Author Information
Of dog and man
Hugo Flores
Ana Barbara Garza
Of dog and man
In the beginning, man was friends with all the animals in nature, and they shared their meals and played together and foraged together. Foxes, bears, cats, dogs, raccoons and all the other animals stayed together at the big house in the middle of the forest, where every night a giant bonfire was built and everyone sat around and told stories to the others; many boastful tales were shared and many laughs were had around that big cozy bonfire. Since there were so many animals to help man, many stayed at the big house and helped with the daily chores, while others helped man bring in the meals for the day. The bear was especially good at finding the berries; with his big nose he could always find the plumpest, juiciest berries in the forest. The fox was very jealous, and told the raccoon “We should sneak out at dawn to find the best berries, that way the bear won’t get all the credit.” The raccoon, being the best animal at sneaking, agreed and they were on their way. The cat, which always stayed the whole night awake looking for his favorite plants, noticed something was amiss when he arrived at the house: “Where are the fox and the raccoon? It was their turn to tend to the fire.” The big bonfire had started building up, and was about to reach the ceiling and start burning the house. The cat, being always a bit selfish, decided to escape without telling anyone that no one was caring for the fire. Once the fire started consuming the ceiling, the dog woke up with an alarmed bark: “Smells like burning, smells like a fire! Wake up!” Suddenly the man and all the animals started waking up in a panic, and with the effort of all the inhabitants they put the fire out. The fire ended, consuming most of the house, and a lot of its habitants were injured badly by the fire. In came the fox and the raccoon asking “Why did the fire grow up that much? Wasn't someone supposed to be watching over?” All the animals and the man lounging around the house, consumed by the fire, saw them with a sad and disappointed look, until the dog said “ Weren't you supposed to be the ones watching overnight today?”. They both didn't know what to answer and decided to leave to the deep forest by themselves. When the chaos subsided, everybody thanked the dog because if it weren’t for his notice, all the animals and the man living in the house would have died in the fire. This is why dog is said to be man’s best friend and faithful companion.
