The Lion Tamer's Little Secret

One: Boris The Brave

' Watch out Boris!'
' I can't look!'
' He's surrounded!' The circus audience all cried.
Boris the Lion Tamer eyed the fierce lions. He cracked his whip, loudly. But the lions crept closer and closer, snarling angrily. It looked as if he was doomed.
Boris's little assistant Danny watched eagerly.
' Come on Boris.' He cheered.
Suddenly, Boris lifted a stool. The lions froze. The audience gasped. He swung it around, wildly. The lions spread out a bit. Boris spotted a gap and made a dash for the cage door. The lions chased after him. But Boris was too quick and stepped out the door.
' Hurray! Bravo!' cheered the audience, rising to their feet.
' Splendid! Splendid!' Cheered the Ringmaster, rushing over, ' You really are my finest act, Boris.'
' Great performance.' Smiled Danny.
' Thanks everybody.' Said Boris breathlessly; ' Y'know I don't think we're feeding them enough.' He winked at Danny.
After the show, Boris signed autographs. Then he sat in his caravan and read his favourite book, ' Brave Heart'. Danny got to work feeding the lions. But he soon got a bit bored. And waking up his lazy cat, Chico, he pretended he was a fearless lion tamer. He cracked the whip he'd made from some old rope but he could never get it to make a noise.
' I wish you'd try and be a bit more aggressive? He scolded.
Chico meowed.
' Not much a growl, is it?' Danny sighed.
Just then the lions really did growl. Ahmed the elephant trainer was walking back to his caravan. The lions didn't like Ahmed. He snarled at them. 'Grrrr, yourself.' Ahmed wasn't in a very good mood. He hated the fact that everyone loved Boris's act more than his own.
' Hmmph! Why everyone prefers dumb lions to my graceful elephants I'll never know.' He muttered.
However, when Ahmed got to his caravan, a stranger was waiting for him.
' Allow me to introduce myself.' said the stranger,' I am Mandip. I too train elephants back in my home country.'
' I'm not really in a very good mood.' Said Ahmed.
' I think I understand.' Said Mandip.
' You do eh. And how can I help you?' asked Ahmed.
' Well, it's more how I can help you.'

Two: Morris the Elephant Trainer

Mandip took a small box from his coat and told Ahmed that he wanted to help him sharpen up his elephant act. He told him he could make it the best act in the circus.
' Better than Boris the lion tamer?' asked Ahmed, curiously.
' Much better. The audience will love you.'
Ahmed grinned. ' So what's your secret?'
' Not what but who.' explained Mandip,' The secret is in this little box.'
' Well hurry up and open it.' Said Ahmed, impatiently
So Mandip opened the box.
' It's empty. Is this some sort of a joke.' Ahmed frowned getting a bit cross.
But Mandip gasped, ' Oh deary deary me. He's run off again. Quick we must hurry.'
' Who's run off? Cried Ahmed, following him out of the caravan.
' Morris. Morris the mouse.'
' You expect me to believe that a mouse can train elephants?' said Ahmed.
' Better than you or I can. But hurry we must find him first.' As he spoke they both heard a loud scream.
' Sounds like someone has found him for us.' remarked Ahmed
' I think it came from that caravan.' Pointed Mandip.
' Couldn't have,' said Ahmed, 'That's Boris's caravan.' Dashing over they opened the caravan door.
Inside, Ahmed couldn't believe his eyes. Boris the brave was standing on a table quivering like a jelly, while underneath, nibbling at some crumbs sat Morris.
' Boris. What on earth are you doing.' Ahmed cried.
' Shot right across the room.' Boris stammered, ' like a bullet it was.'
' It's only a mouse.' Said Mandip, fumbling in his pocket for some cheese.
' I know it's a mouse. I have perfectly good eyesight you know. Just get rid of it if you please.' Boris said crossly.
' What's the matter?' Asked Danny, appearing at the door.
' Any good at mouse catching? Ahmed asked him.
Danny spotted the munching mouse and gasped, and then quite unexpectedly, he lunged at it.
' Gotcha! He cried
' Oh bravo!' cheered Boris.
' Should be a goalkeeper!' Said Ahmed.
' Don't squeeze him.' Said Mandip, worriedly.
Boris, a bit red-faced, climbed down off the table.
' Not a word to anyone about this, eh Ahmed?' he said, ' Just caught me unawares, you know.'
Ahmed winked. ' My lips are sealed.' But he couldn't resist a chuckle as he and Mandip and Morris walked back to his caravan.

Three: The Competition

Over the next few days, Danny noticed that Ahmed was behaving oddly. He and Mandip had put up a high fence around the elephant enclosure and were spending a lot of time there. And when they did come out, they were always muttering, nodding, and giggling. Something was going on and Danny was determined to find out.
' Ahmed is up to something' He told Boris one afternoon as they walked back to the caravan. But Boris didn't seem bothered. He was staring at a poster someone had stuck on his caravan door.
' I say, would you believe it.' he beamed.
' What is it?' asked Danny.
' There's a big competition next week to find the best circus act. A trophy will be awarded to the winner.'
' Waow!' Danny smiled,' You could win it easily.'
' Do you think so? Well I suppose if the judges liked us as much as the audience, we'd have a chance.'
Danny scratched his head. ' Hmmm...you know I bet this has something to do with why Ahmed is acting so strange.'
That night was circus night and Boris and Danny got ready. ' I've got my eye on that trophy.' winked Boris, cracking his whip.
As usual Ahmed was on first, except the ringmaster couldn't find him anywhere.'
' Boris, have you seen Ahmed? The audience are getting fed up waiting.'
Boris shook his head. Finally Ahmed appeared from the elephant enclosure.
' My goodness!' gasped the Ringmaster.
' Well, I never!' smiled Boris.
' Wow!' said Danny.
Ahmed's elephants had fancy new costumes. They were sparkly silver and glittery gold, and on their heads they wore hats with plumes. As he led them into the circus ring the audience gasped too. But the real surprise was still to come.
' My all new performing elephants.' Ahmed shouted to the audience.
And that's exactly what they did. They balanced on three legs, on two legs. On their own and with each other, and on colourful podiums. They rolled along giant balls and even danced. And all the time, Morris the mouse was scuttling about between their legs. Amazingly not getting stamped on. The audience hardly noticed him but Danny noticed.
' So that's it. A mouse who can train elephants.' He thought to himself.
Ahmed was so proud. The audience was cheering. It all seemed to be going well. But then...
' Bring on Boris the brave!' the audience began to shout.
Ahmed was furious.
' Good effort, Ahmed.' Consoled the Ringmaster.
' Arggh! That Boris is driving me bonkers.'
As Ahmed herded the elephants off, Mandip picked up Morris. ' I think you all did really well.' He smiled.
' Not well enough.' Ahmed scowled. ' In fact I think it's time I took matters into my own hands.'

Four: Boris the clown

When Mandip wasn't looking, Ahmed sneaked Morris out of his cage and took him to the ringside. Behind a tall cage, Boris was in the middle of his act. Nobody noticed Ahmed take a piece of cheese and toss it into the cage.
' Okay Morris,' he whispered, ' go fetch. And try not to get eaten by the lions.'
Smelling the cheese, Morris scurried through the cage and into the circus ring. The lion's eyed him suspiciously. The cheese had landed almost right at Boris's feet and Morris tucked in.
Boris looked down and screamed a tent splitting scream.
' Eeeeeek! A mouse.' He dropped his whip and running to the cage, climbed up as far as he could.
The audience were stunned.
' Fancy Boris the brave being afraid of a little mouse.' Someone chuckled.
Soon the whole audience were laughing then to Boris's horror, booing.
' What a sham.'
' More like Boris the clown.'
' Bring back the elephants!' they shouted.
The lions seizing their opportunity started to walk towards Boris, growling. Luckily Danny saw what was happening and rushed to a side door in the cage.
' Quickly over here, Boris!' He called, cracking his whip at the advancing lions. And, amazingly, for the first time, he managed quite a loud crack. Boris clambered over the cage and swung feet first out the door.
Then, red faced, he hurried back to his caravan.
' Twenty years in the circus to be reduced to a laughing stock.' He sobbed to Danny.
' Don't worry.' Said Danny,' you know people are scared of all sorts of things, even small things like spiders and mi...
' Don't say it.'
' Look, tomorrow everyone will have forgotten all about it.'
' Do you really think so?' Said Boris.
' Of course.'
But they didn't. Word had got out that Boris the brave was afraid of mice, and when Boris went on the following evening the audience booed. Even worse, they cheered.
' We want Ahmed! Bring on the dancing elephants!
Boris stormed off and slammed the door of his caravan.
' Pretty obvious who'll win the competition now.' He huffed to Danny.
' Don't be so sure.' Said Danny. Danny had a fairly good idea that Ahmed was to blame for all this. He stroked Chico. Then he had a brilliant idea.

Five: The Shadow

The big night of the competition arrived. Boris was still gloomy and sulked in his caravan. Ahmed and Mandip were busy putting costumes on the elephants. Too busy to notice a small shadow creeping towards Morris's cage. Or a hand opening the cage door. Morris jumped out of his cage and scurried out of the enclosure. He followed the trail of cheese the kind shadow had left for him. He was having a ball, when suddenly he saw two great big eyes staring at him. Then lots of big teeth. Cat teeth! The cat chased Morris all the way through the circus into the fields beyond. Until Morris disappeared down a hole in the ground.
Back at the circus the ringmaster was shouting at Ahmed.
' Why can't you ever be ready on time?'
Ahmed was shouting at Mandip. ' Of course I didn't let him out. '
' Well where is he then?'
' Why don't you start the show and I'll find him.
Ahmed herded the elephants out into the ring to loud cheers. The judges, sitting on the front row, clapped too.
Ahmed took his time introducing all the elephants but without Morris, he couldn't start the show.
Finally, he spotted Mandip who just shrugged his shoulders. Ahmed was mad. ' Keep looking and hurry up.' He waved. The elephants seemed to sense something was wrong and began to get a bit restless. They pushed and shoved one another. One even knocked the other ones hat off.
Ahmed took his stick and smacked it on the behind.
' Will you behave, you great oaf!'
Ahmed smacked it again only this time it reared up, knocking him over, and set off thundering around the ring. The other elephants chased after it and in a moment the ring was full of stampeding elephants.
The audience and judges gasped. Ahmed lay on the ring not moving.
' He's bumped his head.' Someone shouted.
' The elephants are heading straight for him!'

Six: Boris the brave... again!

Boris had been moping around the lion enclosure when he heard the commotion. He rushed to the ringside.
' Good gracious, Ahmed might be crushed.'
Without a second thought he ran straight through the middle of the stampeding elephants to where Ahmed lay. And scooping him up in his arms, quickly side stepped out of the ring as the first huge elephant crashed past him. Mandip rushed in and stopped the stampede, herding the elephants safely out of the ring.
The audience gave Boris a standing ovation.
' Well done Boris!'
' How brave!' They cheered.
' I say, are you all right?' Boris asked
Ahmed opened one eye and looked at Boris. ' Not you again.' He groaned.
Danny hurried over to help. 'That's a nasty bump. I'll get some first aid.' he said to Ahmed.
But just then, to Boris's amazement, the audience began to chant.
' We want Boris the brave! We want Boris the brave!'
' Looks like you're on.' Smiled the ringmaster. ' I'll see to Ahmed. Off you both go.'
Boris looked at Danny. ' What about that dreadful mouse?' he said, worriedly.
' Don't worry. I've taken care of him.' Danny announced.
The cages were pulled around the ring and Boris went to fetch his whip. When he came back however, he had not one whip but two. He gave one to Danny.
' I'd like you give me hand tonight?' he smiled.
Danny couldn't believe his ears, ' You mean I'm in the show.'
' From now on, yes. After all it was you who rescued me from that m.m.mouse.'
Boris, with Danny's help, gave his best ever performance. The audience loved it. And even better the judges loved it.
And when the circus was over, the judges awarded Boris and Danny with a massive silver trophy for best circus act.
' See, I knew you could win it.' Said Danny.
' I didn't win it. WE won it.' Winked Boris.
There was a huge party for all the acts and even Ahmed cheered up a bit when Danny handed him a big slice of cake.
' Maybe elephant training is too dangerous.' He mumbled, feeling the bump on his head.

Story written by Derek Keilty, illustrations by Trixie Keilty.
To visit Derek's website click here