fables folktales · Ages 9-12

The Dog Who Chased a Feast Made of Water

A dog drops real food for a reflection and learns that wanting more can make even what is already held disappear.

The whole story

1. At the end of a warm afternoon, a medium-sized golden-brown dog with a white muzzle, a dark brown patch over the left eye, floppy ears, bright amber eyes, a red collar with a small brass tag, and a blue cloth tied around the neck carried a roasted chicken leg home.

2. The bridge crossed a clear stream. When he glanced down, the dog saw another dog below, carrying a chicken leg that looked even thicker than his own.

3. He stopped. His paws tightened on the bridge rail, and his eyes fixed on the feast below. One chicken leg was good. Two would be better.

4. He opened his mouth to snatch the second leg. The chicken leg he carried dropped toward the stream.

5. The water closed over the first feast with a quiet splash. The feast below broke apart too, until nothing remained but ripples.

6. The dog waited for the other chicken leg to return. It did not. He searched the bank, the bridge, and the shining water, but he found only his own empty mouth.

7. At last, he understood. He had dropped real food for a feast made of water, and wanting more had made even what he held disappear.

8. He went home hungry, carrying nothing but the memory of a chicken leg that had truly been his. The stream kept the feast made of water.

Make a story like this →