Daniel and the Lion

THE LADY LOOKED LIKE A GOLDEN LION

And Steven Kelleher, age seven, knew she could be fierce, too. In fact, Jamie was the only person his dad couldn't manage to boss around.

Maybe that was because Jamie was a kind of doctor and was making his dad much better. She even made him laugh a lot. The cook said his dad used to always laugh. But that was before Mr. Kelleher's accident, she'd say. Before your mother left him.

Then Steven would feel sad. Partly, he still missed his mother. But mostly, he feared Jamie would leave, too. Then his dad and the whole house would turn dark and angry again.