CHAPTER FIVE

Day Two of the Lion Hunt

Ibrahim spent the early morning hours after Fajr looking for prints in the back yard. Though he wasn’t sure who the culprit was, he had a theory. He’d have to wait till nightfall to prove it. After a delicious breakfast of pancakes with the yummiest syrup he’d ever had, Ibrahim called his dad to come pick him up. He had packed most of his things but left his sleeping bag and toothbrush behind. He had a busy day ahead of him which included an afternoon nap. Ibrahim knew he needed to be extra alert tonight.

“Thanks for breakfast Yusuf,” said Ibrahim. “The pancakes were delicious.”

“You’re welcome,” Yusuf replied. “We have a couple of maple trees in the back. We collected sap from it last spring to make that syrup.”

“That’s really cool!” Ibrahim exclaimed. “You should tell Mrs. Morris, I’m sure the kids in class would love to help you guys turn the sap into syrup. It would be like a field trip!”

Ibrahim watched as a look of horror passed over Yusuf’s face.

“Bu-but all those people in, in my back yard,” Yusuf stammered. “Climbing on my trees, playing in my tree house. No, I don’t think it would be a good idea.”

“It would be so cool though,” Ibrahim explained. “Can you imagine how much fun it would be with the whole class in your yard!?”

“No,” Yusuf answered in a small voice. “I can’t.”

Ibrahim thought Yusuf looked sad, but he couldn’t understand why. The sound of honking broke up the conversation. Ibrahim’s dad was there to pick him up. After a quick good-bye Ibrahim promised Yusuf he’d return that evening.

After a quick shower Ibrahim headed off to Zayn’s house. The boys analyzed the recordings from Yusuf’s window sill as Ibrahim told Zayn all about the night’s events and Zayn told him what he’d found during his research.

“You should have just left Yusuf sleeping,” Zayn suggested.

“I know,” Ibrahim agreed. “But what’s done is done. We need to pack the brown sack for tonight. We’ll need both image and sound recording equipment as well as a really, really big net.”

Zayn looked surprised but didn’t question his cousin as the boys headed down to the garage for a net. Zayn’s dad loved to fish so he had many nets of different sizes. The boys were allowed to borrow what they needed as long as they put it back where they found it.

Both the boys’ parents supported their detective work as long as they kept their grades up and let their parents know where they’d be.

“I looked in our library and on my dad’s computer to see if there was any information about the woods behind Yusuf’s house,” said Zayn. “But couldn’t find much.”

“Did you find anything at all?” asked Ibrahim.

“Just a couple of old newspaper articles. The only wildlife mentioned in them were squirrels, chipmunks and an occasional skunk,” Zayn explained. “The closest lion or hyena to Stanley Lane is a two and a half hour drive away, at the zoo!”

“That’s what I figured,” said Ibrahim. “But it’s good to be sure.”

Ibrahim and Zayn worked in the garage tying small weights around the edges of the net.

“Have you asked your parents about staying at Yusuf’s house tonight?” Ibrahim asked.

“Yup!” Zayn answered. “Did you let Yusuf know I’d be spending the night?”

“Yeah, he knows,” Ibrahim answered.

“Do you think I should apologize to him?” Zayn asked. “You know, for laughing at him and all.”

“That would be nice,” said Ibrahim. “It’s really not a good idea to laugh at our clients,” he added, grinning.

“I know, I know,” said Zayn. “But come on Ibrahim, hyenas and lions wandering our neighbourhood?!”

Both boys burst out laughing.