A Satire

A Story by Kristena

This is a Satire I wrote about people who abuse well-fare. it isn't meant to be insulting and doesn't apply to those who really do need help.

The sheep dog woke up early every morning- as was his duty. He was at work before the farmer. Every morning the dog would make his way outside and unlatch the sheep gate. Then, he would lead the sheep to graze, never letting one stray. This was just what the farmer had trained him to do, and the dog did it flawlessly.

After two hours, or so, of this labor; the farmer would wake, dress, and eat his breakfast. Then he would slowly make his way to the pasture to join the dog (The farmer was quite prosperous. He had had a good crop and herd the past three years, and was now able to enjoy his work more.). Together, the two of them would move the sheep to a new spot.

~ + ~

At lunch time the sheep dog and his master shut the sheep in their pen and walked down to the house. The dog always looked forward to this time of day. It would be his first meal of the day (all dogs love to eat). Today, when they reached the house, there was a cat on the porch. Angry, the dog tried to chase the intruder away. As an outsider and a lazy, unemployed animal, it had no right to be there.

However, the farmer seized the dog's collar as it jumped, holding him back. Confused, the dog began to bark. The farmer did not appreciate this, and immediately tied up the sheep dog. Hurt, but obedient, the dog sat there. He watched as the farmer went into the house and came back out with the dog food.

At first, the sheep dog wagged his tail excitedly, but it slowly went still. Instead of bringing him the food, the farmer set it down before the cat. The cat, which as far as the dog knew, had never worked in its life. The dog was hurt. Unhappily, he lay down, wanting the day to be over. Surely things would be better tomorrow.

~ + ~

The next day, the sheep dog followed his usual, obedient routine. However, at lunch time, the same thing happened. Only, this time, the cat had been given work (the catching of the barn's mouse infestation), which it did not complete. The dog did not understand how the farmer could let a hard working animal go hungry, and feed a lazy one. The farmer had never done anything like this in the past.

~ + ~

The next day, the dog tried something new- something he had never done before. He didn't lead the sheep out to graze. Instead, he sat on the porch until the farmer awoke. When the farmer saw the sheep dog on the porch, his first thought was that something had happened to the sheep. He quickly ran up the hill, and was about to enter the pasture, when he glanced at their pen. They were all there, every single one.

Furious, he grabbed the dog, yelling at it. Frightened, the dog broke free and quickly let the sheep out of their pen. That afternoon, the farmer did not even let him come down to the house. Instead, he told the dog remain on the pasture, to make up for the morning's lost time.

~ + ~

As time went on, the dog stayed obedient, but the farmer began to spend more, and more time with the cat. The dog began to notice that the cat was growing. At first it had appeared to be full grown, but now he realized the it had only been a kitten. As the cat grew it became stronger, and- on a few instances- hurt the farmer. This made the dog angry, and frightened. Still, he knew that ignoring it was all he could do.

~ + ~

The farmer was neglecting the farm, which began to appear run-down. He no longer tried to fix the fence when it broke, and didn't even seem to realize when his two horses broke loose, and ran away. The farmer had become so rich, that he no longer tried (or needed to) work.

~ + ~

At first, the sheep dog had obediently done his work as usual, but one morning he arrived at an empty pen. The sheep had disappeared. Ignored and without purpose, the dog took to living in the nearby woods. He would catch tiny wild animals for food and sometimes helped nearby farmers with their work loads. These men were at least grateful for his help.

The dog never forgot his old owner, and visited the old farm often. Through the windows, he would watch the farmer feed and try to play with the cat, which was as big as a small dog now. This surprised the sheep dog. He had never seen a cat become so large before. The dog wanted to help his old master, but knew his would do no good.

On one such visit “home,” the sheep dog saw an ambulance outside the old farmhouse. From the trees he watched and saw a sheet covered stretcher carried out the front door. It was then placed in the back of the ambulance. Shaking their heads, the paramedics drove away with the farmer's body.

The dog whined. He had forgotten how old the farmer had become. After all, what else could have caused the farmer's death? The sheep dog glanced down at the house one more time. He snarled. A great mountain lion was slinking out the back door, and there was blood on its claws.

© 2009 Kristena

Author's Note

What do you think of my satire? Too harsh?

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Reviews

Minki

I liked it very much. The harshness was the perfect shock to get me thinking, ya know? I've got an English assignment (due tomorrow, of course) that I haven't even started. I've got to write a satire. I won't copy yours, but it gave me a good idea. :)