Is There A Lion In There?

By Keith D. McSwain

Roger is a lion cub, and just like his father before him, he only had one problem: his mane! Whereas his father was completely bald, Roger had fur everywhere, so much so that it was causing him a lot of problems! No matter where he went, all the other animals thought that he was a monster and were terrified of him! Fortunately, Roger had the lov

• Language: English
• Publisher: Stratton Press
• Release date: Mar 31, 2022
• ISBN: 9781648958021

Keith D. McSwain

McSwain a.k.a. The Storyteller Extraordinaire, was born one of 13 children in Chicago, Illinois. He aspires to be an accomplished author and artist which began at the age of six. His hobbies include martial arts, bowling, painting, music and linguistics (study of languages Spanish, Sign & Polish). He is the author of the suspense/medieval novel Quest for the Scorpion's Claws I & II, and Genesis: An Anthology of Poetic Expression. He has three other novels awaiting publication: The Death Trap, The Murphy Murders and The Formicidaes. As a child, he has done brief performances with the late, legendary Oscar Brown Jr. Mr. McSwain has also written & illustrated over a dozen children's books: Humphrey the Farsighted Dragonfly, Humphrey & Friends Series, Bessie the Bossy Cow, Larry the Lonely lamppost, Pet Wars, Don't Blame Me, Marcy's Diet, That Darn Puppy, and Reflections from the Workings of the Inner Mind. To contact Mr. McSwain,e:mail at [e-mail], Instagram & Twitter

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Introduction

Roger is a lion cub who, just like his father before him, is in a world of trouble. When his father was a cub, his biggest problem was that he was bald on the top of his head—not a good thing when you are to be the king of beasts with no mane. Roger was just the opposite; he was completely covered with fur, so much so that he frightened all the other animals around him. Everyone he knew thought that he was a monster, but that was not the worst thing to happen to poor Roger.

He soon discovered that his fur was not only scary but was becoming dangerous! But soon Roger and his family would come across a real threat, and his very furry body will prove to be more help to him than even he realized. Read on and see what happens…

You may or may not have heard about a little lion cub named Ralph, who, a long time ago, had a very serious problem. When he was born, he was completely bald on the top of his head. But this story isn’t exactly about Ralph. You see, like all baby animals, Ralph grew up, and being a lion, he became a king. He even got married and had a family of his own, and that is where this story begins.

It was a dark, stormy evening when Dr. Chimpanzee was called to King Ralph’s cave. King Ralph was outside the cave nervously pacing back and forth because he was worried about what was happening inside. The rain was coming down hard, and he was getting soaking wet (lions hate getting wet), but this time he didn’t care.

Wow! What is taking so long? he thought to himself.

Finally, Dr. Chimpanzee called out to him. All right, Your Majesty, you can come in now.

King Ralph was very nervous as he slowly walked into his home.

Dr. Chimpanzee ran to him with a big smile on his face. Congratulations, Your Majesty!

Uh, thanks… he answered sheepishly.

You will be happy to know, Your Majesty, that you are now the proud father of two girls and two boys!

Overjoyed, King Ralph ran to the side of his wife, Queen Suzette. They rubbed their faces together, one of the things cats do when they greet each other.

How are you feeling? King Ralph asked Queen Suzette.

She smiled and answered, I’m fine.

That’s great! King Ralph sighed with relief.

Ralph, where are you going? she asked.

Oh, I am going to see my cubs, King Ralph answered happily, that is, until he saw the look on his wife’s face. Uh, is there something wrong?

Well, uh…did the doctor tell you?

Tell me what!? King Ralph asked.

Queen Suzette sighed. Uh…well, I thought the doctor told you.

Now King Ralph was getting worried. He was about to race out of the room to talk to Dr. Chimpanzee when the other lionesses brought in his cubs one by one so he could see them. Ralph was so happy that he forgot what he was worried about!

He nuzzled his firstborn son. Honey, let’s call this one Araali. Then he nuzzled his daughter. And let’s call this one Bitti. Then he nuzzled his other daughter. And we’ll name this one Medorow, like you wanted.

Then King Ralph paused. Wait a minute. One, two, three…I thought the doctor said I had four cubs, but I only count three.

Ralph! Queen Suzette called out to him in alarm. Don’t sit there!

Huh? Why not? It’s only a pillow. Suddenly, King Ralph felt the pillow move underneath him, and it made a strange noise! Holy smokes! King Ralph gasped in terror. He was so frightened that he leaped straight up and into the