Journal #2

           There once was an old lion in the jungle. The lion was at one point a great ruler of the jungle and all of the animals loved and respected him. In his old age, the lion fell very ill and it did not seem as though he was going to get better. When he fell ill, his younger nephew took over to let the lion rest. The other animals in the kingdom gradually stopped taking care of the lion, and left him alone. When the lion could no longer care for himself, he asked for help. The animals that were once so loyal to their ruler, told him he should go leave the jungle so he did not bother the other animals. There he would eventually die. Giving up hope in his fellow animals, the lion decided to leave the jungle. As the lion was leaving the jungle, he had to pass through the outskirt. The outskirt of the jungle was notorious for being very sparse and much poorer than the center where the lion lived. When he arrived at the outskirt, the parrot saw him approaching and went to spread the word to the other animals. As word got around, the old lion was greeted with love and a warm welcome. When they asked what the lion was doing in the outskirt, he explained to them that he had gotten ill and the animals stopped caring for him, so he decided to leave the jungle. When the animals heard this they immediately said they would take care of him, and made him a comfy bed and got him food and water. The lion stayed there until he miraculously got better. When word of the old lion’s wellness got back to the center of the jungle, they told him he could come back. The lion replied that he was not and would not leave the outskirts even if they wanted him to.Even though they had a bad reputation, the outskirt animals were the ones who were truly caring and kind, unlike the others. The old lion stayed there and helped build up the outskirts until his death many years later.