Leaving the Lions

The first thing I did was walk down the row of cages, telling each of them their names. I did this in a stern voice so they would remember me well. I started with Vladik, who liked attention, and ended with Aleksey, because he was my favorite. Then I told them about all the times I thought they had failed so I would not have anything weighing on my chest, and after I told them all the times I was most proud—I even told Yadviga how I knew why she was shy in the ring. They looked at me in a very sullen way, and we sat in silence for the last hour, and when it was one o'clock I wept. The tears fell onto my moustache, and I could smell for the last time the old meat and animal fur. I would no longer wake in the night to the sounds of nobel beasts thinking about their captivity. I think they knew my hair was going grey too.
On my way from the door it was dark, their eyes looked like just a flicker of light. Mr. Tarasov told me in English, "Good luck for the journey west."