literature

The Rat and the Doll

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Daily Deviation

June 23, 2010
The Rat and the Doll by *orphicfiddler is an awesome little fable with a strong moral we can all learn from!
Featured by fllnthblnk
orphicfiddler's avatar
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Literature Text

Some time ago there lived a Rat of fine whiskers and a finer tail who stumbled across a small porcelain Doll in a farmer's rubbish heap. Entranced by the Doll's beauty, he carried her home with him and, to the amusement of his fellow rats, instated her as his wife. Finding that she was of little assistance in his daily rambles for food, the Rat placed her upon a slight ledge of the barn in which he lived and brought her an offering of sustenance each day, as well as flowers and other pretty objects with which to enhance her loveliness.

One day the Rat returned from his foraging to find the other rats throwing pebbles at his Doll. "Stop!" he cried. "Why do you abuse my wife? What has she ever done to you?"

"She does nothing at all," said the other rats, "and that is the problem. How has she proven herself worthy of the attention you grant her, or the offerings you provide?"

"Her beauty proves her worth," claimed the Rat.

But at that moment, a gust of wind swept the Doll off her perch and onto the hard barn floor. Her beautiful face shattered into unrecognizable shards, and her body cracked in two, revealing nothing more than jagged porcelain edges and a hollow interior.

Do not place your love upon a pedestal until you have determined its substance.
Thought I'd have a rather last-minute go at :iconfllnthblnk:'s Fable Me This! Literature Contest ([link]). Those of you who know me ought to know by now that I have a thing for fairy tales, legends, fables, and the like, so it was really quite inevitable that I would enter.

Hope you like. :)
© 2010 - 2024 orphicfiddler
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LaughMakerAna's avatar
This is amazing. You totally deserved to win!