Week 6 Story: Old Soul, New Tricks

(Old Soul, New Tricks; online source, thepetworks.net)

     The last set of footsteps splashed heavily against the wet stone road and quickly faded away. Cautiously, I stepped out from behind the statue that concealed me. Have they all gone? I wondered as I clutched the excruciating stitch in my side. Running was never my strong suite. I’d always found my way out of sticky situations with ease but this time my victory was uncertain.

     As I slowly approached the end of the temple wall and peered around the corner, my lungs betrayed me. I heaved out a breath much louder than intended as my eyes darted up and down the street, focusing on the slightest sign of movement. The road appeared deserted under the pale moonlight. Maybe I’ve eluded them afte– My thought was left incomplete.*WHAM* the blow cracked hard against the back of my skull. I fell to my knees and my elbow slammed into the hard wall. I was frozen in a daze, my vision blurred almost to nonexistence. I barely made out the shout from directly above me, “I’ve got him over here!”

     Damn. This might just be the end. I thought but I pulled together every ounce of strength I had and focused my energy on bringing down the ornate wall above. With a loud crash, the wall submitted under my power. I barely registered my attacker lying unconscious beneath the rubble as I stumbled to my feet and staggered as quickly as I could back down the path. I found a back entrance to a deserted building and summoned the energy to manipulate the lock. I slipped in and slammed the door, sliding the mechanism back into place just in time. I could hear them all gathering just outside. There was no way out. I knew I would be held captive and tortured for my magical gift. I knew they would show me the same lack of mercy I’d bestowed upon any number of them. I fell against the wall and slid down to the cool floor, hoping for oblivion to consume me. Damn. I thought again.

     I didn’t allow the pounding on the door to startle me. I knew they would get to me soon and my life would effectively come to an end. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath as I waited for my captors to retrieve me. I can’t be sure how much time passed before I looked up but it seemed like an eternity. They were still banging on the unyielding door. Having regained a bit of my strength, I glanced around. I hadn’t paid any mind to my surroundings when I entered and to that point I had assumed the building empty and abandoned. As I scanned the dark room, I noticed a shining metal sword lying on a wooden work table across the room. That’s when I realized my fate wasn’t sealed. My life was over anyways. Once captured, I would be tortured until I begged for death.

     Barely able to stand, I struggled over to the table and picked up the sword. Running my finger down the precious metal, I reflected on my past. I was not a good person. I was a selfish, vile excuse for a human being. I’d been gifted with the power of sorcery but I used it for my own benefit. Even in my brightest hour, I was a pathetic waste of life. Worst yet, I was a coward. I deserved any punishment I had coming, yet I would not accept that fate. Feeling the cool, sleek metal beneath my finger made my heart race. I truly felt guilty for the life I’d led. I looked up above with a final thought, Have mercy on me, ancestors. For if I could make amends now for my wrong doings, I would. Then, I picked up the sword as the door finally gave way and men came pouring in. It’s now or never. I thought as I thrust the sword into my own stomach and ripped it sideways. I collapsed to my side on the floor immediately and barely noticed the cursing as the cold consumed my body and my world went black.

     I woke in a panic, lying on a cold, hard floor. I was soaking wet and freezing. Did they revive me just so they could torture me to death? I thought. Even I wasn’t that cold in my darkest moment. It took me a moment to realize that I wasn’t inside. I was outside, sleeping in a dirty nook. A sharp pain shot from my hip down my leg as I tried to stand upright, so I cowered back down. Looking down, I realized my arms had been replaced with fur covered paws. On all fours, I crawled over to a puddle nearby to look at my reflection: that of a scruffy old dog looked back at me.

     “Hey there little guy. What are you doing out here by yourself?” an old woman called to me. I eagerly accepted the affection as she scratched beneath my chin and fastened a rope to my neck. She took me home to her husband and they decided to keep me around. They didn’t have much in the way of wealth but their love and affection was abounding. I knew this was my chance for redemption. So, I’ll live out the rest of my canine existence serving my new masters, attempting to right the wrongs I did in my last life. 

Authors note
     In the original story, an old man and his wife care for a small dog because they have no children to care for. The dog soon finds gold coins and makes its owners rich. Then their envious neighbor asks to borrow the dog, hoping it will bring him the same luck. When the dog only finds some nasty old bones for the neighbor though, the neighbor kills him in a rage. The dog later comes to the old man in a dream and brings still more good fortune to him. The neighbor continues to copy the old man’s actions, hoping for the same fate but it never works out in favor of the neighbor.

     I felt like there had to be something extra special about this dog for him to be able to do everything he does for his owners, so I created a back story to explain why he was able to find the gold and bring his owners so many blessings. Since the dog died in the original story, I wanted to create a story about his life and how he came to be. I decided to make him a bad guy in his past life, so all he does in this life would be for a reason: to make up for a life of horrible actions.

Source
"Japanese Fairy Tales", retold by Andrew Lang, online source.