Once upon a time, in a land far far away, there was a lion.
He was a very ferocious lion, with not too many friends. He was the king of the jungle. He had many places to go and many fights to fight, many battles to be won, many wars to wage.
He was a lion.
He was much misunderstood, by all his subjects. Only the monkey and the elephant really understood his plight. That he growled but he didn't mean to scare the other little ducks and the giraffes that ran skelter when he growled at something, even he couldn't be sure- "what was it?" Often he asked, when he sat by himself, by the river.
"What was I growling at?"
Sometimes, the river spirits came up and cheered him up and told him what he may have been growling at. They knew of the dark forces, of drought, for example.
Then, the lion thought- "Ah, here's someone who tells me things I need to know, here's someplace I find solace, but ah, I am king of the jungle. I have responsibilities, I have animals who depend me, to know where they stand."The king paced and pondered thusly.
Now,there was a tamer who was walking through this jungle. He was looking for a lion to tame. He was a circus master. He needed a partner, who could wow the audience in the cities and villages where he roamed. He knew the crowds would never brave the jungle and so he wanted to take the lion where he went.
He reached the river, where he thought he could rest for a while, have a wash and look for a lion, that would eventually be his lion. A lion that he would befriend and have special conversations with, play with and go for long walks and runs with. Someone who would be as much of a friend to him as he was with his other playmates. The tamer didn't always know that his lion was his friend, but to others, he was a fierce lion. And that the lion scared them. The tamer was befuddled, " Why are you afraid of my lion?"- he would ask them, he thought, in his reveries.
On he went, in search of his lion.
At the shore of the river, the tamer approached a spot of shade and decided to sit there. While he sat there, thinking of fish in the river, he heard a growl in the forest behind him- Growl..!Roar! Growl!
He turned back, reflexively, taking his spear out, inspite of his heart leaping at the thought that his lion was calling out him, at the time that he was thinking about him.
While he turned to look for the roar again, up from behind him came the big snapy jaws of a crocodile and grabbed him- his leg and dragged him back into the river.
Roar! Growl! Roar!....was all he heard as he felt his limbs giving way, to the bite and pain- crocodile had him now.
The lion came jumping, leaping from the trees and ran as fast he could and skidded as he came to the bank of the river. He saw the tamer in a fight for his life with the crocodile.
The lion paced a few times around the shore, wondering who'd win, he was piqued by the thought- "What if the tamer wins- he tames me. What if the crocodile wins? Then I won't won't really have a new friend- will I now?"
So,the lion jumped into the water, risking his own life in the bargain and decided to show this crocodile, that his friend the tamer has a friend- and that friend is none other than the king of the jungle. That he better leave him alone, or else!
Then, the crocodile backed off, remembering how, the last time the crocodile hadn't listened to orders from the king of the jungle, his river had dried up and he had to dry bask in the sun for a whole summer. He even watched as the elephants dug holes for water and he couldn't help himself in anyway.
And all the monkeys laughed at the crocodile.
Not wanting to risk any more such punishments, crocodile moved away, deep into his own lair, to ponder his plight with his wise friend, the turtle.
The tamer got out of the water and the lion swam out too, they reached the shore and dried the water off themselves- then they realised, in a flash of sudden realisation- I've found what I was looking for!
They ran to each other and embraced each other in a long affectionate moment that seemed to never end.
They had so much to share, and tell each other and learn from each other's worlds- it seemed to them, their eyes said to each other- that all the time in the world wouldn't be enough - to connect.
They walked on to a clearing, where all the animals of the jungle had their evening soireees, and their cook ups, and the mood was festive. The king of the jungle was very pleased with his subjects, for not fighting within themselves this evening, when his tamer friend was with him.
The tamer was very pleased to know that his new friends were glad to meet him.
He spent the whole evening in their company and he observed how the king was consulted on everything, from how the coconut leaves should be strung together for the decorations to how much fire should be mooted for the spit roast.
They cheered and laughed at every joke the Lion cracked and his laugh was their mirth...they didn't seem to know, the tamer observed, what anybody was really doing, if their king was also similarly engaged, in doing nothing.
The tamer laughed, but on a more serious note, he had to re-think now, whether he would really tame this Lion, whom he found was not wild, in the sense that he was a beast who did understand what to do with himself- he was Lord of his lair, King of his jungle, he was the Life of the jungle. It was because of him, that all the other animals and birds and creatures were happy, trees and flowers bloomed, bees buzzed and the river and its spirits, the wind, the seven seas, the clouds, the sky, the earth, the fires and everything else around them was alive, - it was because of him, the Lion, the King of the Jungle.
The next morning, the lion came to river again to wallow in the waters, play with the fish and was really hoping to see the tamer.
He found a little note in the bark of a tree, where there was a hollow, for a little wood pecker.
"Did you do this woodpecker?"
"I did. Your friend the tamer asked me to give this message."
" I am an tamer. I came to tame you. I was selfish. But you are King of the jungle. No one's master. No one's slave. You set me free. In return, I give you the gift of my eternal friendship in the world of humans where I come from, and i dearly hope we meet again someday."
As Lion, king of the jungle read this message, he had tears in his eyes. He thought of his tamer friend and decided to give the world the gift of their story.
He walked into a canvas and stood by the tamer, now the sleeping gypsy, which even today runs in print and hangs on walls for those who wish to call upon the wonderful friendship between the lion and tamer, rendered by Henri Rousseau in "The Sleeping Gypsy".
