ALEXANDRA & THE FRIENDLY LION

Alexandra did not want to go to bed. She was far too excited and wanted to play for longer.

"How much longer," asked her Daddy.

"These minutes," she replied loudly, holding up her hands and showing ten fingers.

"That's too many," said Daddy; "These minutes." He held up three fingers.

Alexandra made the most of her three minutes by jumping off her bed onto the floor.

Eventually, after ten minutes, Alexandra sat in her bed and waited for her bedtime story.

"... And they lived happily ever after."

Alexandra's Daddy closed the book and turned out her bedside light.

"Leave the door open," commanded Alexandra.

"How much?" asked Daddy.

"This much," Alexandra stretched out her arms. Daddy made a short space between his hands. "This much."

Alexandra agreed to this, reluctantly.

She snuggled down deep in her cosy bed and her Daddy kissed her softly on her forehead.

"Goodnight my angel. See you in the morning."

"Give lion a kiss too," said Alexandra, holding up her toy lion.

"Of course."

Daddy kissed the lion on the nose and got up to leave. Alexandra watched as her Daddy pulled the door closed, leaving a small gap of light for her to see.

Alexandra didn't like the dark. She started to suck her thumb and cast her big eyes around the room.

"Don't be frightened Alexandra," said a voice.

Alexandra, a little concerned, could not make out where the voice was coming from. And then she noticed an eye, glinting in the dark.

It was her toy lion, winking at her.

"There's nothing to be afraid of Alexandra. Now close your eyes and I'll show you something wonderful."

Alexandra did as the lion said.

"No peeping," said the lion, firmly.

It was only a few moments before Alexandra felt a sultry summer breeze sweep across her like a swathe of soft silk. She opened her eyes to find that she wasn't in her bedroom anymore. She was in ...

AFRICA.

Alexandra kicked back the covers from her bed and stood up to look at the vast African sky before her.

"This is where I was born," said the lion. "Welcome to my home. Climb up onto my back, and I will give you a tour of my kingdom."

So Alexandra and the lion went off to explore.

"What are those?" asked Alexandra, excitedly pointing at some strange creatures. "Are they horses?"

"They're zebras. They make me go cross-eyed when I look at them."

"Why is that?" asked Alexandra.

"Because of their black and white stripes. I don't know whether I'm coming or going."

Alexandra felt the warm wind in her hair as the lion padded through the thick grass toward a lush river valley. When they arrived at the water's edge, Alexandra noticed some even stranger looking animals.

"What are those?" she asked inquisitively. "Warthogs," he replied. "They're stinky, and much like pigs because they roll around in mud all day." One of the warthogs overheard the lion's remarks and raised his snout at him, snorting loudly.

Alexandra found this all very amusing.

"Come on. I have much more to show you."

They followed the river until they arrived at a misty mountain forest. "What's that funny noise?" asked Alexandra, as they entered the deep cool shade of the trees.

"That? Oh they're just vervet monkeys; they're a little excited because they have just found some lovely wild fruit. Would you like to swing on a branch like a monkey?"

"Oh yes, yes!" said Alexandra with great joy. "Yes please!"

With the lion's help, Alexandra climbed up onto a low-hanging branch. A few moments later, she was swinging with a whole family of vervet monkeys while they all made noises like big people laughing at Christmas parties.

"This is funny!" shouted Alexandra.

"Hilarious," replied the lion, drolly.

"But there is much to see yet, so come on..." ushered the lion with his paw.

Alexandra dropped out of the tree and onto the lion's back, waving goodbye to the family of monkeys.

They rode out of the misty mountain forest along a dusty track.

"What's that on the road there?" said Alexandra, pointing to a curious looking creature. "Mmmm, I'm not sure about that one," said the lion uncertainly. "Why don't we ask it?"

"Excuse me thing?" enquired Alexandra, "but what are you?"

The thing coughed before answering. "I'm a dwarf mongoose! And what, pray tell, are you?"

"I'm a little girl and this is my lion."

"Well I don't usually accommodate lions, but as you both seem like friendly sorts, and if you promise not to eat me, then hello."

"My lion won't eat you. He's a toy lion," insisted Alexandra.

"He looks real to me."

"Oh he is real. But he's not an eating lion."

"Well that's very reassuring," said the mongoose unconvinced.

"Anyway, we must go now mongoose; we have lots more to do."

"Goodbye little girl; goodbye to you lion."

Alexandra and the lion smiled at the mongoose as they gathered pace.

As the lion ran through the lush grasslands, Alexandra spotted an animal that stood out amongst the others as especially beautiful.

"What is that animal?"

"That's a Klipspringer," replied the lion. "We call them rock-jumpers."

"Why is that?" asked Alexandra.

"Because they jump over rocks, silly!" laughed the lion. "Look, watch!"

And sure enough, the beautiful Klipspringer jumped over a smooth rock in one graceful leap, before disappearing from view.

Alexandra was sure that she had never in her entire life seen anything quite so magical.

Alexandra and the lion followed a rocky path, high up into mountainous terrain, and eventually arrived before a huge waterfall.

"Oh. This is beautiful!" Alexandra gasped. Her heart leapt with excitement. "Is this your home?"

"Yes," said the lion. " I was born under this waterfall. It was the first sound I ever heard."

The water sang as it poured over the craggy rock face.

"Don't you miss it?" asked Alexandra gravely.

"I do sometines. But I know it is always here in my heart, so I can always find it when I need to."

Alexandra wrapped her arms around the lion's mane and squeezed him tight.

He smiled. "And now we must go back to your home."

"But how?" enquired Alexandra.

"Walk beyond the waterfall ..."

Alexandra did as the lion said and walked between the rapid water and the cavernous rock face and found herself back on the familiar African plain where she and her lion had begun their adventure.

Alexandra took one last look at Africa as the sun started to grow bigger and bigger on the horizon.

She yawned and climbed back into her bed, pulling the duvet around her. Lion climbed in beside her and together they fell asleeep as glossy starlings sang in the distance, heralding a new day.

"Good morning Alexandra," said Daddy, as he drew back the curtains in Alexandra's bedroom. "Did you sleep well?"

"We went to Africa, " said Alexandra dreamily, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Did you really? That's wonderful. Why don't you come and tell me all about it over breakfast?"

Alexandra looked back at lion.

He winked at her and smiled.