Short and sweet. - I really only wrote this tale so that I could share these wonderful videos of Christian the Lion!

I come from a family of six and this is one of those family stories that get recounted every so often.

Pre me; so before my twin brother and I were born my mother took my three elder brothers to the Parkville zoo in Melbourne.

Number three brother was about five years of age, lisped and was not as brave as his two older brothers. They had all ridden the elephant, made faces at the red bottomed monkeys, gazed in fascination at the snakes, eaten pink fairy floss, and done all things that you would normally do at a zoo.

Then they got to the cages that housed the fearsome lions. This cage was near the cafe so my mother left the three boys together for about five minutes while she went to get them an ice cream each.

She got back to find two of her sons staring in fascination at the lion. He was a very grand chap, sported a mane and looked quite ferocious. She turned around to see where number three son was and spotted him behind a tree some distance away.

My brother it seems greeted her with-

"Don't let him look at me and I won't look at him!"

copyright a.a.gallagher 2008