A Modern Lion

Once upon a time, on a Greek island called Poros, there lived a modern lion.

Nameless, as he was seemingly homeless, he strolled up and down the island's hills hungry, but not lacking in his innate ability to fetch a dinner or two when the island's humans failed to throw him the remnants of their meals. His most auspicious days were when the foreigners came into town, usually when it got hot during a span of a few months the tourists liked to call “summer.” Crumbs fell out of their mouths, especially near the port where they all congregated. 

Committing his small part to keep the streets dirt-free, he diligently swept through the cafes’ outdoor areas, licking up every morsel the humans managed to have fall out of their forks, napkins, and lips: tasty bits of feta, dolmathakia, pita, and fish, some of which made his tummy hurt, but no matter as the morsels were well worth the slight discomfort. During the times when IBS hit him most severely, he slithered over for a snooze to his favorite sunbathing corner just beyond the floral overhang two streets up from port where he would dream about what treats he might find tomorrow. May the tourists be as generous then as they were today, he prayed.