The Fable of the Lying Liar Lion.
By Michelle Marcotte
The Lying Liar Lion’s family always told him he was very special, so much better than any other animal. He was also told his beautiful color was much better than any other lion’s.
When he was in school, he told the other animal children he was better than all other animals. Some animals believed him because he was bigger. Some animals believed him because he seemed dangerous. Some animals needed money, so they did his homework for him. That is how the Lying Liar Lion was able to finish school.
The Lying Liar Lion grew to be very big, with a very big mane of fur around his face. His family constantly told him he was special and better, and even more handsome than other animals.
If any animal ignored him, he roared with anger. That scared some, but not all, of the animals.
Some weaker animals thought if they became the Lying Liar Lion’s friend then somehow, they might become more important, just because they were his friends. Some hunted food for him so he could be lazy and just lie around and roar. And the older he got, the more he roared. Eventually, he either ate his friends or he sent them away and told lies about them.
The smart animals just decided to stay away from him completely.
By the time the animals had to decide who would be King of the Jungle, the Lying Liar Lion had made many friends.
At decision-time the animals living in that jungle had to decide between a:
Strong Female Lion. She was a very successful hunter. She was not perfect, but she was smart, and she cared about all the animals in the jungle. She had ideas to make the jungle a better place for everyone,
or,
the Lying Liar Lion.
Unfortunately, in a moment of weakness, the animals chose the Lying Liar Lion. Maybe the animals could not imagine a Strong Female Lion as King of the Jungle.
Life in the jungle went downhill.
The Lying Liar Lyon told the other animals it was ok to lie. He told his friends it was ok for them to hurt other animals. If anyone got hurt or hungry in the jungle, he said they deserved it. He took all the food for himself and his friends. He insulted animals in neighboring jungles and made them angry.
After a while the jungle became an unhappy place, a place where animals did not care about each other.
Eventually, the time came for the animals to decide again who would be the King of their Jungle. The Lying Liar Lion intended to continue being King of the Jungle.
But someone else wanted to be King. At decision-time the animals living in that jungle could choose from a:
Calm Old Owl who had spent many years learning about how to fix the jungle’s problems and being nice to everyone. He wasn’t perfect, but he tried to do the right things,
or,
the Lying Liar Lion.
The animals living in that jungle decided it would be best to let someone else be King of the Jungle. They picked the Calm Old Owl to be King. They told the Lying Liar Lion he was no longer King.
The Lying Liar Lion roared NOOOOO. I AM THE KING OF THIS JUNGLE! He said it over and over and over again. The Lying Liar Lion told his friends to say he was still King of the Jungle, even though the animals had clearly decided the Calm Old Owl should be King.
Then, the Lying Liar Lion encouraged his friends to attack the castle where the King and the other animals made decisions for the good of everyone. The attack did not work. Many of the Lying Liar Lion’s friends were arrested and sent to jail.
The Lying Liar Lion kept roaring he was King even when the new King began the work of fixing the jungle’s problems. You would think that might be the end of this story, but it wasn’t.
The Lying Liar Lion still wants to be King.
Soon the time will come for the animals to again decide who will be King of the Jungle.
What do you think the animals should do? Who would you vote for? How should this story end?
Ask your children’s opinion.