CHAPTER TWO

A Lion in Your WHAT???

Ibrahim was about to ring the doorbell when the front door flew open.

“Took you guys long enough!”

Ibrahim and Zayn looked up to see a rather annoyed-looking Yusuf standing in the doorway. “Well, don’t just stand there, get in!”

“Right,” said Ibrahim.

“Assalamu ‘Alaykum,” mumbled Zayn as he entered the house.

As Yusuf led the boys up to his room, Ibrahim could tell that like him, Zayn was also feeling uncomfortable.

“You have a nice house, Masha’Allah,” Ibrahim politely commented. Getting no reply the boys quietly followed Yusuf into his room. The room, a little bigger than Ibrahim’s, looked like a tornado had just swept through. The carpet, which looked like it was probably white at some time, could barely be seen under comic books, Transformers, cars and lots and lots of Lego. As the boys made room for themselves around the room, Ibrahim took out a notebook and pencil.

“Listen guys,” Yusuf sighed. “I’m sorry if I seem uptight, it’s just that… well, this is really serious.”

“It’s okay, just tell us what happened from the beginning,” said Ibrahim.

“It all started last week. I had just brushed my teeth and was making room on the floor for my prayer-mat so I could pray ‘Isha’, when I heard hyenas laughing in the back yard,” Yusuf explained as he nervously fidgeted with his hands. Ibrahim and Zayn raised an eyebrow at each other but let Yusuf continue.

“Well, I was a little freaked out but I started praying anyway. I was about half way through my prayer when I heard it. The blood-chilling sound of a ferocious roaring lion! In my backyard!!” yelled Yusuf, with a frantic look in his eyes. “It took all my strength to finish my prayer before I ran to my parents’ room. My dad checked in the yard with a flashlight but he didn’t find anything.”

At first Ibrahim thought Yusuf was crying, but he quickly realized the noise was coming from Zayn, who was trying very hard not to laugh! Glaring at Zayn, Ibrahim turned his attention back to Yusuf.

“So… you’re saying there were hyenas and umm, a lion in your back yard?”

Ibrahim scribbled some notes, trying hard to be professional but it was difficult with Zayn in the same room. “Err, Zayn, why don’t you take a look around the yard for clues while I continue with Yusuf?”

Zayn nodded, without saying a word, and headed out of the room.

“Okay Yusuf, I’m going to be honest with you,” Ibrahim began. “It’s not that I don’t believe you, but I’m pretty sure there are no hyenas and definitely no lions loose on Stanley Lane.”

Just then a loud burst of laughter came in through the window, a laugh they both knew belonged to Zayn.

“You guys don’t believe me!” Yusuf shouted. “I knew this was a mistake! First my parents don’t believe me and now you two. I know what I heard,” Yusuf finished in a whisper.

“I believe you! Well, I believe that you believe you heard hyenas and a lion,” Ibrahim tried to explain. “Now it’s my job to find out what really happened last week. Is this the only time you’ve heard strange things in the night?”

“It was,” answered Yusuf, “until two nights ago. For the past two nights I’ve been hearing the lion again.”

“No hyenas?” asked Ibrahim

“Nope,” Yusuf answered, “just lions.”