Thinking

“You know, Festus, living here was the dumbest thing we ever did,” said Rufus to his dog.

The man had such high hopes. He believed living out on the island would lead to a better life. It would be better than the life he had back in the hollers of the Dusty Mountains.

“At least working in the coal mine gave us enough money for bread and sausages. Out here, if it’s a bad day fishing, it’s a hungry day for the two of us,” muttered Rufus.

One day, a man came to town offering the chance to begin again on an island paradise. Rufus sold his tarpaper shack and bought the island from the traveler.

At first, the excitement of living and working away from the mine was enough, even if food was short. The enjoyment soon faded when the hungry pains grew, and hope faded.

Now six months into his adventure, Rufuss sat thinking what he should do next. “I suppose we can sell the boat, ain’t no one want to buy this here rock,” mumbled the man.

Festus began feeling the hunger pains and started digging a hole, looking for a critter to eat. Even a worm would be better than an empty bowl.

“Dog, why are you making a mess? Now I have to clean up before I can sell this rock,” muttered Rufuss.

As he began shoveling the dirt back in the hole, his eye caught sight of something shiny. Bending down, Rufuss cleared away the soil and found what appeared to be a small lump of gold.

“Dog, you done it,” cried Rufuss as he hugged his hound.

It turned out that the island had not washed away years before because it was gold.

The next day, the man and the dog walked into the local port with a sack of gold. After that, Festus ate steaks, while Rufus preferred to have his meal delivered by the local chef.

Rufus fixed up the shack, and he and Festus now live a life of luxury, well, not exactly. Rufus enjoys his beer and fried pork, and Festus always has a new bone to chew on.

“Don’t get any better than this dog,” Rufus often tells his dog, and for them, it’s true.

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