once upon a time, there existed in a faraway kingdom a small puppy. but not just any puppy, as this particular young pet may have looked like a dog, but inside was the mind of a young man who had died and been reborn into an animal’s body.
the puppy’s master sat upon the doorstep overlooking his back yard. the grass was plush, evenly distributed and without thistly blemish; great for taking a leisurely barefoot stroll.
off to one corner, along the edge of the property, was the puppy’s kennel. still quite young, perhaps about a year, he sat day after day peering through gaps in the chain-link fence enclosure, wondering how he had become a prisoner.
at first, things were wonderful…he lived inside the master’s house and had nearly free reign and was showered with his affection. he learned the rules about where to do his business, and which objects were toys and which were the master’s slippers.
but one day, the master suddenly became vengeful, spiteful; and curiously changed the rules the puppy had come to understand. even stranger, the master punished the unsuspecting dog for not having obeyed these new rules from the beginning, despite having been taught something completely different. obediently, the poor pup took his punishment and vowed to work hard to please the master and learn his new ways.
before long however, the new rules changed again…and then again; and of course the dog was scrutinised and reprimanded each time. the puppy was cast outward and locked into a tiny cage in the back yard. the puppy had become a bit disparaged, but would never bite the hand that fed him, although when the master would come to check on him, he would hide inside the house and wait for the cruel overseer to go away. in some fit of anger, the master soon replaced the tiny doghouse with one of glass, so he could closely monitor every minute detail of the puppy’s life and existence.
now completely without the love, respect, freedom or privacy he once enjoyed, the dog decided it was time to find a home with a master more caring and agreeable; certainly he deserved this basic right as a living, sentient being. he sat, planning and figuring in his head until one day it happened that the master came to toss some table scraps, and the puppy bolted towards the lumbering man, pummeling him over and running as hard and fast as he could, until the harsh, caustics of the sun through the roof of his glass prison was no longer stinging his eyes.
several days passed, and eventually a kind stranger picked up the puppy, and took him in as his own, and all was well. the original master, alone and beside himself, eventually sought new dogs for companionship and to satisfy his peculiar urges and harsh quirks…only to find that they too all would run away, and the master ended up living without the company he craved, but getting what he deserved after all.
