"It happened that a Dog had got a piece of meat and was carrying it home in his mouth to eat it in peace. Now, on his way home he had to cross a plank lying across a running brook. As he crossed, he looked down and saw his own shadow reflected in the water beneath. Thinking it was another dog with another piece of meat, he made up his mind to have that also. So he made a snap at the shadow in the water, but as he opened his mouth the piece of meat fell out, dropped into the water and was never seen more."
(Story from Aesop's Fables)
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It had been weeks since he escaped those terrible pale-faces, kicking and screaming at him since he could not live up to his brother's and sister's skills as a bird dog. He was even picked on by his siblings for they were much bigger and faster than he. His only skill was finding the birds, after that, his brothers and sisters would race pass him and steal his prize, claiming all the credit. He thought it be best to go his own way.
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| A hunter (a.k.a. pale-face) and his dog companions on the hunt for some prey. Photo by The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission |
"Life is easy" he thought, "the skills I've learned while being a bird dog make survival in this great forest easy!"
"No one telling me what to do or how to do it. Just me, myself, and I!" he said to himself.
It had been a while since he last ate, so he decided to should head out into the deepest, darkest part of the forest to find himself the biggest bird he could for dinner. Not too long after heading to his hunting ground, he found the perfect prey, a sleeping quail.
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| A bridge in a forest by Karolina Grabowska on pexels |
Taking up position behind the bird, he pounced like a deadly panther on the bird, felling it in one quick snap. Happy with his prize, but quickly realizing the err in his judgement when killing a bird the same size as he, our hero decided to take a shortcut across a brook to get back home.
It was a tedious mission, dragging the bird through the forest, his prey getting caught on all the brambles and vines. Finally, he reached the makeshift bridge; as he was crossing the bridge he heard a rustle in the forest behind him, but he saw nothing. Looking around for the source of the noise, he saw a big, black dog. Angry that one of his brothers followed him out here to steal his meal, caused our young hero to snap at the dog in frustration. Unfortunately, he realized just a bit too late that the big, black dog was actually his shadow and his meal was floating down the river never to be seen again.
Hungry and tired, our defeated hero decided to head home for the night and to try again in the morning.
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Author's Note: The fable provided above gives the general structure of this story. Our young hero, is based on my dog Scout who I found on the Di-Lane Plantation near Waynesboro, GA. Waynesboro and specifically the Di-Lane Plantation are known is known as the Bird Dog Capital of the World, since the owner had many pointers himself and people from all over would come to train their dogs here due the abundance of quail on the property, creating a perfect setting for the story.
What a great story, Alec! You create so much sympathy for the dog right there in the first paragraph. People run their dogs on our land, and when I hear them go crashing and barking along, I always wonder about the dogs who maybe don't "get it" the way the other dogs do. And you found a perfect way to build up the Aesop's fable into a full-blown story of its own, imagining just how the dog happened to find himself there looking down into the water with food in his mouth. Even better: you turned the theme of the SHADOW into something even more intense and profound than in Aesop: your dog is not greedy and foolish, but instead has a personal history of his own that makes it natural for him to react the way that he did...and to his own loss, but ready to try again the next day. Wonderful!
ReplyDeleteMaybe you will want to weave Scout into more stories for this class, and even use him in your class project somehow. One person last year adapted the weekly story each week to be about fish in his fish tank (he had some seriously exotic fish too)... anyway, this was a real pleasure to read, and the next time I come across this Aesop's fable, I will think about your Scout version of the story! Well done!!!
This is great story. You filled in all the details that the original author left out, allowing you and I as readers to discover through our own imaginations. The sibling conflict among the dogs is a nice touch and seems to be a theme in mythology and folklore. The story flowed nicely to reach the conclusion. I try to imagine how a story ends as I am reading it. I am a sucker for characters learning a life lesson. Did you consider an alternative ending? As the dog faces his own reflection in the water faced with his own reality he might discover something about himself that would give him the confidence to become a great hunter. I enjoyed reading your story and look forward to reading more of your work throughout the semester.
ReplyDeleteI used this fable as well in my story. I liked how you added a background to help the readers understand the dog’s character. I think it’s cool how our stories are similar. They both went home hungry that night but hopefully they learned a lesson. I liked the picture you added, it really sets the scene. Overall, I enjoyed reading your story and look forward to more!
ReplyDeleteI think you did an awesome job with this story! I really like how you developed sympathy for the dog in the beginning. I think characters are the most important part of any story, and you definitely did a great job of improving the characters in the fable. I especially like that you made your dog a hero unlike the silly dog in the fable. Also, your writing is fun and easy to read. Great job!
ReplyDeleteWow! The way you built this story to be your own was great. The development and introduction of each character and situation was well written. I think that you have great creativity and I like how you write your stories. I am eager to read more of your stories! Good luck this semester!
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