The Best of Friends

Once there was a couple that had good fortune. They were never excessively rich, but they always had what they needed. The couple spread this good fortune with others in their lives. One way they did this was by taking in wayward animals they came across. Soon the couple had a small zoo in their home from cats and dogs to pigs and birds. The couple enjoyed their diverse family they had pieced together and loved spreading their luck to others.

One day, though, they came to their home and realized it was broken into. Their house was ransacked, but thankfully their animals were okay. Unfortunately, many things had been stolen including a family heirloom of a gold ring. The ring was not worth much as they were sure it was not even all real gold but they valued it greatly as it had been passed down for generations. The couple was distraught but tried to put their lives together. Soon they noticed things were different, though. Little by little their fortune turned. It was not obvious at first but soon they noticed that things just never seemed to work out like they did before. The ring did not make them millionaires, but it did make sure that their life was overall fortune-filled. Still, the couple never complained and humbly faced each difficulty together.

The animals were all sad to see such things happen to their owners, so together they devised a plan. The dog, cat, and rat were going to go and retrieve the gold ring to cheer up the couple. Through pets and local animals they learned who had taken the ring and where the thief lived. They set off one day while the couple was at work. Together the group adventured out, crossing the river on the dog's back and finding their way to the house of the thief. From talking to their neighborhood friends, the pets knew the thief was a man who lived one town over. They had to be careful on their trip to stay together and make sure no one saw them. If they were caught, they would be taken home without the ring.

The cat had mapped out the way to go and led the group to the house. When they arrived at the thief’s house, the cat took the rat up to the window and in scurried the rat. He chewed through a box and found the ring. He scurried through the house, bringing it out to the others. It was a stressful few minutes but soon they had the ring and were on their way. They all began their trek home and sneaked across town. When the couple returned from work that day, the ring was sitting on the counter with three proud animals sitting beside it.

The couple was overjoyed to find their ring returned and praised the animals for bringing it. The pets felt so accomplished and forever they remembered how they worked together. Soon, the couple’s luck turned again and everything was back in place. While sometimes animals may fight like siblings, all in all they love each other and they will always remember how they had to come together to help their humans.

Author's Note: This story is loosely based on the Chinese fairy tale about why dogs and cats are not friends. In the original, the couple sells the ring and then after having bad luck the dog and cat work together to get it back. The big difference is that in the original the cat takes credit for getting it back and so the dog and cat become enemies. This makes the cat seem mean and vengeful, and I think cats get a bad rap unlike dogs that are usually seen as loyal. The cat is also so athletic that it is easy to leave the dog behind who is trying its hardest to catch up.

The entire original, the dog and cat work together and are friends, but then the cat ends up betraying the dog. They do also scare a mouse into helping them instead of just enlisting him nicely, so I changed things there too. I wanted a happier ending so I changed up the ending and to do so I made the couple lose the ring more naturally. This way, they were not to blame for bringing on the misfortune. Then, I made sure the animals returned together and no one animal got the credit. This way dogs and cats or any animals were not enemies for the rest of time.

Image Information: Dog and cat friends, Pixabay

Bibliography: The Chinese Fairy Book, ed. by R. Wilhelm and translated by Frederick H. Martens (1921).