Once upon a time, there was a slave named Androcles. He was from the Libyan desert and he was serving in the Roman Empire. Androcles’ life was very difficult and tiring. He worked for hours under the scorching sun and never had a rest.

One day, while the Roman guards were sleeping, he escaped from the city where he was working. He ran quickly day and night to get away from the city. After a few days running, he saw a large cave and decided to rest in it so that no one would find him.

When he wanted to sleep, he heard the sound of a lion next to him. Androcles screamed in fear and tried to push the animal away. However, the lion kept approaching Androcles and showed his paw. Androcles was surprised because he thought that the lion wanted to kill him. He saw a small thorn inside the lion’s palm. This thorn was very painful. Androcles pulled the thorn from the palm, and the lion’s condition improved.

The lion thanked Androcles and shared his meal with Androcles. The food was the one the lion hunted in the desert. The animal ate it raw while Androcles ate it cooked thanks to the fire he started inside the cave. After dinner, the two slept next to each other. On the second day, when Androcles woke up, he was sad because the lion had come out of the cave. The man waited all day, but the lion never came back.

Androcles decided to enjoy his freedom. He walked through the empire for years without problems, but one day, a group of Roman guards recognized Androcles and arrested him. Androcles’ master decided to send him into an arena with dangerous animals in it to eat him.

Androcles said to himself that this was the last day of his life, and he entered the arena. An iron door closed behind him and he was unable to escape. He closed his eyes and let the animals kill him. Suddenly, Androcles felt a tongue on his face. He opened his eyes and saw the lion that he had helped a few years before.

Androcles’s master got angry at this sight and a leopard arrived in the arena. Androcles was lucky because the lion attacked the leopard and killed it. The people who saw the scene were happy. 

The Emperor heard the news that one huge lion had helped a poor slave. The Emperor decided to free Androcles and the lion from slavery. In the end, Androcles had a lot of money, because when he was walking with his friend the lion, people would throw money at them, because they were surprised that he was an ordinary man who could tame the king of animals, and they lived a beautiful life freely together.