Once Upon A Time In Africa E-Book

Yolanda King

• Herausgeber: Books on Demand
• Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2018

Seitenzahl: 30

Beschreibung

Grandma Rose and grandpa Jeff are out for a stroll when the churchbell chimes and shrinks grandma with every strike. She disappears and reappears in an African national park as a lioness, where, with a computer, the animals have summoned her for their annual play staged for the visitors of the park in which she is the protagonist. She lives in a camp and rehearses her part. She meets other animals as well as the park rangers who all live to entertain the tourists. At the end of the season, the computer returns her to grandpa Jeff.

Leseprobe

Once Upon A Time In Africa

Once Upon A Time In AfricaCopyright

Once Upon A Time In Africa

“Well, sit down then and I'll tell you a story,” grandma Rose told her four grandchildren, Lisa, Tommy, Brad and April. Grandma Rose was sitting in a rocking chair on the back porch. It was one of those humid summer evenings where the air was perfectly still. Home-made ice tea stood in a pitcher on the rickety wooden table. Grandpa Jeff pushed the creaking back door open with his shoulder and placed a tray with six glasses on the table. He poured each of them some ice tea and sat down on the porch steps. The four young children crowded eagerly around their grandmother's feet and looked at her expectantly.     “It was on a fine evening in spring about fifty years ago. Grandpa Jeff and I had just met a few weeks previously. My mom didn't like him so we could only see each other in secret.” “How about your dad, did he like grandpa Jeff?” Tommy asked. Grandma Rose smiled, “Oh, he liked him very much. He knew we were seeing each other and he'd promised me to convince mom to let us marry. Anyway, back to my story. We were already living here, in the same small town, just that there were fewer houses back then. Your grandfather and I were going for a walk out in the fields – in those times the fields began right behind our house – and we heard the church bell chime in the distance. At the first chime I felt rather funny, there was this tingling sensation running through me from head to toe. I stopped walking and stared at your grandfather with wide eyes. At the second chime my bones started aching and the ache made me groan. Grandpa Jeff was really worried at that point but didn't know what to do, except grab me and stroke my head. Then I noticed that my clothes were suddenly very ill-fitting, hanging off me like a tent. Grandpa had let go of me and was getting taller and taller, whereas I was shrinking; and I couldn't help it!” “When the bell chimed ten o`clock your grandma had disappeared!” grandpa Jeff explained. “Where was she?” April wanted to know. Grandpa shrugged, “She wasn't with me anymore, that's for sure. As to where she'd gone, well, that's quite bizarre indeed. I, however, was shocked. When I had halfway gathered my wits I looked about me and called her name, but there was nothing but silence and a soft breeze rustling in the trees. I was frantic with worry!”     “I had shrunk and vanished,” grandma continued, “but only where grandpa was standing, uncomprehending. Where I reappeared I was a lioness! I looked down my furry chest to my big paws. I lifted one and brought it up to my nose to sniff it, then I knocked myself on the head. <Ouch!> I said. Apparently I wasn't dreaming. I finally looked up and into the eyes of at least two dozen wild beasts. Slowly, I turned around and realized that all of a sudden I was amidst these animals, who were standing in a circle around me and staring at me curiously and expectantly. I blinked and shook my head. <Where am I?> I asked.” “In Africa,” a zebra answered. “Why?” “Because we needed a new crew member,” replied an elephant. “Crew member?” I asked, dumbfounded. “What for?” “Our new performance,” growled a leopard. I lifted a paw to silence them, “Could someone speak plainly, please? It's all gibberish to me.” “Every year we, the crew, stage a new play,” chirped a gazelle. “It's high season soon and the tourists will be pouring in. They always want to see action and drama, so we give them what they want. Mrs. Queer here,” she pointed at a mighty buffalo, “writes a new script every year. To make it more thrilling, we usually get at least one outsider to perform with us throughout the season. This year it's you.”