Aaron Ansah-Agyeman

WHEN THE LION

PRAISES

Chapter 1:

The Old, Hungry Lion

Mr Lion was very hungry, angry and frustrated.

He had roamed Animal Land for several days, and he still couldn’t find any food. It seemed all the weak animals he preyed on had vanished into thin air.

Finally, after roaming for several days, he was so tired that he could barely walk. Suddenly, on one cloudy day, he stumbled upon an unexpected prey!

Right in front of him was a fat, white, appetizing young sheep nibbling lazily at the rich grass!

Mr Lion’s mouth watered instantly!

Without wasting any second Mr Lion leapt on the sheep.

The young sheep sprang to his feet and, quick as lightning, he began to run. Mr Lion, tired as he was, gave a ferocious chase. The sheep was young and strong, and thus Mr Lion found himself lagging behind.

The sheep began to scream as he ran:

“Enemy, enemy, brothers and sisters! Flee, Flee, Flee!”

Suddenly other fat sheep burst from cover where they had been feeding and began to run away. There was a lot of sheep, and Mr Lion’s eyes darted from side to side. If only he could just catch one of them!

The other sheep took up the warning cries, and soon they got to the riverside, where many more fat sheep were drinking. At the sound of the warning, the sheep began to flee.

Chapter 2:

Mr Lion Makes Plans

Exhausted, Mr Lion fell beside the river and drank from it. His stomach rumbled with hunger.

He sighed and decided to stay around the river. He was sure that the sheep would need to drink, and that they would return to the river again. He would wait in ambush, and when they came, he would surely catch one of them.

Mr Lion dug a hole in the ground beside the river and hid in it so that only his head was poking out.

The following morning the shrubs parted, and two fat young sheep came into sight. Mr Lion kept very quiet as the sheep went to drink from the river. When their heads were bowed, Mr Lion sprung from hiding.

“Enemy, enemy, brothers and sisters, flee, flee, flee!” the young sheep shouted and bolted.

Mr Lion gave hot chase, but he was no match for the fast, young sheep, who kept screaming in warning so that the other sheep ahead of them also fled.

Tired, Mr Lion stopped chasing them. Once again, he had not been able to catch any of them.

He returned dejectedly to the riverside.

This continued for several more days. Any time Mr Lion tried to catch the sheep, the fast, young ones would run ahead, screaming out their warning, and all the other sheep would flee.

Finally, it dawned on Mr Lion that he would never be able to catch any of the sheep because they loved each other so much. Their love for each other had united them and made them dependent on one another. Their teamwork was strong, and the only way he would be able to catch any of them was to destroy their unity.

Chapter 3:

Mr Lion Begins To Praise

Mr Lion then hatched a devious plan; all his cunning went into developing that plan.

One morning, Mr Lion did not stand near the river as he usually did. He chose a little hill which was far away from the river and stood on it. He was therefore visible to any animal that came to the river.

When the two young sheep came to the riverside, they were surprised to see the lion standing so far away from them. They didn’t know what the lion was up to. His distance from the river meant that all the sheep could come to the river and drink without any harm coming to them.

“Hello, friends!” Mr Lion called out to the two young sheep, and his voice was so full of kindness and friendliness that the two young sheep looked at each other with surprise.

“A lion and a sheep can never be friends!” shouted one of the young sheep.

“Oh, but I am a different lion!” cried Mr Lion slyly. “I don’t eat meat. I eat grass just like you. I have never meant you any harm. I just wanted to be friends with you!”

“A lion eating grass and wanting to be friends with sheep?” one of the young sheep cried with surprise. “Certainly, that is impossible!”

“Not so impossible, my friend!” cried the lion with a laugh. “I’ve travelled widely. I have seen the world. I try to make peace with every animal I come across. Why, only last year I was in a little town full of sheep. Their king was not as handsome as you two, and neither was he old, but he was king over all the other sheep. He didn’t allow them to have authority over him. He was their king!”

The two sheep looked at each other with sudden excitement.

“Really?” they said. “There was a young sheep who was king? We don’t have any king here. We are all equal!”

“Equal?” the lion said with a shake of his head. “Are you telling me the old forlorn sheep send you young ones to find new pastures or freshwater? Don’t they endanger your lives by sending you here to the water to find out if I were hiding around?”

“Well, yes, they do,” replied the sheep slowly.

“How can handsome sheep like you be messengers to the old sheep?” the lion coaxed. “Look at how white and shiny your wool is! Of all the sheep I haven’t seen any as royal and graceful as you are! How can you allow yourselves to be messengers when you can be kings?”

The two young sheep were confused. Mr Lion’s flattery had gone into their heads, and they looked at each other with sudden pride.

“You two are strong and handsome, and shall make great kings!” the lion persisted. “Don’t let the old sheep take advantage of you! Don’t let them send you again! You should be kings of Sheep Land, and if they don’t understand, let them take care of themselves! Just look at how graceful you walk! Ah, just imagine yourselves with crowns on your heads! Wouldn’t you just love that?”

The two young sheep looked at their reflections in the river. Indeed, they thought, they were handsome. They imagined golden crowns on their heads.

“The lion is right!” one of the young sheep said crossly. “We have been used by our old relatives! We should be kings!”

The two young sheep went to Sheep Land with their shoulders squared and their noses stuck in the air. They had become proud and pompous.

Chapter 4:

The Sheep Begin to Quarrel

They demanded that they should be made kings, but the old sheep did not agree. Opanyin Guan, the oldest sheep, pointed a shaky paw at the two young sheep.

“We all decided to be equal, young folks! Are you not happy? Why do you make these demands?”

The young sheep were adamant. They said that if they were not made kings, they would never go to the river to spy on the lion.

This generated a lot of anger and ill-feeling. The young sheep were able to convince the other young sheep that the old sheep had been over-using them, and had not been giving them enough respect.

The old sheep said that the young sheep were becoming proud, and should be put in their proper place. The sheep, which had once lived in such harmony and love, began to argue and fight, and soon they were all angry. Opanyin Guan tried to counsel them, but none of them would listen.

Chapter 5:

Mr. Lion Pounces

The following day the young sheep did not go out. One of the old sheep became very thirsty and decided to go to the riverside to drink. He was also angry and told the young sheep that he could do without their help.

The old sheep got to the river. He looked around very carefully, but he saw nothing to alarm him. He dipped his head to drink, and suddenly there was a rustling from the riverbank, and the crafty Mr Lion emerged from his hiding place. The old sheep tried to run, but he was too old, and Mr Lion pounced on him and ate him for breakfast.

The sheep waited for the old sheep to come back, but he did not. This made the other old sheep very sad, but the young sheep felt very important indeed.

“We told you old folks that you cannot survive without us!” said the young sheep. “You old sheep need us more than we need you. You should make us kings, and we shall take care of you!”

Opanyin Guan shook his head sadly.

All the sheep were very thirsty, but the old ones were afraid to go to the riverside now to drink. They were scared that the same fate would befall them if they went to drink.

The following day the strongest and fastest young sheep stood up and flexed his legs.

“There’s no one here who is as fit and strong as me, or as fast and intelligent!” he said with great pride. “I deserve to be made king. I am going to the pastures to eat, and then I shall go to the riverside to drink. If you don’t make me king, you shall all die of thirst, or the lion shall slaughter you all!”

He strutted pompously to the lush green pasture and ate a lot of rich grass. Satisfied, he confidently walked down to the riverside. He found Mr Lion lying far away from the bank. The young sheep was not afraid. He knew that Mr Lion would never be able to catch him because he was fast and fit.

“What a handsome sheep you are!” Mr Lion said slyly. “You should be the king! I’ve been watching you, and I’ve never seen any sheep as majestic as you!”

The young sheep’s eyes bulged with the lion’s praises. He became swollen-headed with pride, and as he stood gazing at his reflection in the river, he did not notice that the lion had taken some fast steps closer. The distance between them was not so vast now.

“Take particular notice of your eyes,” the lion’s sweet voice droned on. “Do you notice that they sparkle like diamonds?”

The young sheep bent closer, trying to see his eyes in the reflection. Yes, he could see them; his eyes indeed seemed to sparkle like diamonds.

So engrossed was he in admiring himself that he failed to notice that the lion had taken several steps toward him, and was just a sprint away.

“And your teeth, young sheep!” the lion said. “Aren’t they marvellously white? Oh, how I wish I had teeth as wonderful as yours!”

The sheep pulled his lips wide to see his teeth. He smiled broadly. He was almost crying with joy. He had never realized he was so handsome! He indeed had to be the king of the sheep.

He did not see, alas, that the lion was now standing directly next to him, and that his huge teeth were glinting with evil.

“Look at how tender your neck is, fat sheep!” the lion said in a nasty voice. “Wouldn’t it feel nice to sink my teeth in it?”

The young sheep gave a shocked moan and looked up. Too late he realized how easily the lion had trapped him with praises. He tried to bolt away, but quick as a flash the lion was on him… and had him for lunch.

Chapter 6:

Opanyin Guan Takes Charge

And so, it continued.

Any old sheep that went to the riverside was captured. The young sheep were now becoming desperate. They did not know what was going on. They thought they were fast and strong, but when one of them went to the riverside, it failed to come back.

Finally, one of the young strong sheep could not stand the thirst anymore and decided to go and have a drink no matter what might happen to him.

As he strode away confidently, old Opanyin Guan followed him at a distance. The young sheep did not see that the old, wise sheep was following.

The young sheep came to the riverside. He found the lion lying on a log far away from the river. The sheep gave a contented sigh. With his speed, there was no way the lion was going to be able to catch him. As he bent his head to drink, the lion called out in a booming voice.

“Hey, handsome sheep, you dazzle me with your gracefulness!”

The young sheep smiled with pride. Even Mr Lion had seen just how handsome he was.

“I was angry with the last sheep that came here,” the lion said crossly. “He bragged to me that he was the best dancer in your land. I told him that no one was as good a dancer as you, but he just went on bragging that he was the best dancer!”

The young sheep looked up with anger.

“I am the best dancer!” he shouted. “No one dances as good as me!”

“I told him that!” the lion cooed. “Oh, why don’t you dance now, so that an old admirer of yours like me can feast his eyes on your graceful movements, my dear handsome sheep?”

The young sheep began to dance, doing his best to impress Mr Lion. He did not know that the lion was salivating, relishing the good meal that he was going to have soon.

“Oh, yes, what a wonderful dancer you are!” the lion cried. “Oh, my bad eyes! I can’t see you properly! I can’t make out your majestic moves! My eyes are so bad that I can’t see you properly!”

The young sheep, intent on proving what a good dancer he was, danced closer to the lion.

Mr Lion began to applaud.

“Yes, yes, now I see you just a little better! Oh, what classic moves! Oh, how I wish I can see you completely! My poor, poor eyes!”

The young sheep danced closer still, and the lion got off the log and moved forward slowly to meet the sheep, still applauding.

The young sheep was so engrossed with his dancing and so flattered by the lion’s praises that he failed to notice how close he really was to the lion.

Old Opanyin Guan, hiding in the bushes, saw it all, and his old heart beat with pity for the young sheep. He wanted to burst out of cover and warn the young sheep of the danger he was in, but he knew the lion would kill him if the young sheep escaped; old Guan was too weak to flee from the lion.

“What a wonderful dancer you are!” the lion cried when the young sheep had come very close to him. “But what a foolish sheep you are, daring to come so close to a hungry, crafty, clever lion like me!”

The sheep stopped dancing and gave a bleat of surprise. He realized how dangerously close he was to the lion. He tried to run, but he was too late. The lion sprung on him and dragged him down.

Crying over the death of the young sheep, old Opanyin Guan slinked away unnoticed.

Chapter 7:

The Sheep Unite Again

When he got to Sheep Land he saw that the old sheep had separated themselves from the young ones. They were all weak with thirst. Old Opanyin Guan walked to the space between the two groups and began to talk.

“Look at how pathetic you are!” he shouted angrily. “We were united and happy. We had teamwork, we were all equal, and we loved each other! Because of that, the lion was not able to get to us! No enemy was able to get to us! But the lion succeeded in separating us, and now look, we are all dying! What selfishness!”

He then told them of all that he had seen at the riverside.

The sheep, filled with sudden anger at what the crafty lion had done, began to move close together.

“Now we are divided!” old Opanyin Guan went on. “We don’t do anything together. We are killing each other. What you should all know is that when the lion praises, only death follows!”

The sheep looked at each other with consternation. They realized how stupid they had been. The young sheep wept the more because they had believed the lion and began all the events that had led to the separation.

They embraced each other and decided that never would they allow themselves to be separated again.

“What do we do now?” they began to ask each other, and old Opanyin Guan nodded with satisfaction.

The following day Mr Lion was lying on the log when he saw that a fat, old sheep with two lambs in tow had come to the riverside.

An old sheep and two young ones came to drink

The lion’s mouth began to water. The day was going to be the most glorious. The sheep could not outrun him, and the lambs would serve as a dessert.

Suddenly one of the little lambs spoke.

“Mommy, mommy, there’s a lion in the river!”

“Yes, Mommy, there’s a lion in the river!”

The old sheep looked deep into the river and then looked up at Mr Lion with surprise.

“There’s another lion in the river!” she cried. “He looks older and weaker than you are! Is he your father?”

Mr Lion was taken aback. Since he came to live beside the river, he had never gone hungry. He had been able to trap the sheep with flattery and praises.

He was appalled to learn that another lion was now hiding in the river! This was a competition Mr Lion would not tolerate. He was glad to hear that the lion in hiding was older and weaker. Mr Lion decided to kill the lion in the river immediately so that there would be no competition.

With a mighty roar, he bounded off the log and run to the river, ready to battle the lion.

He looked into the river…but there was no lion in it!

“You liars!” he growled menacingly. “How dare you play such a joke on me? I shall kill you all for this!”

“Who plays jokes better than you, Mr Lion?” asked a deep voice from behind him, and Mr Lion turned around. He was appalled to see that all the sheep had come out of the bushes, and were coming towards him!

The one who had spoken was old Opanyin Guan.

“You weakened us by lies, flattery and praises!” Opanyin Guan continued. “We’ve now come together. We know that you can’t swim, and so we laid a trap for you. We’re going to pay you back in your own coin!”

Mr Lion roared, but the sheep were many, and the males had very long and powerful antlers. With one accord they rushed at Mr Lion.

Mr Lion was confused. He could have fought ten of them at a time, but because they were united, and were so many, he didn’t know who to attack. They all rushed at him, and the powerful males butted him hard.

Mr Lion flew into the deep river. He could not swim. He begged the sheep to help him, but they paid him no heed.

Finally, the heavy currents pulled Mr Lion under, and he drowned.

Old Opanyin Guan looked at the sheep around him.

“The lion is dead, but we paid a heavy price. We have lost many of our brothers and sisters. Let this be a great lesson for us all! Unity is strength!”

The sheep had learnt their lesson. None of them fought to be superior anymore. They loved each other and depended on each other. They were united, and so they had great teamwork, and they all lived happily together ever after!

How sad that the sheep let the cunning lion divide them! Well, the lion was amply paid back for its cruelty, wasn’t it? We should learn how to be united and rely on one another. We should never be selfish!