Week 1 Storytelling: Greedy Gus

There once was a dog whose name was Gus, but much to the dismay of his mother, everyone called him Greedy Gus because he was never content with what he had. Every time he acquired what his little heart currently desired, it only made him happy for a short time. As soon as he saw what someone else had he immediately made it his mission to get it and was not happy until he did. His mother was always warning him that his greed was only going to lead to heartache. She tried to emphasize that he would never find his happiness in things, but he was a stubborn little pup who just wouldn’t listen.

(Greedy Gus)

One day his brother came home with a big, nice piece of meat he had gotten at the store. He was so excited that as soon as he got home, he shared it with all of his siblings. Of course as soon as Greedy Gus saw it he decided he needed one all for himself, so he spent a week doing extra chores around the house to save up money to go buy a juicy steak like the one he had been coveting. Greedy Gus bragged to his brother the entire week about how he was going to get an even bigger piece of meat and how he was going to keep it all to himself. 

(Store)

Finally the day had come when he had saved enough money. He set off to the store with a skip in his step, ready to claim his prize. Everything seemed to be going perfectly, he picked out the best piece of meat and was on his way back home to show it off. He was feeling so happy that he decided he would go through the park on his way home. He cut across the field and over to a bubbling brook, the only way to cross over was by a wooden plank someone had lain across it. As he was sauntering across he looked down and saw a pup with a huge piece of meat in his mouth, he thought to himself that coming home with two pieces of meat sounded like a much better idea than just coming home with the one measly piece he had. So with great fury Greedy Gus reached down into the water to snatch the other dog’s piece of meat and when he did his own fell from his mouth and was swiftly carried away by the water.

(Park)

Suddenly Greedy Gus realized with great horror what he had done, he had lost the prize he had worked for because of his greed. He whimpered home with his tail between his legs and had to tell his family what happened. He finally understood what his mother had been telling him all these years because his greed did ultimately lead to heartache. He should have appreciated what he had instead of constantly searching for more.

Author's Note:

In the original fable there is a dog who has a piece of meat, he crosses over a brook on his way home to eat it and upon seeing his reflection thinks there is another dog holding a piece of meat. The dog tries to steal the meat from his reflection and ends up losing the only piece of meat he has. I kept the same basic principles as in the original story but I decided to expand more on the greediness of the dog and explore his personality a little bit. I also added in the part about his mother to show that his actions affected not only him but those who love him as well. 

Bibliography:

This story is based on the fable "The Dog and the Shadow" in Aesop's Fables.