I was staying with my cousin, who was living in a castle or chateau. It was like nothing I’d seen.

The family pet was a 300-pound Asiatic lion, which at first did not appear strange. He seemed very devoted to me, following me and sleeping with me like a house cat. One day he tried to crawl on top of me. Trapped, I remembered being told that he had mauled and seriously injured a man. I was afraid to move.

The castle had an underground yet open moat. For fun, the family picnicked and floated on it on a barge. This seemed intriguing to me, given its underground but exposed location and look, but I couldn’t or wasn’t allowed to go with them. I may have tried to get into the water, but usually I was left with the lion. The less I trusted him, the more untrustworthy he was. He seemed to suspect my suspicions.