In the lands of Africa, there was a big rock in which was ruled by lions. There once was a small lion cub... well at least he looked like a lion cub. We'll call him Simba and he was the son of the king lion.
Simba had always been different from the other cubs. His parents knew he was different and Simba knew he was different, but they kept his specialness to themselves. If the other animals found out then Simba could not be the heir to the throne, but Simba was a social butterfly and was always around the other cubs. He was always playing with the other lion cubs and causing a ruckus. One day they were playing hide and seek. Simba was the last cub hiding and the other cubs had no idea where he was. Simba had the element of surprise on his side and he wanted to frighten the others. So he inhaled a big, huge breath and opened his mouth, preparing to let out the loudest and scariest roar any of the cubs had ever heard. Except that loud, scary roar is not what came out. Instead, the noise Simba made resembled the yelp of a jackal.
I'm sure by this point in the story, you can figure out that Simba was different from any ordinary lion cub. He was the hybrid offspring of a lion and a she-jackal and if word got out about it, he could kiss the throne goodbye.
All the other cubs were surprised by this. Simba looked like a lion, he was shaped like a lion, but the noise that came out of him was certainly not that of a lion. Upon hearing the yelp, the king rushed to where they were playing and took Simba home before anything else could happen to put the throne in danger.
Simba's father lectured him all the way home about how he could never do that again. All will notice that he is not a true lion. Poor Simba just wanted to have fun with his cub friends and scare them. Although it would be difficult, Simba knew from now on that he would have to hold his tongue when in the presence of his people.
Author's Note: This is my adaptation of another Jataka tale. I really enjoy the simplicity in these short tales for children. In this one specifically, it reminded me of the character of Simba from The Lion King. My version of the story is very similar to the original, but I wanted to add a familiarity to it by naming the cub to a cub most people know...Simba.
Bibliography: "Silence is Golden" by W. H. D. Rouse. Website: The Jatakas
Simba had always been different from the other cubs. His parents knew he was different and Simba knew he was different, but they kept his specialness to themselves. If the other animals found out then Simba could not be the heir to the throne, but Simba was a social butterfly and was always around the other cubs. He was always playing with the other lion cubs and causing a ruckus. One day they were playing hide and seek. Simba was the last cub hiding and the other cubs had no idea where he was. Simba had the element of surprise on his side and he wanted to frighten the others. So he inhaled a big, huge breath and opened his mouth, preparing to let out the loudest and scariest roar any of the cubs had ever heard. Except that loud, scary roar is not what came out. Instead, the noise Simba made resembled the yelp of a jackal.
I'm sure by this point in the story, you can figure out that Simba was different from any ordinary lion cub. He was the hybrid offspring of a lion and a she-jackal and if word got out about it, he could kiss the throne goodbye.
All the other cubs were surprised by this. Simba looked like a lion, he was shaped like a lion, but the noise that came out of him was certainly not that of a lion. Upon hearing the yelp, the king rushed to where they were playing and took Simba home before anything else could happen to put the throne in danger.
Simba's father lectured him all the way home about how he could never do that again. All will notice that he is not a true lion. Poor Simba just wanted to have fun with his cub friends and scare them. Although it would be difficult, Simba knew from now on that he would have to hold his tongue when in the presence of his people.
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| (Simba as a cub; Source: Flickr) |
Author's Note: This is my adaptation of another Jataka tale. I really enjoy the simplicity in these short tales for children. In this one specifically, it reminded me of the character of Simba from The Lion King. My version of the story is very similar to the original, but I wanted to add a familiarity to it by naming the cub to a cub most people know...Simba.
Bibliography: "Silence is Golden" by W. H. D. Rouse. Website: The Jatakas
Hey Lindsay! I grew up like many others watching Disney movies and I of course consider Lion King to be quite synonymous to the company. So when I started reading your story, I got a nice little kick as I discovered what your story was about. Simultaneously, you used some elements from the original story and intertwined them with your own to give is a bit of twist. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHi Lindsey,
ReplyDeleteI have been reading some of the Jataka stories non stop for inspiration and for my reading notes. Glad to see another person really enjoys their style and how easy to read they are. Great job on formulating a story that flows well and is still very descriptive when it comes to the setting and the stories characters. Also always happy to see a Lion King reference!
Hi Lindsey,
ReplyDeleteRight away when you mentioned lion cubs I thought of Simba and then it was like you read my mind. I also like the short stories and how easy it is to find the lessons in them. It was interesting that you came up with the similarities to Simba in your story and tied it with the sounds of the jackal.