Outwitting a Monster

Several hours passed as the three of us were locked into a sort of sick staring contest. My legs ached from the effort of balancing on the ledge, which was narrower than I'd first thought. The ledge was wide enough for me to stand, but not wide enough to sit. The one time I had tried, I'd nearly fallen back into the lion's pit of death.

I doubted I would outlast either the zookeeper or the cat. Every time I looked at the keeper, he'd just give me a raised-eyebrow look as if to inquire whether I was about to make a break for it. I never bothered to respond.

After pacing for an hour, the lion came to the same conclusion I had: I wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. He laid down across the floor of the pen, watching me in hungry annoyance. Fresh meat was so close at hand, and yet entirely out of his reach. 

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