Lion Tamers

Once there were two brothers named Alex and Max. Alex and Max had always wanted to be lion tamers from as far back as they could remember. They used to set up their stuffed animals in their room and train them to sit, roll over, lay down, balance balls on their noses and do all kinds of tricks. Alex and Max would go to the zoo every weekend, always spending hours at the lion enclosure. Whenever the circus came to town they went to every show, desperate to be in the middle ring doing tricks with the lions. Alex and Max did everything they could to prepare for being lion tamers. They volunteered at the local animal shelter, they read every book they could find on lions and animals and all kinds of things. They volunteered to pet sit for their neighbors and even took first aid classes in case there was an accident. Finally, after years of preparation, they were old enough to join the circus. They filled out their applications and sent them into different circuses all across the country. Then they waited. And waited. Finally the responses started to come back. No one wanted them. Some circuses simply said they had no openings. Others told them to quit trying, that they’d never be lion tamers. At first Alex and Max were discouraged. How could they ever be lion tames without a circus to work for? But soon they had an idea. No one could tell them they weren’t lion tamers! They could do anything they set their mind to!

That night the boys snuck to the zoo, climbed over the wall, and snuck toward the lion enclosure. They climbed over the wall and down onto the grass where the largest lion was prowling around. Alex had brought a large top hat and a whip. Max had a wooden chair and a flowing red circus maters coat. They approached the lion and Alex snapped his whip and told it to sit. The lion looked at them blankly, blinked its eyes, and walked off to the other side of the enclosure. Alex and Max followed at a safe distance then tried again. Max held out the chair and commanded the lion to lay down. Alex cracked his whip. The lion looked at them for a while, and then pounced. The boys ran screaming while the lion scratched at them and tore the whip and chair out of their hands. The top hat was swiped off of Alex’s head and Max’s red circus master coat was torn to shreds. The boys scrambled up and over the wall and raced home bleeding and injured. When they got home they looked at their bleeding wounds, at their tattered clothes, and smiled big slow smiles. “Lions tampers!” they shouted as they high-fived. They’d always known they could achieve anything they set their minds to.