A Well Kept Man

 

Upon arriving in the U.S., Lenny immediately ran into trouble with the U.S. Border Patrol official.  Apparently we let Lenny out of the bag too early and he was immediately spotted and sequestered for additional questioning.  Upon his interrogation, it was revealed that Lenny was importing fine Swiss chocolate into the United States which in itself is not a problem.  The problem was in the amount he was trafficking, which was in excess of ten kilos of pure cocoa in powder, bar, and nugget form (the Customs officials chose to ignore the Gummy Bears as they were recently legalized for "medicinal" purposes).  He was also carrying a Swiss pocket knife for "protection" which was in violation of international lion law.  As you can see from the photographs, Lenny had quite the cache of Cailler chocolate.

As we didn't wish to see all of this chocolate go to waste (or worse, being detained as evidence in a trial), Alli and I vouched for the possession of the chocolate and claimed it as gifts.  Being U.S. citizens we were allowed to keep the chocolate (which was handed out as gifts for Christmas) but there was nothing we could do for Lenny.  (By the way, if you were a lucky recipient of said chocolate please keep in mind that Lenny's "clients" may come looking for their "delivery" in the next few weeks.  I encourage you to "destroy" the evidence through any means necessary, including but not limited to consumption.  Chocolate facials although intriguing, are not worth the effort and potential face licking by companion animals such as dogs, cats, and inquisitive spouses.)

Lenny wound up spending the two weeks while we were in the States in a federal prison (aka The Zoo) where he apparently recanted his misdeeds and was freed on the condition he return to Switzerland upon our exit from the United States.  Thankfully they also agreed to transfer him from Minneapolis (our point of entry) to Detroit (our point of exit) so we didn't have to backtrack to reclaim him (I figured I'd close any loopholes in my story to avoid showing up on an episode of Mythbusters).  We don't condone the actions of our friend Lenny, although we do condone the delicious morsels of chocolatey goodness he was carrying.

Disclaimer: This story is completely fictitious and in no way represents the actual persona and character of Lenny the Lion.  He is a valued member of society, one who brings hope, cheer, comfort, and laughter to all in his presence.  This story was merely used as an example of creative writing for those out there in grades 6-12 whom need inspiration for that homework assignment that has been slowly approaching its due date.