the story from the plaza

A golden lion roars menacingly, his mane on end with his electrifying power.  Below him, a wolf howls, a weak rival in comparison.  Nearby are the zebra and the hippo, the deer and the cow.  "Lew!" came his mother's impatient voice, "It's time to put your things away and go to bed!"  Lew never wanted to put his things away, of course; he was creating entire universes.  Those things don't just get "put away".  He could see the jungle river winding its way through his bedroom carpet.  There was a certain wear in it that showed a long shadow, which, with a little imagination, could be mistaken for a river.

"Lew, this is the last time I'm warning you."

The animals were on boxes, as if on mountain ledges.  They should be at the river.  It was time for a drink.  The hippo went first, into the middle of the stream, then came the cow, the zebra, and the deer.  They went in order of stockiness.  The lion and the wolf went together, on the opposite side of the plush waterway from the herbivores.  That was a good word.  He'd read it in his book on forest animals and it made him feel grown up just to think it.  So, the herbivores were warily quenching their thirst while the meat-eaters (he didn't remember the grown-up word for that) were pacing the opposite shore, waiting for a chance to strike.  Trees were thick all around, Lew could even hear birds, although there were none to be seen.  What were the lion and the wolf planning?  Could they work together?  It could be a delicious experiment for Lew.  They weren't from the same habitats, they might not communicate very well.  Wolves usually hunt in packs, while lions don't like to hunt much at all.  Well, this lion didn't have a pride to rely on, so maybe he would be used to catching his own food.  He might make the wolf do more of the work, though, and then keep him from eating once the prey was down until he'd had the "lion's share".  That was another thing Lew had read recently, and he felt proud of knowing expressions concerning animals.  He felt like a good communicator.  The hippo was milling around in the water, snorting and blowing little streams from its nostrils, and the other herbivores were relaxing on the shore.  They were starting to doze off!  Now was the time!  The wolf leaped over the water at the narrowest point first, the lion on his heels.  The herbivores were startled, paralyzed for a split second, but then they turned to flee.  Who would prevail?  It was up to Lew!

Suddenly, his mother was standing over him, looking stern.  "I can't count how many times I've told you to put your toys away and go to bed!  This is it!" and she grabbed him by the arm and dragged him into the bathroom to brush his teeth, and managed to get him into his pajamas in spite of his squirming and whining.  Then, while he was recuperating in bed from all the excitement, she picked up his toys and threw them into the toy chest.  "There, that's done now.  When are you going to learn to do this yourself when you're asked?"

His forest universe was gone, swept away like it never existed.  And as he was falling asleep, the whole idea of it faded from his mind like a puff of dream smoke.