Library Lion

Sunshine English Course 3 (2021) pg. 113-118

Library Lion
としょかんライオン
Details
Word count	1,001
Book	Sunshine
Grade	3
Year	2021

One day, a lion came to the library. He walked right past the circulation desk and up into the stacks. Mr. McBee ran down to the head librarian's office. "Miss Merriweather!" he called. "No running," said Miss Merriweather, without looking up.
"But there's a lion!" said Mr. McBee. "In the library!" "Is he breaking any rules?" asked Miss Merriweather. "Well, no," said Mr. McBee. "Then leave him be."
No one was sure what to do. There weren't any rules about lions in the library. Soon it was time for story hour. The story lady seemed a little nervous. But she read out the first book's title in a good, clear voice. The lion looked up. The story lady kept reading. The lion stayed for the next story. And the story after that. He waited for another story, but the children began to walk away. "Story hour is over," a little girl told him. The lion looked at the children. He looked at the story lady. He looked at the closed books. Then he roared very loud.

Miss Merriweather came out of her office. "Who is making that noise?" she demanded. "It's the lion," said Mr. McBee. Miss Merriweather marched over to the lion. "If you cannot be quiet, you will have to leave," she said in stern voice. "Those are the rules!" The little girl tugged on Miss Merriweather's dress. "If he promises to be quiet, can he come back for story hour tomorrow?" she asked. Miss Merriweather said, "Yes. A nice, quiet lion would certainly be allowed to come back for story hour tomorrow."
The next day, the lion came back. "You are early," said Miss Merriweather. "Story hour is not until three o'clock." The lion did not budge. "Very well," said Miss Merriweather. "You might as well make yourself useful." She sent him off to dust the encyclopedias until it was time for story hour. Soon the lion began doing things without being asked. He dusted the encyclopedias. He licked the envelopes. He let small children stand on his back to reach books on the highest shelves.

At first, the people in the library were nervous about the lion. But soon they got used to having him around. His big feet were quiet on the library floor. He made a comfy backrest for the children at story hour. And he never roared in the library anymore. "What a helpful lion," people said. "How did we ever get along without him?" Mr. McBee scowled when he heard that. No lions were needed! Lions, he thought, could not understand rules. They did not belong in the library.
One day, Miss Merriweather stepped up onto the step stool. A book was just out of reach. Miss Merriweather stood on her toes. She stretched out her fingers. "Almost... there..." she said. Then Miss Merriweather stretched a little too far. "Ouch," said Miss Merriweather softly. She did not get up.
"Mr. McBee!" she called after a minute. "Mr. McBee!" But he could not hear her. "Lion," said Miss Merriweather. "Please go and get Mr. McBee." The lion ran down the hall. "No running," Miss Merriweather called after him.

The lion put his big front paws up on the circulation desk and looked at Mr. McBee. "Go away, Lion." said Mr. McBee. "I'm busy." The lion whined. He pointed his nose down the hall toward Miss Merriweather's office. Mr. McBee ignored him.
Finally, the lion did the only thing he could think of to do. He looked Mr. McBee right in the eye. Then he opened his mouth very wide. And he roared the loudest roar in his life.
"You're not being quiet!" Mr. McBee said to the lion. "You're breaking the rules!" Mr. McBee walked down the hall as fast as he could. The lion did not follow him. He knew what that meant.
Mr. McBee did not notice. "Miss Merriweather!" he called as he walked. "Miss Merriweather! The lion broke the rules! The lion broke the rules!" He burst into Miss Merriweather's office.

She was not in her chair. "Miss Merriweather?" he asked. "Sometimes," said Miss Merriweather from the floor behind her desk, "there is a good reason to break the rules. Even in the library. Now please go call a doctor." Mr. McBee ran to call a doctor. "No running!" Miss Merriweather called after him.
The next day, things were back to normal. Almost. The lion did not come to the library that morning. He did not come the next day, either. Or the day after that.
"Can I do anything for you before I go, Miss Merriweather?" Mr. McBee asked her one evening. No, thank you," said Miss Merriweather. Her voice was very quiet. Even for the library. Mr. McBee thought there probably was something he could do for Miss Merriweather, after all. He left the library. But he did not go home. He walked around the neighborhood. He looked under cars. He looked behind bushes. He looked in backyards and trash cans and tree houses. Finally he circled all the way back to the library. The lion was sitting outside, looking in through the glass doors.

"Hello, Lion," said Mr. McBee. The lion did not turn around. "I thought you might like to know," said Mr. McBee. "that there's a new rule at the library. No roaring allowed, unless you have a very good reason—say, if you're trying to help a hurt friend, for example." The lion turned around. But Mr. McBee was already walking away.
The next day, Mr. McBee walked down the hall to Miss Merriweather's office. "What is it, Mr. McBee?" asked Miss Merriweather in her new, sad, quiet voice. "I thought you might like to know," said Mr. McBee, that there's a lion. In the library."
Miss Merriweather jumped up from her chair and ran down the hall. Mr. McBee smiled. "No running!" he called after her. Miss Merriweather didn't listen.
Sometimes there was a good reason to break the rules. Even in the library.

See also

• Junior high school speech contest
• Library Lion (Wikipedia)