Leo the lion was king of the zoo, or at least, he thought so. Every morning, he strutted around his enclosure, flipping his mane like it was a crown.
But one sunny day, Leo spotted the gate accidentally left ajar. He blinked. He grinned. He tiptoed closer.
“Free at last!” he whispered, squeezing through.
The zookeepers shouted, “Stop him!” but Leo was already galloping down the city street, tail swishing with excitement.
Hotdog Havoc
Leo’s first stop was a food cart. The smell of sizzling hotdogs made his tummy rumble.
“Excuse me, sir,” Leo said politely, “I’ll take ten hotdogs with extra mustard.”
The vendor fainted. THUD! Leo shrugged and helped himself, gobbling hotdogs in three giant bites.
But mustard squirted everywhere on cars, on pigeons, even on Leo’s mane. The pigeons flapped angrily, chasing him down the street.
“Note to self,” Leo muttered, “pigeons hate mustard.”
Laundry Day Disaster
Next, Leo tried to hide. He spotted laundry lines stretched between buildings and thought, Perfect disguise!
He draped a giant bedsheet over his body and waddled down the street like a ghost.
A little girl pointed. “Mommy, the ghost has a tail!”
The sheet slipped off, and Leo tripped into a pile of socks. Now he wore socks on his paws, ears, and even his tail. The crowd roared with laughter.
Leo blushed. “Maybe fashion isn’t my thing.”
Home Is Where the Laughter Is
As the sun set, Leo grew tired. His paws ached, his mane smelled of mustard, and socks clung to his fur.
Just then, the zookeeper arrived with a kind smile. “Had enough adventure, Leo?”
Leo sighed. “I guess so. It’s fun to be free, but it’s even better to be with friends who laugh with me.”
Back at the zoo, animals gathered to hear his tales. The monkeys howled at the hotdog story. The parrots screeched with glee about the ghost disguise.
Leo bowed dramatically. “Thank you, thank you! King of comedy, reporting for duty!”
And from that day, Leo wasn’t just the king of the zoo, he was the king of laughter.
The End !
