Lions and Zebras by Charlize L. Love

Henry loved school; it was his favorite thing in the whole world. He was only ten years old, but he was ahead of the rest of his class. The teachers had said so themselves, he heard it in their hushed conversations, he read it on the stacks of papers they keep on their desks. It made him feel good, he felt proud.

Henry loved the giant hallways; the windows would loom over him and when the sun was out the striped shadows would cast on the wall. The shadows against the crisp white walls reminded him of a zebra, he’s never seen one in person, but there’s a book hidden under his bed. A book with pictures and words he’s never heard of before. He’s seen the zebras in the book, he’s also seen the lions in the book too. The lions stalk the zebra first, then they strike.

He loves his teachers too, especially Ms. Brown. Ms. Brown gave him the books he hides under his bed; she brushed his hair and held his hand. Sometimes she would ask him silly questions, if he was sad here or if he missed his home. He’d always giggle at the question and say no, Ms. Brown always looked sad when he would answer. He hopes one day he can answer right.

More than anything, though, Henry loved reading. It wasn’t something he got to do often, especially in between classes. His favorite time to read was when everyone had gone to bed, when the moon was high in the sky and the soft light shone through his window onto the pages. It was quiet and it was peaceful, it was safe. The moonlight reminded him of Ms. Brown, soft and safe.

Now though, as he sat on his bed, feet dangling and kicking back and forth, he held his favorite book in his lap. The book with the zebras, the book with the stalking lions hidden in the grass. The lions who would strike, who would scratch and bite. Red covered the page, the words explaining how lions needed to hunt. He loved zebras, but sometimes he felt like a lion.

A hard knock on the door pulled him from his thoughts, quickly he dropped to the floor and stuffed the book back under his bed. He wasn’t exactly sure if he was allowed to have it, but he knew better than to risk it. He stood straight up and waited, just like how he was trained to do. The door creaked open and there stood one of his teachers. Clipboard in hand and clothes ironed perfectly.

“Henry,” his voice was stern and eyes cold, “It’s time for your assignment.”

He smiled; he loved his assignments. Quickly he followed his teacher out of his room, down the twisting hallways with the giant windows and zebra patterns, and past the classrooms till finally they stood in front of the door where all his assignments were done. He could barely contain his excitement while door opened to reveal a man sitting in a chair, his hands bound behind him, and eyes covered.

He was handed the gun and knew what to do.

Charlize L Love

Image by Petra Šolajová from Pixabay– an assortment of children’s books with the colourful pages of animals.