion to visit the zoo.

Chapter Two
     
     
    I visited the zoo and found no white tigers. Yeah, I looked. I even asked if they’d had any guest species come.
    No.
    So why the hell did I feel guilty over letting down some damn tiger I had no proof even existed? Hell, even if it did exist, the beast had fucking sprayed me. Hello, not exactly the type of thing to draw one back for a visit!
    I yanked my soft down comforter back from the pillows on the bed and, wearing the thinner, less warming, white cotton gown I normally wore in summer when sweating to death was a fear, crawled in for a winter night’s slumber.
    Though the snow had stopped this morning when I’d left for work, flurries had begun on my trip home from the zoo. I