story

                      THE LION AND THE MOSQUITO

   Once upon a time . . . a tiny mosquito started to buzz round a
lion he met.  "Go away!" grumbled the sleepy lion, smacking his own
cheek in an attempt to drive the insect away.

        @|\@@      "Why should I? demanded the mosquito. "You're king of the
       -  @@@@     jungle, not of the air! I'll fly wherever I want and land
      /7   @@@@    wherever I please."  And so saying, he tickled the lion's
     /    @@@@@@                ear. In the hope of crushing the insect, the
     \-' @@@@@@@@`-______________  lion boxed his own ears, but the mosquito
      -@@@@@@@@@             /   \     slipped away from the now dazed lion.
        @/@@@@              /     \
 _______/    /_       _____|       |__________-
/,__________/  `-.___/,_____________----------_)

"I don't feel it any more. Either it's                    \ /
squashed or it's gone away, said the                      oVo
lion to himself." But at that very moment,            \___XXX___/
the irritating buzz began again,                       __XXXXX__
and the mosquito flew into the lion's nose.           /__XXXXX__\
Wild with rage, the lion leapt to his hind            /   XXX   \
legs and started to rain punches on his own                V
nose. But the insect, safe inside, refused
to budge.  With a swollen nose and watery eyes, the lion gave a
terrific sneeze, blasting the mosquito out. Angry at being dislodged
so abruptly, the mosquito returned to the attack: BUZZ . . . BUZZZ!
. . . it whizzed round the lion's head.

  -   -     -   -   --   -    -     - -   -  _  -    -  -      -  - -  -  -
=-   - =- = - =  -  =- =   _.----~~~~~~-----..__ =   =-   -=-  - = =  -=--
=#-=  =-# - == ##= -__..------~~~~-     .._     ~~-. #== -#- = =-  ##=-= =#
#===#==___.--.--~~~~     --~~~~---~ __  ~~----.__   ~~~~~~~---...._____#===
##(~~~~_..----~       ~~--=< O >- .----. -< O >=--~~             ..  .)#=#=
###~-..__..--         ..  ___-----_...__-----___        _. ~-=___..-~######
##==#===#==`   _    ..   (     " :_.}{._; " "   )      _-    '==#=##=====#=
=#-==-== =# \   ~~-      `   " " __###__  ""    '    -~     .'==-=#===#- -=
-= == -=  -= `-._  ~-.    _`--~~~VvvvvVV~~---'_     ~..    _. #= =  =  ==#
 = -==  - = - == -.     `~##\(            )/###~' .     _.~    -=- = -= -=-
= -  -= -   - -    -    `.###\#    {     #/####.'    _-~  - =  - - -  -
 -    -       -  -  -_    -####    !     #####-  ..    -    -       -   -
                      -._  ~.###   }     ###-~ ___.-~
Large and tough as the   ~-  \##  / "   ##.~ /~          At the sound of his
lion was, he could not rid \ |###  "   ###' / terrible voice, all the forest
himself of his tiny tormen- \`/\#######/\' ;     creatures fled in fear, but
ter.  This made him angrier  ~-.^^^^^^^ .-~  paying no heed to the exhausted
still, and he roared fiercely.  ~~~~~~~~     lion, the mosquito said
                                             triumphantly:

"There you are, King of the jungle! Foiled by a tiny mosquito like
me!" And highly delighted with his victory, off he buzzed.

But he did not notice a spider's web hanging close by, and soon he
was turning and twisting, trying to escape from the trap set by the
spider.

            /\ \  / /\          "Bah! said the spider in disgust, as he
           //\\ .. //\\         ate it.  Another tiny mosquito.  Not much
           //\((  ))/\\         to get excited about, but better then
           /  < `' >  \         nothing. I was hoping for something more
                                substential..."

And that's what became of the mosquito that foiled the lion!

                                ,,,
                               (o o)
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