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.
Beware lest you lose the substance by
grasping at the shadow.
(The Dog and the Shadow)
The Dog and his Friend
Once there was a Dog walking home from a
day of scouting for spare meat. He was walking alongside a river when he
noticed another dog – that was really just his reflection in the water but he
did not know this. Now this Dog did not really have any friends or really knew
any other dogs so when he saw this reflection he was elated to befriend this
dog.
He introduced himself as Atlas and asked
for the reflection’s name in return. The reflection did not respond. Atlas
figured he was just a quiet or shy so he decided to just call him Bentley.
Atlas was excited for his friendship with Bentley.
As Atlas walked Bentley walked as well. It
looked as if they were walking alongside each other. When Atlas ran, Bentley
ran. When Atlas would chase his tail, Bentley would chase his tale. Atlas liked
that they shared common interests.
Atlas would talk for hours about himself,
his dreams, and his day and Bentley would attentively listen—never interrupting
Atlas. Atlas liked this about Bentley; he was a very good listener. And when
Atlas would look at Bentley would look straight back at him. This made Atlas
feel like Bentley was actually interested in what Atlas had to say. This made
Atlas feel very special.
Meeting up with Bentley became a daily
routine. After Atlas went on his daily hunting for meat, he would go to the
river to go meet up with Bentley. And every day Bentley was there waiting for
him. Although Bentley was always there, Atlas noticed that when it got dark,
Bentley would disappear. Atlas just told himself that Bentley was just probably
scared of the dark and so would leave to go home. Therefore Atlas’s time with
Bentley was restricted to the day. This saddened Atlas. He wished that he could
go out and see Bentley all the time. Despite not being able to hang out with
Bentley at night Atlas still treasured the time he was with Bentley.
It was like any other day – go hunting and
go meet up with Bentley. As Atlas went to the river he noticed that the river
was dried up. The months of no rain finally dried up the river. He looked for
Bentley but could not find him anywhere. He looked in the bushes, walked across
the dried river, and looked under bridge but did not find him. Atlas called his
name but there was no reply. Atlas did this for another few days – looking for
Bentley and calling for him – but never found him. This saddened Atlas for he
has lost a friend – his only friend.
One day while walking home in grief he ran
into – an actual – dog. The dog introduced himself as August. Atlas then
introduced himself as well. While conversing, they realized that they lived in
the same area and enjoy hunting for meat. As the day darkened, Atlas was afraid
that August would leave him just like Bentley did but unlike Bentley, August
remained and walked alongside Atlas toward their homes.
Author’s Note: This story is based on the story of the The Dog and the Shadow. This story, The dog and the Shadow can be found in the Aesop's Fables. The Dog and the Shadow is about a Dog with a meat
in his mouth who sees his own reflection in the water. Thinking that it is
another dog with meat, he decides to take the meat from the other dog. While
doing so, he accidentally drops his meat into the water and loses it. For my
story The Dog and his Friend, I decided that the Dog befriends his reflection
in the water. I wanted my story to be a little simpler and happier. He talks
and hangs out with his reflection and eventually develops a friendship with it
as if the reflection was actually a dog. This “friend” is a creation of the
Dog’s imagination. He places human- like characteristics on this “friend” or
reflection, such as listening and being responsive. The reader can tell that Bentley is not actually a dog but merely a reflection by the fact that Bentley mysteriously disappears at night. (You cannot really see reflection when it is pitch dark outside.) I wanted the ending to be a happy one thus I included an actual dog, August. In the end Atlas finally has a true friend.
"The Dog and the Shadow" from the Fables of Aesop (1902). Web source:
Sacred Texts
