A Lion In The Living Room
Jennifer Melnik

Mr Digby was worried. 
Sales were dropping and it looked as if he might have to close his store.
'I'll have to find something unique for my window to bring the customers
back,' he thought. At the zoo he found just the right animal. It was furry, cute and playful,gentle and friendly.  Dan Digby watched him for a while, as he took his first cub steps and played hide and seek with his mother behind a large rock. What a good pet he'd make.' When the cub was a few weeks old, he was bundled into the back of a van and sent to a large, crowded department store in the middle of a big, bustling city. From his cage the cub could hear squawking, barking and strange voices. He smelled sawdust, feathers, fur and people.The light was too bright for him to sleep and he couldn't play on the smooth rocks or tumble in the soft grass with his parents anymore. He was lonely and worried. Mr Digby was happy. 
His shop sales had doubled, as people flocked from everywhere to see the
 special lion cub.
'Can we have him?' asked a young boy. He was gentle and cute, but Alex's parents were not sure a lion would make a suitable pet.
'We can give him a good home,' they said. George sniffed the air and licked the grass.  He rolled and pounced and shared tea with Alex.
'There's a lion in my living room,' he told Harry and Stephen.
'How can you keep a lion in your living room?' his friends asked. When they saw how friendly George was, they all wanted to play with Alex's new pet. George was watchful and kept guard over Alex through the night.
They went to the busy supermarket and Alex gave George a fast ride.
Behind the shelves, people whispered.
'That's the boy with the lion in his living room.'
'Don't be scared, he's very friendly,' said Alex. George gave a wide lion grin.
George went to work every day with Alex's Dad. He tested furniture and welcomed the customers. He licked the stamps and helped with the filing.
The lion cub grew bigger. There wasn't room for him to run in the backyard anymore.
'You can exercise him in the church grounds,' said the Vicar.George enjoyed racing and chasing and playing football. It was better than having tea in the living room.
Soon George grew too big for the bath. He grew too big for the sofa. He grew too big for Alex's bedroom. The zoo officials came to collect George and Alex had to say goodbye. He missed playing with his friend and at night the darkness seemed scary without George protecting him.
One day Alex's Dad phoned the zoo. George had been sent to a National Reserve in Africa to be rehabilitated into the wild. George was exhilarated with lots of space for him to run, hide and explore. He could smell the scent of other animals and used his hunting skills. But he soon discovered that some animals didn't want to play.
On Alex's birthday the family flew to Africa to visit him.
'George won't remember you,' said the warden, 'besides we haven't seen him
 for months. This is his home now and he has his own family.'
'I saw him a week ago, over there on his favourite rock,' said Bill, the tracker.
Alex and his family scanned the area where George was last seen and waited 
patiently.
'There he is!' Alex saw a large adult lion saunter slowly down from behind the 
tall rocks. George stopped and stared when he saw them.
'George!' called Alex. George leapt down and bounded towards him, jumping up on his shoulders like he always did. Alex laughed and cried at the same time.
'I knew he wouldn't forget us.' George introduced his wives and cubs. Unsure at first, the females stayed at  a distance from the humans.
When they felt comfortable, they all sat in the cool shade together. It was soon time for Alex and his parents to leave. George wasn't a lion in the living room any more, he needed to get back to his pride.
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Smashwords Edition
Published by Jennifer Melnik at Smashwords
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/jennifermelnik