By Xavier Aracena
Once upon a time there was a very little lion. His name was William. He was very tiny and very skinny. He didn’t really fit in with the other lions. The other lions were more talented and skilled than William. They were more ferocious and tougher than William. William, wasn’t very skilled or talented, neither was he ferocious like the other lions. Growing up, the other lions always made fun of him and thought less of him. No matter how much he tried, he wasn’t acknowledged for anything he did. He was lonely from the day he was born, his mother dying once she gave birth and shortly after his father was killed. The only lion who gave William the warmth and comfort was his aunt. His aunt, was basically his second mother. She fed and bathed William when he was young. She was always there for William. Whenever William was sad or mad, his aunt would always be there to comfort him. Of course, when William was bad, she would give him his punishment, but all in all, the only one who had William’s back was his aunt. But tragically, one day she died of a really bad sickness, leaving William by himself.
As William got older, he still developed no talent. Compared to the other lions, he was very uncoordinated. Many laughed at him and many doubted that he would ever become a strong lion. The older lions looked at William with cold eyes, almost as if they were disgusted by what they were seeing. But William was born with something that no other lion seemed to have. Determination. William, from a young age, was very bad at quitting. No matter how many times he was laughed at and taunted, he kept his head held up high and didn’t give up.Although, he wasn’t skilled, when no one was watching, he would work at his weaknesses. There would be times, where yes, he would doubt himself, but in the end he never gave up. He wasn’t scared to fail and in his head he told himself he was the best, although in reality he wasn’t. He didn’t fear any lion either. William always measured the odds, but never payed attention to the odds. Everyone knew that if William were to fight the strongest lion, he would immediately lose, but William didn’t think that way.
One sunny afternoon, William was feasting on the food that he hunted. It was the smallest animal compared to all the other lions, but William didn’t care. In his eyes he saw progress. As William was peacefully eating, one of the most talented and skillful lions in William’s age group came up to him. William continued eating as if he wasn’t there, but all of sudden the lion took his food. William confused and angry looked up at him.
“What was that for?” William asked.
“You don’t deserve this food, outcast,” The lion said with food in his mouth.
William growled and slowly inched towards the lion.
The lion snickered and said, “What are you gonna do about it?”