The Escape of the Lion

Faizan Jalin

Faizan Jalin

Age 8-9 category | Fall into Fiction Short Story Contest 2023 | San José Public Library

1996, in the Whitefield zoo, a lion lay in his cage. He longs to escape into the wild and go to the Savannah he called home. One night he finally gets his chance.

Crash!

It all started when a child threw a rock at the lion's glass cage. This angered him. He tore the hole the rock had made in his cage wider and jumped out. All the people at the zoo screamed in panic. News went viral about this intriguing story. The lion took refuge in a nearby forest. Oftentimes he would come to town, just to hunt down the humans.

The people knew the lion was causing too much trouble. Thousands of hunters failed to capture it. One day, the people used one thing they thought would scare away the lion. A cage. Remembering his days of being trapped in a cage, the lion got angry. Thinking they were there to capture him again, he pounced on the people like a rabid dog. A few years passed and the lion broke out other lions from the zoo and made his own pride.


A lion tamer came to know of this news. This was no ordinary lion tamer. This one could speak to the lion directly. He traveled to Whitefield and stood face to face with the lion.
"You are free now. Why are you hunting humans?"
"I hate humans! They put me in a cage and made me part of a showcase. They put me on display!!", the lion growled.
"They put you in a cage so that people can learn about you. Also, humans can give you food if you go in the cage "
"No, I want to go where the zoo people found me, The Savannah." said the lion.
"Stop bothering the people. I'll take you back."
"Fine." grumbled the lion.
The lion tamer took the lion and his pack to Savannah. They lived happily there. The people ended with no trouble and the lion ended back in his home.

We Love Sharing Stories

Select a story
0