Saturday Stories #23: The Disloyal Dog
Rediscover a love for fiction, because stories can change the world
These fiction stories are unedited, unfiltered, and written in 15-25 minutes. Please be aware that they may contain intense material related to emotional healing, trauma recovery, and redirected fears. The today’s insights section contains information and learning from our personal journey with multiplicity/Dissociative Identities while healing from complex PSTD. We bring insights from our perspective as a therapist interrupted who is bringing together lived experience and clinical information.
Written in Multifaceted Journeys Fiction Writing Group on September 22, 2023
Prompt: Animal works against type
Example an Unwise Owl, A Disloyal Dog, A Needy Cat, A slow Rabbit, and a Fast Turtle
The unwise owl somehow got put in charge of the forrest. I know, I know, I am meant to be a loyal dog, but I cannot follow the directions from this very unwise owl. He thinks people should be in roles because of stereotypes. For example, he put rabbit to be the runner between villages because rabbits are fast. Not as fast as dogs, but also this rabbit is super slow. But Owl couldn’t hear reason. We all elected Turtle who has strange speed to run between and deliver supplies and give messages. You see Turtle has a truck that only turtles can drive. So they are the quickest. But no, Owl cannot see that. What’s worse is he esteems Cat. Now, I may be a dog, but I don’t like to fight with cats because that would be fighting like cats and dogs.
Now Cat, Cat is the most needy, attention seeking being I’ve ever met. She is not autonomous. She can’t even catch a mouse and demands attention. She is in your face, rubbing on humans legs, and meowing all the time. And Owl had the nerve to put her second in command. If you ask me, it’s because she’s in love with Owl and is always praising him and talking sweet and batting her eyelashes at him.
So I in all my doggy wisdom, that is of course far superior to this unwise owl, am going to plan a revolution to take back the throne. After all dogs are loyal if they have a good leader and a good cause and having a functioning village without Owl and Cat in charge are certainly a cause worth fighting for.
Now to you Dear Reader, will you join me? We can make a more beautiful world. A world where beings aren’t judged based on type, but instead based on skill, and talent, and desires. So how be it? Between you and I we can do this. I’ll even let you be a key player. After all you must be more wise than Owl, less needy than Cat, quicker than Rabbit, and someone to give due respect to me and Turtle.
Today’s Insights
This story was written as part of a writing group I facilitate. I don’t have any major insights. It was just fun to write and fun to read. The audio version includes voices from Bayless, my dog. I hope you all enjoyed it.