See Hamster, see Pig, see Cat, see Frog, see Snake,
see Turtle, and see Rollie run!

by Cory

 

    Rollie screamed.
    "Wake you up, did he?" said Angie, turning around.  She reached across Rollie's chest and lifted the huge baby anaconda up and onto her shoulders.
    "God, Ange!" said Rollie.  His face was as white as a sheet, and he felt his heart beating hard in his chest.
    "Serves you right," said Angie, strutting away.  "You shouldn't be sleeping on the job."  She lifted the snake's head and stroked its smooth, scaly skin.  "And you're a cute little thing," she cooed, "you look so good on camera ... "
    Eldon walked past the back of the F/X van, where Rollie had been catching a little shuteye before he was needed again.  "I don't know how she can stand that thing," said Eldon, watching Angie stroke the snake, which had now curled up around her shoulders, across her arm, and down her right leg.
    Rollie sucked in some air, trying to calm down.  "She seems born for this animal stuff," he said, wiping a few beads of sweat from his eyebrow.
    "Yeah, good for her," said Eldon.
    Suddenly there was a shout from farther down the road, where they were filming.  Eldon and Rollie looked up, and saw a small pig race across the dirt road and under one of the cast trailers, followed by two rats and a chicken.  Rollie pulled off his leather jacket, leaving it on the back step of the van, and then he and Eldon raced after the animals, which were supposed to be in their cages.
    A rush of people chased after the trained movie animals, and finally they cornered them.  As the animal wranglers arrived to take the creatures back to their cages, Rollie asked them how the animals had escaped.
    "I don't know," said one of the trainers, "their cages were all latched.  I checked them myself."
    A moment later Angie arrived.  "What's all the commotion?" she said, the snake still wrapped around her.
    Rollie shivered when he saw the huge snake.  "Uh, some, uh, animals got out of their cages."
    "Oh," said Angie.  Then she smiled.  "Do you want to pet Sylvester?" she said to Eldon, who was staring at the snake, eyes wide.  "You can have him if you want, though I'll warn you, he weighs a ton."
    Finally Eldon found his voice.  "No, no thank you," he said softly, "maybe some other time."
    Suddenly there was a growl, and there were sounds of another commotion a few trailers down.  There Rollie, Eldon, and Angie found a mob of small animals.  The trainers came running.
    Rollie sighed, glancing at the trainer he'd spoken to before.  "These ones cages were closed to?"
    The woman nodded, a confused expression on her face.  "I -- I have no idea how they're all getting out," she said.
    Finally, after an hour and a half delay, everyone managed to get everything together for some filming.  The scene they were going to film had a crow, two mice, and a gerbil, having a "discussion".  Later, in post, CG would be used to make their mouths move, and that would be combined with dialogue from human actors.
    "Camera!" called the director.
    "Ready!" came the response.
    "Mark it," ordered the director.  Then, a moment later ... "Action!"
    Offscreen, the animals' trainers watched as the creatures performed as had been rehearsed with them.  Rollie grinned, amazed.  Suddenly, he heard a low rumbling behind him.  He spun around, and found himself face-to-face with a tiger.  It bared its teeth, and growled again.
    The growl caught the attention of Shane, one of the trainers.  "Stop!" he exclaimed, "stop the film!"  He jumped up and waved his arms at the director, who sighed, and yelled "Cut!".  The trainer ran over to the tiger.  "Jerry!" he exclaimed, getting the animal's attention.  "Bad ... bad cat ... sit, Jerry.  Come on."  The tiger shook its head, and sighed, laying down on the ground.  "That's it, good boy, Jerry," said Shane.  "Sorry about that," he said to Rollie.  "He must have gotten loose, too."
    Rollie had to think hard to lift his jaw off the ground.  "But -- but -- but -- big, big growl ... he -- he, want to ... eat me ... "
    "Did this one get free too?!" yelled the director, from his seat.
    "Yeah, sorry Dan," Shane answered.  "He's leaving.  Come on, Jerry."  He snapped his fingers, and the tiger stood and followed the trainer away and back to its cage.
    Angie laughed.  "You really have a way with animals, Rol," she said.  Sylvester stuck his tongue out at the F/X expert.  Angie laughed, and Rollie groaned.  "Well nyah to you too," said Rollie, sticking his tongue back out at the conda.  Which cocked its head at him as Angie carried him away, chuckling.
    Shane suddenly came running back.  "Rollie, everybody ... come quick," he said.  "I know how the animals are getting free!  But be quiet ... come on."
    Rollie, Angie, Eldon, the director, and more of the crew followed Shane as he made his way around the trailer to a group of cages.  All the animals were locked up, except for one small puppy who had gotten free.  Everyone watched as the puppy scurried over to one of the cages and lept for the latch.  After a couple of tries, he pushed the latch open with his paw.  Then he bit through the mesh pulled backwards.  The door swung open, and the animals inside were free.
    Rollie shook his head.  "Your animals are too smart for you, Shane," he said.  "Cute puppy, by the way."
    "Terri," Shane shouted at the puppy.  "Terri, sit.  Sit, Terri."
    The puppy stopped, and looked around at Shane.  Then, disobeying the trainer's orders, he turned and ran away.  "Come on!" said Shane, and as some of the cast stayed behind to put all of the animals back in their cages others chased after the puppy.
    Three hours later, Rollie and Angie trudged back to the van.  Filming had been halted indefinitely as everyone searched for the missing puppy.
    They were almost at the open van door when Angie stopped, putting a finger to her lips.  "What?" whispered Rollie, but Angie clapped a hand over his mouth.  She tried to stifle laughter as she moved forward and lifted the sleeping puppy off of Rollie's leather jacket, which had been heated by the sun.
    "Oh ... " said Rollie, grinning.  He took the puppy from Angie's hands.  "He must have liked the nice warm jacket."  He cuddled the puppy as Angie went to get one of the trainers.  "Yeah," he said, to the puppy, "yeah, was it nice and warm?  You're so cute ... "  The puppy yawned, and Rollie laughed.  "Oh, aren't you nice ... "
    "I see you found a new friend," said Shane when he arrived.
    "Yeah," said Rollie, still cuddling the tired puppy.  "You know, Ange," said Rollie, "I could get used to puppies.  Should we think about getting one?"
    "As long as I get my snake," said Angie, who had once again found Sylvester and had draped him across her body.
    Rollie's expression changed to one of fear.  "Then again, Ange," he said, hurriedly dumping the puppy back into Shane's arms, "maybe we can wait a while for pets."
    "Aw, why not, Rol?" said Angie, grinning.  "You know, I've heard from people that pythons have been known to make excellent guard dogs ... the puppy and snake could work together, and cooperate.  And I'm sure that having a snake around the loft could grow on you ... "  The snake hissed, and then opened its huge mouth, reaching out toward the F/X man ...
    See Rollie run.