...............About the Lion Tamer and an almost normal Lion

Like any "fictious" story our story begins in a far far away kingdom long long ago when circuses where the most noble of professions. Doctors envied the six foot muscular trapeze stars who were the dream of any damsel. The kings sought the most popular clown for their princesses. Every family had at least one of their sons in the circus. Some cooked for the stars, some cleaned the Lion's cage, and some played in the band and those few lucky ones who had the real mettle made it into the show and earned loads of money and won many beautiful hearts. Even the lions opted the circus to the Savannah and their lush green habitat. The lion and his lionesses send their cubs to the best college of Circus where after 4 years of studies, they will be recruited by the popular Circuses in town and strange as it seems even circus groups from other countries also came to our Far Far away kingdom. Our story is about a Lion Tamer and an almost normal Lion. Before we begin our story in detail, let me introduce to you my characters (including the almost normal Lion).

The H.O.D aka The Lion Tamer was not always called by that name. There was a time when he was known as Henry Odette Duncan, which was too long a name to reuse and so his friends reduced it to H.O.D. And as he is one of the main characters in our story I will refer to him as The H.O.D (you know that I don't mean anything at all with this, this is a strange co-incidence) or as The Lion Tamer. He was one of those best lion Tamers in the Far Far away kingdom and has loads and loads of degrees attached to his name. His small room in the college reads, Prof Dr. H.O.D, M.Tech (Master of teaching energetic circus habits), PhD in circus rules of engagement.

Before I Introduce to you my almost Normal lion let me explain the time or the era in which our story happens, and before I do it let me give a very brief account of a history which has lost its meaning. There was a time when the lions who came to the college of circus where free thinkers, they studied the tricks that were useful to them and improvised on the taught tricks. The Lions of the old rebelled against their Lion Tamers if they felt they were ill treated or if they felt the Lion tamers are are a bit too controlling, after all the Lions were the noblest of creatures. Things went great for the Lions and the circuses were full of the best Lions and the show was the best there ever was. But the Lion Tamers were not happy and they went to the king with their complaints. The king held a grand meeting and discussed with his fellow men (but the lions were not invited).

The king introduced the new decree of sessionals into the college system, which gave the Lion Tamers the power to castrate any lion who rebelled against them. The lions rebelled in the beginning, but to no avail. As a matter of fact all the leaders of the mutiny were castrated and they didn't live for many days after that. The Lions began to adjust to the curriculum taught by the Lion Tamers, raising the paw, sitting on a stool, jumping through the hoop of fire etc etc. And this era came to be known as the "Era of Sessionals". People were bored by the same tricks the lions performed in Circuses that they were not awed by the show. Sadly this is the time when our story begins and ends.

Our Lion was born, in this Era of sessionals with a slightly large head. The talent and innovation side of his brain was bit advanced than his brothers and sisters. He was a dreamer and an inventor. He was using 25% of his brain which was so uncommon in his pride that his siblings called him, "The almost Normal Lion". But don't think he was the first of his kind, there were many before him, but that was before the era of sessionals. So when he came of age he was send to the College of Circus, the same one where the H.O.D taught.

The almost normal Lion was not impressed with the teachings of the H.O.D. Our Lion completed the lifting of the paw segment within the first twenty minutes, but the H.O.D didn't teach him the next trick for the next 2 weeks, not because his classmates were slow, but because it was recommended in the syllabus that two weeks is necessary for teaching this trick. He completed sitting on the stool workshop within the first 1 hr, and he didn't receive a pat on the back, rather he was told to repeat the trick for the next 1 month. Our Lion jumped off the chair and did the perfect somersault. The H.O.D looked shocked and said "What kind of a mockery is that. The audiences wont like this.You are the worst student I had. God! Are you crazy, do you really think the people are coming to see a somersaulting lion. Ah, ah, not one bit. Shame on you. Now this is strike one for you, two more to go and you are out .And Lion do the sitting on the chair for the next two months."

Our almost normal Lion worked on new tricks when he had time.He improvised the classics and invented new ones. He showed it to his friends who were impressed by the new tricks, but they didn't try to learn these new tricks cos they were satisfied with what the H.O.D taught them, after all they were not 'almost normal' like our Lion. Anyway the jumping through the hoop of fire was a walk in the park for our Lion and he was so confident with the trick that on the 3rd week he did a perfect 180 degree flip when he was jumping through the hoop. All the other Lions were shocked with wonder when they saw this exciting maneuver. Some actually clapped in disbelief. But the H.O.D shouted at the almost Normal Lion "Well what’s wrong with you, you insolent exhibitionist. No biped with a sane mental state would love this.What,whats that smug on your face? If you think that you have accomplished anything with this, well then be prepared to be disappointed, for you are going to be nothing but a royal pain in the ass, and by the way that’s strike two for you."

All his friends rushed to him(when the H.O.D left of course), they patted him on his furry back, the lionesses were having a thermostat failure in their hearts but everyone, even his closest friend advised him to tone it down a bit. The Almost normal Lion had a strange smile on his face, which scared his friends

The next day the H.O.D woke up hearing a strange music accompanied with an applause and whistling. He rushed to the training camp. The almost Normal Lion was twirling 4 hoola hips on his waist, 2 each on his two arms and he was dancing along the way. The African grey parrot was wolf whistling from his perch; the chimps with the opposable thumbs were applauding. The other lions were looking in awe at their friend. The entire camp was riveted to this one big show. The H.O.D rushed to the center, cut the music and faced our Lion."You foolish arrogant good for nothing twiddle brain. Who do you think you are? You are nothing but a nobody and I am going to make sure that you will become one. Strike three for you Lion. Be there at the council meeting today at 3"

The council was summoned, to decide the fate of the almost normal Lion. The council consisted of the parrot trainer dumb, the chimp trainer dumber and the H.O.D (No lions were invited). A bailiff read out the charge sheet "You Lion aka,the almost normal lion, is found guilty for using innovation in the campus and becoming un-lionlike in the ERA of SESSIONAls. On the charge of becoming a motivation to other Lions we find you guilty. On the charge of challenging the existing curriculum and suggesting improvements we the council find you guilty and more over the council finds you guilty on the H.O.D's complaint of you becoming a different Lion. Based on this charges and according to the power vested on the Lion Trainer by the king, we judge you guilty, and you will be castrated at 1200 hrs tommorrow.The council is adjourned."

At this point in time I am going with an abrupt ending to our story, its not because I have crossed my 2000 words but because its the right thing to do. If this was a movie, there would have been scenes were the almost normal Lion would give a terriffic speech about how obsolete todays education system is and how the Lion Tamers and especially the H.O.D should open their eyes to the changed new world and in the process move the council, or there would have been scenes where the Lions and chimps would rebel along with the parrots and eventually topple the system. But this is just an almost true story, and as mentioned earlier sadly this story takes place in the era of sessionals and so that was the last scene of our story, for the almost Normal Lion was castrated at 1200hrs and he died after 4 days. As for the other Lions they were recruited by the top circuses and they continued to be normal

*************THE END******************