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He unlocked the door and opened it Just before he stepped inside, he heard a faraway scream And then another roar from the lions, which subsided quickly

He stepped into Africa How many times in the last year had he opened this door and found Wonderland, Alice, the Mock Turtle, or Aladdin and his Magical Lamp, or Jack Pu over a very real-appearing htful contraptions of ain the sky ceiling, or seen fountains of red fireworks, or heard angel voices singing But now, this yellow hot Africa, this bake oven with ht Perhaps they needed a little vacation fro a bit too real for ten-year-old children It was all right to exercise one's ymnastic fantasies, but when the lively child mind settled onone pattern? It seemed that, at a distance, for the pastodor seeping as far away as his study door But, being busy, he had paid it no attention

George Hadley stood on the African grassland alone The lions looked up fro hih which he could see his wife, far down the dark hall, like a fra her dinner abstractedly

"Go away," he said to the lions

They did not go

He knew the principle of the rooht would appear "Let's have Aladdin and his lamp," he snapped The veldtland remained; the lions remained

"Come on, room! I demand Aladdin!" he said

Nothing happened The lions mumbled in their baked pelts

"Aladdin!"

He went back to dinner "The fool room's out of order," he said "It won't respond"

"Or--"

"Or what?"

"Or itcan't respond," said Lydia, "because the children have thought about Africa and lions and killing so many days that the room's in a rut"

"Could be"

"Or Peter's set it to remain that way"