Joe decided to apply for a job at the zoo. The employment director
told him they had an opening for him, but it would be a bit unusual.
He explained that their gorilla had died and they had no money to buy
one on the zoo market, and that his job would be to wear a gorilla suit
and pretend he was a gorilla.
After explaining the details and how he would be alone in the cage and very
safe, plus he could have a lot of fun entertaining the visitors, Joe finally
agreed.
So, he did have a lot of fun, parading around his cage and entertaining the
kids as well as the adults. He climbed on the trees in his cage, and on the
rocks, and when things were quiet he would take a nap in the corner, and when
the crowd gathered again, he would jump up and begin clowning around again
to the delighted visitors.
One day, as Joe was jumping around he climbed up the side of his cage to the
top, lost his balance and fell into the next cage, the lion’s cage.
As the lion walked toward him, he began to shake, and just stood there unable
to move. As the lion got closer, Joe began talking to the lion like it was
a cat, and said, “Good Lion, you’re not going to hurt me, are you?” And as
he spoke more in his frightened voice, he was shocked to hear the lion speak
back.
The lion said, “If you don’t shut up, you’re going to get both of us fired.”
