First, a note: I could have written a lot of background history on the main
character, but just think of him as the "every-TLK-fan": a lover of the
movie, a follower of the list, and a luster of the Nala. :) Envision his
appearance as you would like. I can imagine that many of you will place
yourself in his shoes. :)
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"The Funniest Thing"
By: Trey McElveen (tanabi@mindspring.com)

     This week was the most memorable that Jacob had had in a long time. He
had spent six days at Disneyworld, and he had just returned from the
Marketplace, his arms chocked fill of all the TLK merchandise his American
Express could muster. Sure, it wasn't HIS credit card, but since his room
key also doubled as his credit card, he took the liberty of putting it to use.
     Jacob slid the key into the lock, then swiped it back out, dropping a
tiny Baby Nala plushie to the floor. He opened the door and picked up the
stuffed animal with a quiet grunt. The room was dark, completely dark, and
Jacob broke a wide smile. His parents had already gone to bed, leaving him
to come in as late as he wanted. But, the clock on the night table read 1:00
AM, and Jacob was worn from the day's activities, so he placed the 8 or so
plushies on the floor next to his bed, and slid the $275 sericel into the
suitcase, after stumbling around in the dark for about five minutes. He
tapped his pockets and felt a small lump in the left one, and after
reaching in he withdrew a small wristwatch, which he promptly strapped onto
his left wrist. He had found the watch at a store in EPCOT, and he had
instantly fallen in love with it. It was an Indiglo watch, with a
silhouette of Simba against a sunset. The sunset lit up when the button was
pressed, and after dropping the watch in the street once, he decided to
carry it in his pocket until he got back to the room.
     Finally, having disposed of his goods, Jacob crawled into bed, now
feeling the weight of the day's events come heavily upon him. He didn't
even bother to take off his clothes. Instead, he brought up an Adult Simba
stuffed animal from the floor, and clutched it to him, giving him the added
warmth he needed. Soon, the stillness and darkness of the room calmed
Jacob's nerves, and before long, he was asleep.

     He opened his eyes, and found himself in the middle of an infinite sea
of golden, wavering savanna grass. He looked about himself wondrously, and
knew, first thing, that he was dreaming. At least, he *thought* he knew. it
all seemed too real. He took a string of grass in his hand and rolled the
rough tips of it about in his fingers. He felt the seeds break from the
stems and trickle down his fingers, into the sleeves of his shirt. Jacob
shook them back out, watching them fall to the ground. No, it was too real
to be a dream.
     Jacob took the time to look about him once more. As far as he could
see, there was nothing but this yellowed grass, making great waves as the
gentle, warm breeze swept over them. Not one tree, or stone marred the
shimmering infinity. The only thing that seemed out of place was a small
clearing, just enough for a person to stand in up ahead. Jacob, ever
curious, took a few steps forward to get a better look at the abnormality.
He crept closer, and just upon the edge of the clearing, he could gaze down
into it, and there he saw that the clearing was not as clear as it had
first seemed.
     There, in the middle of the circle, slept Simba, his strong, sleek
form lying on the grass, his head cradled by the silken threads of his mane.
     Jacob stood, staring at the King's sleeping body. He stepped into the
circle and knelt to get a better look. He could see Simba's chest rise and
fall with the patterns of his breathing, his nostrils flare as he drew in
his breath. His forepaws were stretched out in front of him, and his hind
legs were curled under his stomach, and he looked in every way like an
overgrown house cat.
     Jacob was awestruck at the beauty of what he beheld. Slowly, gingerly,
as not to disturb the sleeping lion, he extended his hand towards Simba's
mane. But, to Jacob's surprise, his hand began to glow with a strange,
yellow aura as it came closer to touching Simba. He withdrew, looking
wondrously at his hand, then at Simba, then back again. Thought, no,
wishes flew through his head and with a cautious look about into the
savanna, he began to reach out to touch the King's mane once more. This
time, the yellow glow did not deter him, and with a gasp of delight, Jacob
took a lock of Simba's mane in his fingers and stroked it wondrously.
     Just then, Simba's eyes shot open, and the yellow glow surged through
Jacob, and the savanna became noting more and blackness.

**

     Simba woke explosively from his dream, a cold sweat pouring down his
face. It had seemed all too real, and he gasped for breath as he
contemplated what had just happened. He gazed about the cave in a
near-panic, seeing the first creeping rays of sunlight shining through the
archway of the pride's home.
     A soft, loving voice called from his side, "Simba? What's the matter?
Anything wrong, love?"
    Simba turned to find Nala lying next to him, the early morning light
casting beams of pure radiance upon her. A look of concern she wore on her
face, and with a slow nuzzle she purred, "I felt you wake up a moment ago.
What's wrong?"
     Simba shook his head, "I- I don't know. The funniest thing just
happened. I could have sworn I was looking at myself, but I wasn't me."
     Nala smiles and kissed his cheek, "You had a dream, love, that's all.
A dream."
     "Yeah, a dream. I guess that's it," Simba said, tiredly. "It's almost
morning. I guess we'd just as well stay up."
     Nala smiled, "I'm going outside to the peak. Coming?"
     Simba nodded, "Sure. Just give me a minute, ok?" With that, Nala stood
and strode towards the door, taking great care not to disturb the other
sleepers in the cave. She reached the mouth of the cave, and with a sly
glance back at Simba, the stole out into the early morning.
     Simba watched his mate leave, and with a yawn, he stretched and stood
up onto his paws. Suddenly, there was a *snap*, and a *clink*, like glass
striking against stone. Simba looked down, and next to his left paw was
something that he wished he hadn't seen.
     It was Jacob's watch.
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