Picture by Tamar Green, for Lauren Marie Sommerville's story
One day two girls named Ashley & Lauren were riding in a Jeep to Africa. When they got there they saw an antelope get eaten by a cheetah. "Oooo gross!" said Ashley. Soon they were exploring the Serengeti. Then, all of the sudden, a lion came sneaking up behind them. Lauren turned around just in time to see the lion about to leap towards them. "RUN!" said Lauren. And Ashley ran harder than she had ever in her life. But the lion wouldn't give up. It kept running, like it had an Energizer battery in it. Ashley pointed to some monkeys in a tree and said, "Let's climb up the tree so the lion can't get us." So the two girls hurried toward the tree.
The lion was right behind them. Ashley was getting behind. "Hurry!" said Lauren. Lauren jumped up into the tree. "Hurry, I'll lift you up," said Lauren. And she lifted Ashley up and they went to the widest branch they could find.
Soon it was turning dark. The lion was pacing back and forth under the tree waiting for them to get down. Soon he fell asleep. "Do you think it's safe now?" whispered Ashley. The lion started snoring. "It must be," whispered Lauren back. So the girls went down on the other side of the tree. Then, right as they were down, a monkey started chattering. "Eee, Eee, Eee!" "Oh no!" said Ashley. "Now we'll never get away."
The lion started to get up. Ashley stood frozen in her tracks. "Come on!" said Lauren. "We can still get past. Look over there at that tall grass. If we can run and make it we can hide in the grass." Ashley stood thinking for a second. "All right," she said finally. "But if anything happens, I am going to get my lawyer on the phone!" Soon the girls were running to the tall grass. Then the lion got up and started running towards them. "Run faster!" said Ashley. Soon they were in the grass. The lion sniffed around in the grass. His paw came right down between the two girls. They girls didn't breathe or move.
Then an antelope went racing by. The lion started chasing it, and the two girls were free to run. Soon they got back to the jeep. "Start the engine! Start the engine!" said Ashley. Soon the engine started and the girls were on their way back to reality.
