"Wow!" David whispered to himself as he marveled at the animals at the zoo. He'd never been before, but his family had always loved going, and so last weekend they did. David was excited to see all

Once upon a time, there was an adventurous six-year-old boy named David. A day of anticipated excitement was in store for him and his family. His parents and his older brother had planned a visit to the zoo, a first for David. Warm rays of the morning sun teased his innocent eyes, yet nothing could have prepared him for the fascinating creatures that filled the zoo. Upon arriving at the lion exhibit, David was astounded. He quietly marveled at the sight of the formidable lion and his family. A majestic male, a protective female, and their playful cubs. "Wow! So cool," he whispered to himself, impressed by the majesty that nature had unveiled. Suddenly, the air filled with an earth-shaking roar that sent a chill down David's spine. The male lion had spotted him and asserted his dominance. Startled, David wished he could be brave and approach the lion without fear. Inexplicably, he felt lighter than his usual energetic self. He looked down only to realize, his hands were translucent. He could walk and float through things. Seizing the opportunity, David, with his newfound courage and ability, approached the male lion. Just as he did, the female lion sprang protectively between them, her large body passing right through David. His vision whirled into a vortex of darkness, disorienting him. Opening his eyes, David felt an unfamiliar sensation. Turning toward the male lion, an intense fear began to rise within him. He opened his mouth to scream, but instead, a thundering roar resonated from his chest. Taken aback, David looked down, his heart pounding to find lion paws and a thick fur coat replacing his hands and feet. His disbelief turned into terror when he approached a glass window and saw not his own reflection, but that of the female lion, her once enchanting feline eyes scaring him instead. In this paranoid state, he spotted his family in the distance. Desperate and panic-stricken, he tried to yell out to them, but another intimidating roar scared the attendees, even David himself. Feeling a foreign tiredness wash over him, he moved to a corner of the exhibit and laid down, a heavy realization dawning on him. He was a lion, now and forever. The life of a young boy, replaced by the confines of a lion’s existence. Surely, the zoo had proven to be a wild adventure, one that David would never forget.